The record-high $55.2 billion Illinois state budget includes dozens of six and seven-figure line items for a variety of NGOs with a wide range of missions. Organizations slated to receive state taxpayer funds include churches, ethnic and cultural centers, healthcare entities, organized labor, municipal chambers of commerce, neighborhood groups and others.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program helps local communities nationwide protect themselves from natural disasters before they occur.

Douglas Heller, of the Washington-based Consumer Federation of America, described Illinois’ law as “among the most toothless in the nation. … Almost every state in the country has a law that says for auto, home and most other lines of insurance as well, rates cannot be excessive. Now, it doesn’t mean that the regulators around the country do a great job or even have the tools to enforce that very strictly … but Illinois doesn’t even have the language that prohibits excessive rates for homeowners insurance companies.”

Pritzker led the effort alongside the governors of Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Connecticut, Oregon, Kansas, Delaware, California, Kentucky, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington and Michigan. “There is no justification for withholding these funds,” the letter reads. “Our schools cannot wait. Our students should not have to suffer the whims of administrative overreach.”

“That’s a cool half-a-million dollars (from the state’s annual budget) going to Lincoln College for infrastructure improvements. How very generous of Illinois to spend our tax money so wisely. The trouble is when you find out that Lincoln College closed three years ago.”

Sponsors said people who live in neighboring states but work as public safety employees should be able to operate emergency vehicles in Illinois if they have the required driver’s license in their home state.

“Key goals of the task force are to expand access to homeownership programs and to support long-term affordability and stability through the exploration of the community land trust model,” said Rep. Lilian Jimenez. The task force could consider incorporating community land trusts into the local tax sale process and increasing the number of state grants for organizational housing development.

Two teenagers were arrested for playing a role in a Champaign shooting that left a 14-year-old hurt this week.

A new report by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis shows nearly one in four welfare recipients has taken at least one negative action to avoid losing benefits, such as turning down raises or promotions, working fewer hours, declining job offers and refusing to build savings.

Base salaries for lawmakers just went up by $6,000 to $98,000. When you add in per-diem and bonuses for leadership and committee positions, the average total compensation will be $128,000. Comparing Illinois to other states shows lawmakers’ base salary will be the fourth highest in the nation and over double the national average.

In Chicago, the teachers’ union voted on anti-Israel resolutions and posted on social media that, “Zionists are not welcome.”

Derek Douglas, of the Civic Committee and the Commercial Club of Chicago; Joe Ferguson, of the Civic Federation, and David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “No one wants to be miserly when it comes to our first responders. They risk their lives to protect ours, and we deeply appreciate their service. But our appreciation for their work does not erase the daunting mathematical dilemma we face as a city and a state with ever-increasing pension costs and no responsible plan to fully fund them.”

DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said, “In DuPage County we have zero tolerance for the type of behavior alleged in this case. The new charges against these women, who were both previously granted pretrial release, illustrates the need for changes to the State’s Safe-T-Act to give judges more discretion at First Appearance Court. Too often, we are seeing repeat offenders released pre-trial because the Act does not allow judges to use their discretion for certain offenses.”