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The new legislation allows out of state businesses to be sued for “exposure to a substance defined as toxic.”
Her plan would create a $500 million rebate fund that the state could use during fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Any remaining funds would also be available for qualified first-time small business owners.
OpenSecrets reported recently that U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson was weeks late in disclosing 31 stock trades made by his wife earlier this year. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week to introduce a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.
St. Clair County taxpayers saw a big leap in what county leaders put towards MidAmerica St. Louis Airport to keep it open during 2024, according to a new audit. The funds taken from other county operations hit $14.83 million, up from $10.85 million in 2023 – a 73% hike in just a year.
Now up for a third term, Assessor Fritz Kaegi has certainly made the system more fair by treating more homeowners equally, but has not necessarily become more accurate, the report said. Compared with sales prices, residential properties “are increasingly under-assessed on average,” it found.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ audit stems from an amendment to the Illinois Vehicle Code that prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with agencies who seek to detain or investigate a person based on their immigration status or for obtaining lawful healthcare services, including abortion.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights (IMRR) also unveiled the Family Preparedness Campaign, aimed at providing Chicagoans with tools needed “to prepare in case of family separation due to federal immigration enforcement.” The campaign provides printable and fillable packets from community organizations to help organize essential information in case of potential law enforcement action.
Former Obama advisor David Axelrod said President Trump is trying to lure Democrats into a trap, adding that the president sees political advantage in Chicago’s crime problem. Axelrod said, “He sees a political calculus here. We have a problem. I live in Chicago. You want to help? Help. You want to play politics? Go somewhere else.”
The windows of the ICE facility were boarded up on Wednesday night, possibly in preparation for the protests taking place outside.
Researchers weighed “quality of services” metrics that included health, safety and economy rank, measuring each category against each of 148 cities’ per-capita budget. Chicago lands at No. 136 in the WalletHub survey after finishing 102nd in quality of city services and 140th in total budget per capita.
Nearly two weeks after President Donald Trump issued executive orders to take steps to eliminate cashless bail nationwide, some lawmakers have introduced legislation to codify the orders. Like the president’s executive orders, the legislation would restrict certain federal funds for states and localities with cashless bail policies.
Nearly half of the Illinois General Assembly’s members have received money from the Chicago Teachers Union, and 2-in-5 of the recipients are from outside the city.
Democrats question why they are underperforming with young men. If only Republicans had a serious candidate for governor to speak out on these issues… For a Republican perspective, joining Collin Corbett on Smoke-Filled Room this week, along with Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, are former State Representative Dan Caulkins and policy expert Carolyn Schofield.
“What’s happening in Chicago is a reminder of why Nevada should move toward individual retirement accounts. Taxpayers today shouldn’t be stuck paying off pension debt that accrued decades earlier.”
In Chicago, officials estimate the city will pay around $160 million in judgments this fiscal year, nearly double the $82 million it has budgeted. Some critics say the administration is its own worst enemy, frequently settling lawsuits on generous terms rather than choosing to litigate. In one case, the city paid $5 million to a woman who developed frostbite after being locked out of her apartment, even though police said she had refused their help. “We have to learn that some situations, while tragic, are not our fault,” said Ald. Raymond Lopez. “They are not the responsibility of taxpayers.”
The increase has far outpaced inflation, with 11 of the 12 universities raising costs faster than the national inflation rate. Only the University of Illinois–Chicago kept tuition growth below that threshold. Analysts say the sharp increases stem from several factors: falling enrollment, a funding formula critics call inequitable, rising pension obligations and expanding administrative costs.
“Statewide, more than 200 cities and villages across Illinois have decided to reimpose the grocery tax, with officials all citing the need to replace lost revenue. … Canceling the state grocery tax was a short-lived ‘tax break’ Gov. JB Pritzker offered tax-burdened Illinoisans in his annual budget message and approved by the legislature.”
“There is something else that Chicago is not — a safe city. Violent crime is a continuing threat to the people there, and the longer Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson pretend that it isn’t, the more credibility they will forfeit. Johnson, of course, doesn’t have any credibility to spare. Pritzker, on the other hand, is a respected public figure who would be well advised to acknowledge the crime problem and work with Johnson to address it.”
“These big-money settlements have prompted some Chicago law firms to specialize in city claims. In 2022, just one firm settled cases totaling $42 million of the $117 million that the city paid out that year. … City leaders are to blame for this swindle. During her eight-year tenure as Cook County state’s attorney, Kim Foxx prioritized the rights of criminals over the law-abiding and law enforcement.”
“As a Chicagoan, I have no illusions about the city politics. There has never been reasonable fiscal policies in the city in my lifetime. However, Johnson has moved from the dismissive to delusional in ignoring the economic realities growing in the city.”
“I think a federal surge would, in fact, be helpful. Even though we see our statistics are trending in the right direction, who would argue against making them trend even further, even lower, meaning less victims on the street,” Ald. Ray Lopez said.
Gov. JB Pritzker suggested that the Trump administration had a “nefarious plan” to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cause mayhem and then claim the need for military troops to protect ICE. “We’re going to do everything we can again to alleviate the challenge on the people of Chicago if in fact the president is trying to bring troops into Chicago, military troops,” Pritzker said.
Shooting victims in Chicago are just collateral damage in JB Pritzker’s quest for the White House.
Gov. JB Pritzker fears President Donald Trump’s strategy of sending federal troops to Chicagoland is to cause “mayhem” on the ground, which could lead to expanded operations. “Part of their nefarious plan is to begin with ICE, causing mayhem on the ground and by doing that, say that there’s a need for military troops on the ground to protect ICE,” Pritzker said.
Lou Sandoval, of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce: “At a time when taxpayers have been forced to deal with the lingering effects of inflation (and recent signs of continuing rising costs), international trade uncertainty, challenging policies coming out of Washington and recent tax increases enacted both locally and at the state level, with additional onerous tax proposals being considered at City Hall, Illinoisans deserve to have clear answers ahead of significant tax increases being considered.”
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