Among them, HB 4540 would give the court system authority to assign sole or joint ownership of a pet, particularly in cases such as divorce. Judges will consider the well-being of pets when determining custody in certain legal disputes.

“The school should be teaching kids math and reading and all these other things, history, and maybe that would be part of it, voter registration for those who are age appropriate. But lets the schools make that decision,” state Rep. Bill Hauter said, adding he also is concerned about what he described as liberal schools influencing students to vote for more liberal candidates.

One potential change would end the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes tool after five years. This wouldn’t affect the Bears or any other developer with an agreement already inked, but it would allow lawmakers to assess the effectiveness of the tool. Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said he believes it “that was the intention” of negotiators to include the sunset, noting that state policymakers “do that with most of our incentives.”

“Massachusetts passed a new 4 percent tax on income over $1 million in 2023. … Most concerningly, total Adjusted Gross Income in Massachusetts shrunk year-over-year, meaning higher taxes are hitting a smaller tax base. Massachusetts did get a sugar high of new tax revenue. But it came at the cost of shrinking the pie for everyone.”

“The Civic Federation report calls for the obvious: a rethinking of how state legislators can serve their constituents by eliminating roadblocks to consolidation and urging local officials to take a broad look at this spider’s web of government units financed by unaffordable property taxes. It’s much easier, of course, to do nothing. But the cost is increasingly unaffordable.”

“Whether the environmentalists’ bill (the Protecting Our Water, Energy, and Ratepayers, or POWER, Act) is the answer remains to be seen. But it seems clear from the poll that Illinoisans want some real regulation of this industry.”

When state exams and standardized test scores show declining student proficiency, there’s no reason to celebrate.

Community colleges in Illinois could soon offer Bachelor’s degree programs to Illinois residents. Officials, lawmakers and students all say the initiative would make higher education more accessible, affordable and benefit the state’s economy.