“Economic policy is destiny.”

Plaintiffs include ISU students, the Normal Township supervisor, and the local union president who is an ISU building service worker. More than 300 ISU building services, grounds, and dining services employees have been on strike for two weeks while asking for better pay.

When state Rep. Kyle Moore asked why the resolution language did not specify how revenue from the tax would be distributed, State Rep. La Shawn Ford admitted there were no plans for allocation but the General Assembly would have that responsibility after voters approve the amendment.

Also, the substantially fewer number of those moving into Illinois earn much less than those who leave. The average adjusted gross income those moving in was $78,784 in 2023, according to the IRS, while the average AGI of those who left was $104,432 — almost 33 percent higher, further exacerbating the state’s economic losses from outmigration.

The loans to 95 licensees “may be up to 100 percent forgivable upon providing documentation for eligible business expenses.”

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 22 states secured a federal court order blocking an attempt by the Trump administration to threaten health care providers who treat youth with gender dysphoria.

According to the filing, the priorities in order are for all districts to have near-equal populations; to provide equal opportunity for all citizens, regardless of race; the creation of districts with racial minority influence; and for district borders to be unbroken and compact. Asked about the use of vague language, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said the legislature would address specifics when clarity is needed.

“The scale of the climate policy disaster authored by Gov. JB Pritzker (D., Ill.) is perhaps best measured by the effort and expense companies are willing to bear to liberate useful assets from the Land of Lincoln.”

The measure would allow the Bears and other “megaproject” developers to negotiate payments in lieu of taxes with local taxing bodies. One amendment would ensure half of those PILOT dollars would go toward property tax relief. There’s also a new provision that explicitly prohibits use of the PILOT tool for data centers, which have been identified as a driver of rising energy costs and demand.

Jim Dey: “Still, the SAFE-T Act has big problems, to the point that Gov. JB Pritzker — one of its biggest cheerleaders — has stated he might support ‘tweaks’ in the law. What tweaks he might support, the governor did not say. If he’s looking for ideas, Pritzker should speak to two state’s attorneys: Robert Berlin of DuPage County and Randi Freese of McHenry County.”