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Proposed Illinois bill would prevent employers from requiring microchip implants – WCIA (Champaign)

Senator Steve Stadelman has filed a bill that prevent Illinoisans from being microchipped without their consent. The law protects all Illinoisans from being required, coerced, or compelled to undergo the implanting of an identification chip under their skin by anyone, but has special protections for employees. The senator said rules are needed to safeguard human rights and ethical standards in the face of technological innovation.

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Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal – Capitol News IL

Senate Bill 3481 would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency by February 2026. The state’s Pollution Control Board would set the regulations for the proper storage of EV batteries. Senate Bill 3686 would require battery producers and importers to implement an IEPA approved battery stewardship plan starting in 2026. Retailers would be encouraged — but not required — to serve as collection facilities.

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School survey: Teacher shortage in Illinois persists, but progress is being made – Center Square

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools partnered with Goshen Education Consulting to survey more than 750 school districts, and found that more than 90 percent of schools said they have a teacher shortage problem, and that teacher shortages are the most severe in city districts, in vocational centers, and in more rural parts of the state, such as west-central, southwest and east-central Illinois.  The number drops to as little as 20 percent of schools in some more affluent counties.

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John Kass: You Count the Votes Over and Over Until They Add Up Right

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker must not study history or classic film noir. But that hasn’t stopped him from bragging his fool head off like some idiot chumbolone. The other day on X he couldn’t help himself. Happily, for the Non-Chumbolones (meaning the rest of us) there was Mark Glennon, founder of wirepoints.org. He wrote about Pritzker’s boast … ‘With polls showing as few as 37 percent of Americans confident that our elections are open and honest, you wouldn’t think anybody would be bragging about integrity of the process,’ wrote Glennon. ‘That’s especially true in Illinois, where the bungled vote count for Cook

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Illinois Supreme Court agrees to hear Jussie Smollett case – CBS2 (Chicago)

Smollett took his case to the state’s highest court last month, asking justices to overturn his convictions on five counts of disorderly conduct, after an Illinois Appellate Court panel last year upheld his guilty verdict. Should Smollett’s appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court fail, he could take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court since he is arguing his conviction violates his Fifth Amendment protections against double jeopardy.

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March Madness pushed Illinois sports wagers to $335M last year – Illinois Policy

The state could take an even bigger share of the winnings in the future if Gov. JB Pritzker gets lawmakers to agree to more than doubling the sportsbook tax from 15 percent to 35 percent. Pritzker proposed the hike as part of $898 million in new taxes, including taking $45 from the average family’s income taxes, to balance his record $52.7 billion budget for 2025.

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Labor rights for migrants could expand in Illinois as lawmakers weigh spending options – State Journal-Register (Springfield)/Yahoo

While more migrant spending is on the table, lawmakers are also considering legislation that would expand migrant workers’ rights and eligibility for certain jobs. A slew of lawmakers are backing legislation preventing immigration-related retaliation in the workplace. House Bill 5071 would allow victims of this retaliation to pursue civil action and receive back pay and other compensatory measures.

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Glen Carbon says eliminating grocery tax would cost village $1M – Edwardsville Intelligencer

“At a time of rising pension costs, along with unfunded mandates placed on local units of government by the state, this proposed elimination of revenues would create an undue hardship on Glen Carbon,” according to the resolution’s verbiage. The village will urge the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. JB Pritzker to protect the sales tax on groceries or to reimburse municipal governments for the totality of lost revenue if it is eliminated, as was done temporarily between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

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Illinois lawmakers join postal workers in criticism of postmaster general’s ‘Delivering for America’ plan – WGNTV (Chicago)

“Anything mailed in the city will take one week to deliver but if you want to mail something in the Quad Cities, it has to go on a 50-mile round trip to Des Moines to be processed. Does that make sense? Does that sound more efficient? It doesn’t to me,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said. And U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said the “Delivering for America” plan is essentially closing post offices.

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New bill would strengthen child labor laws in Illinois – State Journal-Register (Springfield)/Yahoo

Senate Bill 3646 would limit the hours minors could work, including not working more than 8 hours in a single 24-hour period or more than 3 hours per day or more than 8 hours total of work and school hours on days when school is in session; the new bill would also ensure children 13 and under would not be allowed to get a working permit. Proposed legislation would also provide protections for children who are featured in online content and would require that they receive compensation.

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Opinion: Strong Illinois economy has been very good for business – Daily Herald*

Frank Manzo IV of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute: Illinois finally has been able to get back on its feet after years of fiscal mismanagement. Now, with record-high profits from businesses, Illinois can afford to enact policies that invest in working families and in attracting more people — more workers, more entrepreneurs, and more taxpayers — to our great state.

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Paul Vallas: Governor and mayor’s response to migrant crisis is an abuse of executive power – Chicago Tribune*

With elected officials tacitly endorsing unlimited migration, taxpayers foot the bill for a crisis exacerbated by executive overreach and legislative dereliction. Unless accountability is restored, Illinois risks further economic strain and governance crises, perpetuating a cycle of fiscal mismanagement and political expediency at the expense of its citizens.

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