Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois

The “Safe Schools for All Act” passed both chambers of the General Assembly. It would prohibit schools from denying any child access to a free public education based on their actual or perceived immigration status, or that of their parents.

Kwame Raoul’s office has joined lawsuits challenging actions of the Trump administration as well as defending the state against legal actions the administration has filed against Illinois.

Gun rights advocates once again are asking a federal appeals court in Chicago to overturn Illinois’ ban on assault-style firearms and large-capacity magazines in a case that may be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.

“You don’t get everything done in one year,” Gov. JB Pritzker said during a post-session news conference when asked about several of his initiatives that failed to pass this year. “Sometimes they (lawmakers) spend two years, four years, six years, trying to get something big done.”

The bill, known as the Prescription Drug Affordability Act would put new regulations and impose new fees on a large but little understood segment of the prescription drug industry — pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.

The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, or HBIA, was launched in 2021. It covers qualifying individuals aged 42-64.

A federal judge in New York issued a preliminary order Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from cutting off states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds for public schools, including more than $77 million for Illinois.

The report says Illinois graduates who transferred from a community college take out, on average, 38% more debt than those who start at four-year schools. Transfer students also attempt an average of nine more credits during their college career than those who don’t transfer.

The community college proposal is intended to make certain four-year degrees available through lower-cost institutions and more accessible to older, nontraditional students who don’t live near a four-year institution.

The Illinois House gave its approval to legislation that would give high school athletes a limited right to compete in non-school events or on non-school teams during the same season in which they play for their school.

“Look, there are a lot of uncertainties at the moment, a lot of instability. There's no doubt,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. “But this is a stable state. This is a state that thrives on certainty and allows our businesses to do well. And so we look forward to maintaining that status.”

Nursing home industry officials are urging Illinois lawmakers to increase the rates they receive from the state’s Medicaid system, arguing the current rates are outdated and are forcing many facilities around the state out of business.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to implement and enforce a nationwide requirement that voters show documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when they register to vote.

The coalition of Democratic attorneys general is seeking a preliminary injunction to block the mass firing of half the agency’s employees, as well as the transfer of student loan management and special education services to other federal agencies.

More than 175 years after their reservation in Illinois was illegally sold at auction, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is now in line to get their land back.

There was significant growth in several enrollment categories, including a nearly 20% increase in students enrolled in dual credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits.

His remarks came just two days after the agency abruptly laid off 1,300 employees, or about half its workforce, including an estimated 50 workers in its Chicago regional office.

A House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and non-school teams in the same sport at the same time.

The organizations say tens of thousands of students are being denied access to services because the money is not being spent.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is a set of standardized tests administered every two years to a representative sample of fourth and eighth students nationwide. Because the tests are administered uniformly nationwide, it allows for accurate comparisons between states and over time.

Nearly two centuries after losing its reservation in Illinois in a land sale that most people now concede was illegal, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation could soon get its land back.

Illinois lawmakers passed legislation in 2018 to allow the commercial production of hemp, the same year Congress legalized hemp nationwide through the 2018 Farm Bill.

Pritzker announced plans in 2023 to establish a new agency that would consolidate under one roof a host of state programs currently scattered across several other agencies that serve the needs of families with infants and toddlers. Those include oversight and funding of preschools, childcare centers, home visiting and early intervention programs.

A legislative committee and the Illinois Department of Agriculture agreed recently to delay finalizing new regulations governing hemp production amid an outcry of protests from small, independent producers.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen faces a challenge this year from Republican Judge Joe McGraw in what analysts say is the only "competitive" congressional race in Illinois. Sorensen narrowly won the seat in 2022 after the district was heavily redrawn, but he enjoys a big fundraising advantage over McGraw.

The state’s highest court ruled Illinois can revoke a person’s FOID card once they’ve been charged with a felony and that patients in hospital rooms don’t have a universal expectation of privacy from police searches.