State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, speaks at a news conference Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Illinois Capitol to highlight the findings of a new report on state funding for public universities. She was the co-chair of the commission that found Illinois underfunds public universities by about $1.4 billion. (Andrew Campbell / Capitol News Illinois)

A state commission found that dedicating an added $100-135 million annually to public universities would allow Illinois to bridge the funding gap in 10-15 years.

Democratic state Reps. Maurice West, of Rockford, and Carol Ammons, of Urbana, discuss Ammons’ proposal to expand voting by mail in Illinois during a meeting Jan. 10, 2024, of the House Ethics and Elections Committee. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

As the 2024 election season draws near, voters will once again choose whether to cast their ballots in person or by mail. One Illinois lawmaker is proposing a bill that would make voting by mail the default option for people in counties and cities that choose to go that route.

A panel of education and policy experts speaks at an event hosted by the City Club of Chicago. Pictured left to right: Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, Illinois State Board of Education Chief of Staff Kimako Patterson, 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year Briana Morales and Advance Illinois board member Shayne Evans. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

The supply of education professionals continues to improve in Illinois despite strains brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but persistent issues remain in certain regions of the state and within some teaching fields.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill repealing an HIV criminalization law on July 27, 2021. (WTTW News via Governor’s Office)
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People with HIV can no longer be criminally prosecuted for exposing someone else to the virus without their knowledge. Advocates say the law discouraged testing and treatment for HIV — and the repeal is long overdue.

Illinois’ Black legislators plan to capitalize on the intense focus on inequalities instigated by the killing of George Floyd to push forward this fall a robust policy agenda to root out systemic racism.

(StartupStockPhotos / Pixabay)

New recommendations for how Illinois campaigns and government offices can eliminate harassment in the workplace. We hear from two of the women behind the report.