A recent study highlighted continued barriers to entry into the trades, including unpaid internships and minority-based disparities, such as low participation from female and non-white apprentices in certain fields.

Lawmakers see the legislation they are proposing as a way to level the hyper-competitive recruiting field if not gain an advantage. Their universities are going against schools from Florida, Tennessee and Texas, states where income is not taxed.

The CTA, Metra and Pace are facing an impending budget gap when federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out next year. Transit labor groups have stopped short of calling for a merging of the transit systems as a funding solution, unlike what some advocacy groups have called for.

Supporters say a bill to regulate homeschooling is aimed at ensuring kids are getting the education they need and are better protected from potential neglect. Opponents are concerned that the bill would be government overreach and could criminalize homeschooling parents.

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.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has rarely issued vetoes since he became governor in 2019 and has largely found himself on the same page with the Democratic supermajority in the legislature.

The transit agencies came up with the doomsday models at the RTA’s behest, responding to calls from Springfield legislators who’ve demanded specifics about how bad it could get if transit goes over the fiscal cliff — as well as what public transportation could look like if lawmakers go beyond plugging the budget gap and drastically increase state funding.

A Senate committee passed a bill this week that would give specialized training on human trafficking and establish coordination across multiple state agencies and partners.

The measure, known as the Homeschool Act, would require families to notify their school districts when they decide to homeschool, and that parents or guardians who teach their kids at home have a high school diploma or equivalent.

“At the end of the day, DCFS is responsible for everything that happens to a child, for making sure the child is safe, for making sure the child has an appropriate placement, for making sure that the child isn’t treated like garbage by giving them garbage bags for their possessions,” said Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert.

Chicago police executed a search warrant at the wrong address more than six years ago that left social worker Anjanette Young handcuffed and naked in her home as she was getting ready for bed.

“More focus on learning will bring even greater success for kids across the state,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. “Furthermore, cyberbullying has expanded at alarming rates, and it’s time for Illinois to take measures to protect our kids.”

A pharmacy benefit manager negotiates prices with wholesalers, sets reimbursement rates on drugs and compiles the lists of which medicines an insurer will cover. But critics describe the industry as focused on self-enrichment and in need of regulation.

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.

State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) is sponsoring two bills that would place restrictions on the use of AI in online therapy services as well as AI use in decision-making processes that determine a person’s health insurance coverage.

Whether it be tariffs that make Illinois soybeans less attractive to China or cuts to funds that prop up things like rural firefighting services, conservation-minded farming techniques and tree assessments after major storms, Illinois farmers are worried.