Gov. Bruce Rauner largely bypassed Illinois’ myriad troubles and instead spent much of his speech Wednesday listing his administration’s achievements and calling for cooperation. 

The governor strikes a conciliatory tone in his State of State address. We get reaction from public policy professionals with different points of view.

The Illinois Senate leaders join us to discuss their negotiations and fiscal plans for the state.

Michael Madigan wins an unprecedented 17th term as Illinois House Speaker, and the Republican Party is already undermining its own calls for bipartisanship.  

Illinois’ 99th General Assembly has wrapped up for good, without ever having passed a complete state budget. 

While Illinois’ impasse thus far has been caused by a partisan divide, divergent approaches by the House and Senate to the state’s yearslong political stalemate serve to create a new potential rift, this time between the two Democratic-led chambers.

After nearly two years of budget gridlock, spiraling deficits and political acrimony in Springfield, a grand bargain on the budget is coming together in the Illinois Senate.

Illinois lawmakers go back to Springfield next week. Will they be ready to take budget action in the new year?

House Speaker Michael Madigan cancels a meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner. Is Springfield back to business as usual as lawmakers get set for the fall veto session?

A high-profile Republican state lawmaker and top ally of Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks out on why he abruptly decided to resign.

An Illinois senator is renewing his call for a proposed ban on bobcat trapping and the sale of the animals' pelts after a reported deal with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources fell through.

Illinois State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin joins "Chicago Tonight" after a week of incendiary rhetoric in Springfield as the end of the fiscal year is just two weeks away.

Days after a bipartisan group filed a constitutional amendment that would take redistricting out of the hands of state lawmakers, a lawsuit was filed to get the proposal thrown out.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois did not entirely shoot down rumors that he’s considering a run for governor in 2018, but he did ask those speculating to “cool it” and focus instead on a state budget.

This fall, hunters in Illinois will be able to hunt and trap bobcats for the first time in more than four decades. But some state lawmakers are pushing for a ban on trapping the animals and selling their pelts.

An Illinois constitutional amendment that would create an independent commission to redraw legislative districts every 10 years is one step closer to November’s election ballot. The group Independent Maps delivered petitions with 570,000 signatures to the state capitol in Springfield on Friday.