An Indiana House committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 27, which would create a public stadium authority with the power to acquire land, issue long-term bonds and finance the construction of a stadium and related facilities.

Facing a projected $2.2 billion gap and massive uncertainty over federal funding flowing into Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday proposed a $56 billion state budget plan for fiscal year 2027 beginning July 1.

The renewed urgency comes as Indiana advances competing legislation backed by Gov. Mike Braun to lure the team across state lines, raising the stakes in Springfield.

Progressive lawmakers want the governor to raise taxes on corporations and billionaires, while Republicans are hoping to keep spending flat in fiscal year 2027.

Illinois state legislators are proposing the Power Act, which would put guardrails around the rapid expansion of large-scale data centers.

Legal experts say the newly enacted Clean Slate Act may help reduce gaps in record-clearing, and federal marijuana reclassification could spur broader reforms across the country.

A federal judge has upheld a first-of-its-kind Illinois law that protects consumers and retailers from paying so-called credit card “swipe fees” on taxes and tips.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) has sponsored a new pilot program that would allow companies like Waymo to service Cook, Sangamon and Madison counties with autonomous vehicles over a three-year period. 

Drivers currently lack the right to unionize under federal labor law because they are classified as independent contractors. The proposal would not change that classification but would give rideshare drivers the right to unionize in Illinois despite their contractor status.

Illinois will begin a process to automatically seal criminal records for millions of adults in the state, after Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Clean Slate Act on Friday.

Both Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, say the changes — if ultimately deemed necessary — would be narrow despite Republicans’ desire to see the law drastically overhauled.

Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield for the spring legislative session. They’re facing some tough realities: a budget gap in the billions, growing pressure to deliver affordability relief, and a widening financial rift with Washington, D.C.

The bill will fund battery storage, grant greater authority to state utility regulators, create new options for “virtual power plants” and lift a longtime ban on new large-scale nuclear power plants.

Bears president Kevin Warren claimed in a letter to fans last month that the team, which Forbes valued at $8.2 billion, was “told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026.” Welch did not dispute the claim.

Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrats who control the state legislature have mostly shied away from renewing their graduated income tax push — all while managing to balance the books under the existing tax structure, largely thanks to a strong economy and federal aid in the years after the pandemic.

Illinois lawmakers responded to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrant communities with new legal protections for students and guidelines for schools that will take effect Jan. 1. Lawmakers also focused on the use of AI in education.