Illinois libraries are funded by a mix of property taxes and state and federal grants. Librarians have said it’s often difficult to decide what to prioritize when budgets get tight, and many Illinois libraries have reported they don’t offer online database subscriptions.

Senate Bill 3336 would establish regulations on “micromobility” transportation such as e-bikes and e-scooters that include age requirements, speed limits and rules on where they can be operated.

More than 550 personalized license plate requests were denied by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office this year after it deemed them inflammatory, profane, offensive or too difficult to read.

Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID or another acceptable document, such as a passport, will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, TSA announced earlier this week.

Starting Wednesday, Illinois residents will be able to add their Illinois-issued driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet. The Mobile ID program will also “soon” expand to Google and Samsung wallets, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

After passing an emissions test, motorists can purchase their vehicle registration sticker at the DMV’s annex building without having to pay the additional $9.50 charged by outside vendors, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised concerns and announced Monday that an audit found Customs and Border Protection had accessed Illinois data, although he didn’t say that the agency was seeking immigration-related information. A 2023 law the Democrat pushed bars sharing license plate data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants.

The pilot is a partnership between the Illinois secretary of state and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Motorists are expected to test vehicle emissions every two years for cars older than four years.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced an advocacy campaign Wednesday aimed at ending the practice of insurance companies using socioeconomic data — such as credit scores and ZIP codes — to set car insurance rates.

“Libraries are so much more than books,” Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said. “They offer things like job searching and training courses, literacy support, de facto child care for working parents, language instruction, and most of all, welcoming and inclusive public spaces for the community.”

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias asked the attorney general to review the matter. He also is creating an audit system to ensure police departments don’t run afoul of a 2023 law banning the distribution of license-plate data to track women seeking abortions or to find undocumented immigrants.

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.

The bill would also allow a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling or child of any Illinois driver to submit medical information about the driver to the secretary of state if they think the person’s medical condition interferes with their driving abilities.

As Illinois residents scrambled to meet the Real ID deadline, many instead ran into long lines, appointment shortages and confusing documentation rules. Public records reveal widespread frustration — especially among seniors — as the rollout strained DMV systems across the state.

The Secretary of State’s Office is seeing “ridiculously long lines” at DMVs of residents who incorrectly think the office will stop issuing Real IDs after May 7, according to Alexi Giannoulias.

Travelers who aren’t Real ID compliant by the upcoming deadline this week will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny, the head of Homeland Security said Tuesday.