The appointment of Natalie Toro to represent a wide swath of Chicago’s Northwest Side in the Illinois Senate sets up a fierce battle next spring as the progressive political organizations and labor unions that helped elect Mayor Brandon Johnson push to consolidate their power.
Illinois Senate
Battle Lines Drawn in Northwest Side State Senate District as Progressives Look to Consolidate Power
The law expands the number of health practitioners who can provide certain types of abortions; requires Illinois public entities to cover abortion, gender-affirming and HIV-prevention drugs as part of health insurance; and establishes legal criteria for ensuring parental autonomy in reproductive technology.
Illinois’ leadership has shifted, with a fresh group of 177 lawmakers sworn in to office on Wednesday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the law Tuesday night , hours after it passed the legislature on the final day of the General Assembly’s session, and roughly six months since the July 4 mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade.
The Illinois legislature was busy in 2022, enacting hundreds of new laws, many of which will take effect on Sunday.
Illinois state Sen. Scott Bennett, a Democrat who represented Champaign and surrounding areas in central Illinois, died Friday from complications of a brain tumor.
Illinois is about to enter a staggering second year without an agreed-upon state budget. We talk with lawmakers about what happens next.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner blasts Democrats for failing to pass a budget before the end of the spring legislative session. Where does Illinois go from here?
Are lawmakers any closer to a budget agreement? We speak with two legislators about the progress in Springfield.
Gov. Bruce Rauner is coming up empty in his bid to influence several General Assembly primary races, despite he and allies spending millions of dollars. If tonight’s races are indicative of a wider proxy war with House Speaker Mike Madigan, Madigan appears to be the runaway winner.
The Illinois General Assembly returned to work in Springfield on Tuesday for the first time in three weeks. Amanda Vinicky joins us with the latest.
Change in Corporate Income Tax Floated
There’s a potential third way out of the deadlock over how to close a $6 billion state budget gap. Gov. Bruce Rauner is refusing to sign off on a budget without changes to collective bargaining and public employee unions. And the Democrats are refusing to go along with that. So, what are the alternatives? Paris Schutz has the details.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and from both chambers talk about the emergency one-month budget the Senate will vote on this week, and whether there will be any negotiations or attempts to pass a full budget for the coming fiscal year when the House returns to Springfied on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, July 1, the Illinois Senate passed a one-month temporary budget by a vote 37-0. View an interactive graphic of how each senator voted.
In the year's second special session, the Illinois Senate votes to override Gov. Pat Quinn's concealed carry veto, 41-17. See how your senator voted in our interactive graphic.
The Illinois Senate approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage—bringing it one step closer to becoming law. The bill passed the Senate in a 34-21-2 vote, but now faces a tougher vote as it moves to the Illinois House of Representatives. See how Senate members voted in our interactive graphic.
