Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois: Republicans call for balanced budget ahead of governor’s address
Republican leaders in the Illinois House are calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to propose a truly balanced budget when he delivers his budget address Wednesday, noting he should avoid relying on money that may never materialize.
That’s what happened in May when lawmakers adopted the current fiscal year’s budget. That plan called for $42.9 billion in in General Revenue Fund spending, but it was predicated on the assumption that Congress would pass an aid package for state and local governments and that Illinois voters would approve Pritzker’s proposed constitutional amendment to allow for a graduated income tax.
The Center Square: Illinois committee could take up ‘Culturally Responsive’ teaching standards Wednesday
Controversial teaching standards that the Illinois State Board of Education has filed could come up Wednesday in a legislative committee.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules rescheduled its Tuesday meeting to Wednesday in Springfield. There could be a motion to block what ISBE calls “Culturally Responsive” teaching standards.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot says CPS would ‘never have opened without mayoral control,’ fuels speculation of backing away from elected school board
Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned as a staunch proponent of an elected school board, only to repeatedly block what she calls an “unwieldy” bill that would triple the size of the board to 21 members, with a citywide elected president.
Now, she’s telling the New York Times Chicago Public Schools would “never have opened without mayoral control,” fueling speculation about whether she will ever deliver on that pivotal campaign promise.
Chicago Tribune: Editorial: Get tough, Gov. Pritzker, on AFSCME
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is scheduled to outline his budget plan on Wednesday for the fiscal year that starts July 1. It should include sacrifice from the nearly 40,000 state workers whose jobs have not been at risk like millions in the private sector and who got generous pay raises, funded by taxpayers, during the pandemic when Illinois’ unemployment soared to 16%. It is high time the state’s unionized workforce be part of the “shared sacrifice” our politicians so often expect of the private sector workforce.
Pritzker took a baby step in that direction in December when he said he would meet with leaders of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees to discuss personnel cuts and furlough days to help balance the state budget. AFSCME, naturally, balked. The union’s leaders have no interest in sacrificing a penny, not during a pandemic, not when millions of workers lost their jobs, and not even when their good pal, Pritzker, asks for help.
Capitol News Illinois: High court offers rules for remote criminal hearings
The state’s highest court issued new rules last week to help courts transition to remote hearings for criminal cases as the pandemic continues to disrupt court operations statewide.
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke said the order “provides guidance for our courts to address the backlog of criminal cases created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” in a news release last week.