Illinois state senators defy law to pick their watchdog

By Patrick Andriesen

02/17/2022

Illinois state senators approved a new legislative inspector general over complaints by the Legislative Ethics Commission chair that the process and vetting were ignored for the new watchdog. House members vote next.

TAGS: Illinois Senate, Legislative Inspector General, watchdog

Former state Rep. Arroyo pleads not guilty to bribery charge

02/05/2020

Arroyo resigned from his seat in the Illinois General Assembly after his arrest in October on bribery charges. He now faces up to 10 years in prison for bribery.

TAGS: bribery, corruption, fair tax, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal investigation, graduated income tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, IRS: Internal Revenue Service, JB Pritzker, lobbying, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, progressive income tax, red light cameras, Springfield, tax fraud, Terry Link

Leaving child Home Alone could land parents in jail this holiday season

12/19/2019

Illinois’ restrictive and vague laws could mean arrest for parents who leave their kids at home while they run a quick holiday errand.

TAGS: Chicago, Christmas, Corey Widen, criminal justice reform, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, lawmakers, Natasha Felix, overcriminalization, police, Wilmette, Winnetka

Illinois lawmakers should hold Pritzker to his ‘fair maps’ promise

By Austin Berg

12/03/2019

Even without a constitutional amendment, there are changes lawmakers could make as soon as session resumes to get politics out of mapmaking.

TAGS: bipartisan, ethics, gerrymandering, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, legislative district, legislative map, redistricting, Springfield

Sandoval resigns Senate seat amid federal corruption probe, effective Jan. 1

By Vincent Caruso

11/27/2019

The once-powerful state officeholder previously resigned as chairman of the influential Illinois Senate Transportation Committee in October.

TAGS: FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, gas tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, John Cullerton, Martin Sandoval, McCook, Mike Madigan, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Senate Transportation Committee, Springfield, Tom Cullerton, transportation

Senate President John Cullerton set to collect $2M pension

By Austin Berg

11/27/2019

Due to a pension sweetener available only to veteran Illinois lawmakers, Cullerton’s annual pension will soon be more than he ever made from his Statehouse salary.

TAGS: Chicago, Emil Jones, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, Mike Madigan, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Springfield, tax hikes, teacher salaries, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois is No. 3 for most state regulations, report finds

11/21/2019

A new report confirms what many Illinoisans already knew: the state is one of the most heavily regulated in America, with nearly 260,000 state rules.

TAGS: ban, California, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, Mercatus Center, prohibition, regulations, Regulatory Sunrise Review Act, Senate, South Dakota, taxes

Senate President John Cullerton announces retirement amid sweeping Illinois corruption probe

By Austin Berg

11/14/2019

Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan have held office in the Illinois General Assembly for nearly 90 years combined.

TAGS: corruption, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, investigation, John Cullerton, pension spiking, pensions, Springfield

Illinois Senate delays voting on Pritzker progressive tax

By Vincent Caruso

04/12/2019

Senate lawmakers chose to delay voting on an amendment that would allow Illinois’ income tax structure to go from flat to progressive.

TAGS: fair tax, Illinois Senate, income tax, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, taxes

Lame-duck Illinois Senate passes pay hikes for state department leaders

01/09/2019

The outgoing Illinois Senate voted with the House in approving large pay increases for state department heads. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk, though likely not until J.B. Pritzker is sworn in.

TAGS: Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, lame duck session, salaries