Local government leaders in Illinois are once again calling on state lawmakers to increase funding for their communities after Gov. JB Pritzker called for reducing the share of income taxes disbursed to municipalities. Pritzker’s budget, introduced last month, calls for reducing the share of income tax revenues that is divided among counties and other municipalities […]
Ben Szalinski
Ben joined CNI in November 2024 as a Statehouse reporter covering the General Assembly from Springfield and other events happening around state government. He previously covered Illinois government for The Daily Line following time in McHenry County with the Northwest Herald. Ben is also a graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield PAR program. He is a lifelong Illinois resident and is originally from Mundelein.
Posted inNews
Pritzker denies traveling on Epstein’s plane after Bill Clinton’s since-recanted testimony
Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that […]
Posted inNews
Pritzker proposes $56B budget with minimal new spending, tax on social media companies
As Illinois awaits federal court decisions about federal funding and braces for more federal cuts and rising costs, Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing limited new spending. The budget proposed by Pritzker on Wednesday largely maintains the status quo, and forgoes significant broad-based tax increases. The proposed budget totals $56 billion in spending in fiscal year […]
Posted inNews
Illinois to withhold nearly $500M in spending, citing federal uncertainty
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office plans to hold back nearly $500 million in spending for the current fiscal year as the state faces constant uncertainty over the economy and federal funding. The reserves make up less than 1% of the state’s budget and largely focus on cost savings such as forgoing hiring in certain agencies for […]
Posted inNews
Illinois lawmakers’ 2026 theme: affordability
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch says this spring’s election-year legislative session will be squarely focused on tackling Illinois voters’ priorities. “We’re going to focus on things that help folks in their household budget,” Welch told Capitol News Illinois. “We’re going to focus on things that help create good jobs, wage growth and opportunity. We’re going […]
Posted inNews
Top Democrats say they would consider small changes to Illinois’ SAFE-T Act
Some of Illinois’ top Democrats say they’re open to considering targeted changes to Illinois’ controversial SAFE-T Act this spring if a forthcoming judicial report says they’re needed. 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 […]
Posted inNews
Needling Trump as 2028 looms: Inside JB Pritzker’s all-of-the-above media strategy
While sitting for his second Fox News interview of 2025 in late October, Gov. JB Pritzker made a plain observation about President Donald Trump, who earlier that day derided Illinois’ billionaire chief executive as “weak” and “pathetic.” “It seems like I live rent free in his head,” Pritzker told host Bret Baier on one of […]
Posted inNews
New laws: Illinois’ grocery tax to end, aquifer protections begin
Illinois’ statewide 1% grocery tax will go away on Jan. 1, though many people will continue to pay it at the local level. Data compiled by the Illinois Municipal League shows that 656 municipalities — a little more than half of the state’s municipalities — have passed an ordinance establishing their own grocery tax. Those communities […]
Posted inNews
Key Illinois Democrats at odds with Durbin over shutdown vote
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is once again at odds with other prominent Illinois Democrats over a vote that set in motion a plan to end the record-long federal government shutdown. Durbin, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was one of eight members in the Senate Democratic caucus to join Republicans in supporting a procedural […]
Posted inUncategorized
Key Illinois Democrats at odds with Durbin over shutdown vote — again
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is once again at odds with other prominent Illinois Democrats over a vote that set in motion a plan to end the record-long federal government shutdown. Durbin, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was one of eight members in the Senate Democratic caucus to join Republicans in supporting a procedural […]
Posted inNews
Illinois bill ‘decouples’ state, federal taxes, raising revenue and angering businesses
Illinois lawmakers are sending a bill to Gov. JB Pritzker that makes a pair of changes to Illinois’ tax code in response to new federal tax provisions that could reduce state revenue. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected last month that Illinois is on track to run a $267 million deficit in fiscal […]
Posted inNews
Illinois joins lawsuit to force federal government not to pause SNAP benefits
Illinois joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over plans to stop funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Saturday as the federal government shutdown continues. About 1.9 million people in Illinois, and about 42 million people across the country, depend on SNAP benefits, otherwise known as food […]
