Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias last week filed administrative rules that would increase the age at which a driver is required to pass a driving test when they renew their license, raising it from 75 to 79. The rules – proposed by Giannoulias to the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules – would keep […]
Capitol News Illinois
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Battery manufacturing plant coming to Illinois
A new battery manufacturing plant is set to open in northern Illinois next year after the state offered more than $330 million in tax incentives to make it happen. Gotion, a Chinese battery manufacturing and development company, announced Sept. 8 that it will build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Manteno, about 50 miles south […]
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Southern Illinois casino opens
Gov. JB Pritzker joined hundreds of people from across southern Illinois Aug. 25 to celebrate the opening of the state’s 14th casino on a rural estate just outside of Carterville, near Carbondale. The Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort is the fourth casino to open in recent years that was authorized by a 2019 gambling expansion law […]
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Pritzker vetoes bill that would have allowed new nuclear construction
Gov. JB Pritzker on Aug. 11 vetoed a bill that would have lifted a 1980s moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors. The bill passed in May with three-fifths majorities in both legislative chambers, meaning that if all the members who voted for it also support an override of the governor’s veto, it still […]
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Firearms industry could be sued for deceptive marketing
A new Illinois law restricts the way gun dealers and manufacturers can market and sell their products and subjects them to civil penalties for violations. Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 218 into law Saturday, Aug. 12. Labeled the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, it took effect immediately. “We hold opioid manufacturers accountable. Vaping companies accountable. […]
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Watchdog investigates state employees fraud
Dozens of state employees across multiple agencies are under investigation by a state watchdog for claims they fraudulently obtained payments from a federal pandemic-era loan program, Capitol News Illinois has learned. Neil Olson, general counsel at the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, confirmed that “OEIG has been investigating allegations of Paycheck Protection Program […]
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In perjury trial, Madigan’s top aide will test limits of loyalty
CHICAGO – As the perjury trial of Tim Mapes began in Chicago this week, followers of Illinois politics marveled at the fall from grace experienced by this once powerful aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. In the summer of 2018, Mapes’ name had only recently faded from unflattering headlines after he was forced […]
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Illinois to invest more than $23 million in abortion access
As another of the states bordering Illinois is set to enact a near-total abortion ban this week, Gov. JB Pritzker on July 31 announced several new programs to help address the influx of out-of-state abortion seekers the state has seen in the 13 months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. On Tuesday, […]
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Cash bail will end in September
A landmark criminal justice reform that eliminates cash bail in Illinois is constitutional, the state’s Supreme Court ruled July 18, paving the way for the change to take effect Sept. 18. The 5-2 decision – handed down on partisan lines – means that an individual’s wealth will no longer play a role in whether they […]
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Illinois hotels report record evenues for fiscal year 2023
For hoteliers, business is booming in Illinois. On July 10, Gov. JB Pritzker, the state’s legislative leadership and representatives of the hospitality industry announced that hotels in Illinois saw record revenues in fiscal year 2023, which ended June 30. Across the state, hotels brought in $307.8 million, according to figures from the state’s Department of […]
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Tuitions costs climb as Illinois disinvests in public colleges
As university faculties around Illinois strike for better pay and working conditions, budget analysts have found that state spending on higher education has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years. When adjusted for inflation, state spending on higher education fell 46 percent between 2000 and 2023, according to a new research report from the left-leaning […]
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Pritzker campaigns for Smart Start preschool plan
One day after delivering his budget address last week, Gov. JB Pritzker took to the road Feb. 16 to rally support for his proposed “Smart Start” program to expand access to preschool and child care throughout the state. “It is important for us to make sure that every 3- and 4-year-old in Illinois can go […]
