Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Aug. 6 that’s aimed at providing free identification cards to more people exiting correctional facilities in Illinois. The state already provides identification cards to people leaving the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, but the new law expands the program to every county jail and federal […]
Dilpreet Raju
Dilpreet Raju is a staff writer for Illinois Times and a Report for America corps member. He has a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and was a reporting fellow at Capitol News Illinois.
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No vote taken on Pritzker’s prison plan
For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on June 14 – at least for now – when only three lawmakers made it to Springfield for the Commission […]
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General Assembly passes 466 bills this season
A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures targeting artificial intelligence and allowing for digital driver’s licenses. A Capitol News […]
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Expanding access to mental health care
In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield May 15 at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker and panelists floated ideas to improve access to mental […]
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What’s happening at the Capitol
Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on April 15 appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of administrative services with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department in […]
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Trying to hire more drug counselors
Amid five straight years of record overdose deaths in Illinois, a new state program aims to alleviate a shortage of professionals who work to prevent substance use disorders. Illinois’ behavioral health counselor workforce “is aging while new entrants are declining,” according to a 2019 report to the General Assembly; 56% of certified substance use disorder […]
