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State Journal-Register: Beyond the SAFE-T Act: These bills passed during the Illinois General Assembly veto session
While much of the attention was on the amended SAFE-T Act, the Illinois General Assembly passed a host of bills during the veto session which concluded on Thursday.
Democrats came to Springfield riding high from the midterms, where they picked up additional seats in the House and maintained their majority in the Senate. With the will of voters seemingly behind them, Democrats were able to operate in a partisan manner to adopt changes to the SAFE-T Act but also gained bipartisan support for several other bills.
The Center Square: Illinois Freedom Caucus calling for end of consent calendar
A group of Illinois lawmakers is calling for an end to a House practice that allows many measures to be voted on with one vote and little discussion.
The Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of downstate Republicans, said the practice enables House leadership to pass hundreds of bills with a single roll call vote.
Chicago Tribune: Confronted by GOP critics and confused constituents, Democrats made fixes to their sweeping criminal justice law
After months of blistering attacks from Republicans as well as some criticism from members of their own party, Democratic lawmakers came together during the final legislative session of the year to approve changes aimed at clarifying their controversial criminal justice overhaul.
The changes were approved along party lines just a month before Illinois is set to eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants. It marked the third time lawmakers have approved amendments to the policy, known as the SAFE-T Act, since Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law in early 2021.
Crain's Chicago Business: There's a surprise on the list of the biggest suburban tax bills
WTTW: CTA Overtime Spikes as Agency Hit By Departures; Dozens of Bus and Train Operators Paid for Average Weeks of 80 Hours or More
The Chicago Transit Authority is under fire from passengers and politicians complaining about long waits, inconsistent service and so-called ghost buses and trains.
Many of those problems are driven by a severe staffing shortage, a gap the CTA has filled in part using an ever-increasing amount of overtime.
Northwest Herald: Munson Ski and Marine seeks sales tax rebate from city of McHenry
McHenry’s City Council is set to vote on a sales tax incentive agreement with Munson Ski and Marine at its 7 p.m. meeting Monday that would rebate a portion of sales tax generated there.
The agreement, if approved by the council, would return half of the sales tax collected by the business for up to 20 years or an amount not to exceed $500,000, whichever comes first.