Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Associated Press: Democrats laud $4B bill pay; GOP says jobless fund shorted
Democrats in Springfield are celebrating approval of legislation that wipes out $4.1 billion in debt.
In fewer than 24 hours last week, lawmakers and Gov. J.B. Pritzker OK’d a package that significantly reduces the state tab in the pandemic-battered Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, wipes out $898 million in unpaid obligations to employee group health insurance, puts up $230 million — the missing state portion of the College Illinois savings program — and pumps an extra $300 million into the long-shorted pension program.
Washington Monthly: Michael Madigan: The Man Who Ran Illinois
State legislators are like ants on a log. There are too many of them and they are too small, running around too fast to recognize as individuals, let alone track their efforts. Even if the log is in your backyard, why bother paying attention? Given the typical statehouse task—dragging bits of legislative leaf around—only the most dedicated political junkies even bother to try.
Occasionally, though, one leader plants himself in the center of the action long enough to offer a pathway not just to understand what’s going on in one colony, but also to illuminate the general calamity poisoning our increasingly toxic national political culture: the money, influence, rule bending, and self-dealing that deform government at every level.
The Center Square: The Most Traveled Bridge in Illinois That Doesn’t Meet Safety Standards
Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left over 46,000 bridges in the United States in a state of disrepair. To address this, President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocates $550 billion to rebuilding key infrastructure. Still, necessary repairs may take years, and each day, Americans make 178 million trips across bridges deemed to be structurally deficient.
A structurally deficient bridge is defined by the Federal Highway Administration as one in which any component – the deck, superstructure, substructure, or culverts – is in poor or worse condition.
Chicago Journal: Visualizing our city and state population
We’re dipping our toes into the data visualization game as we try to better understand the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois’ population migration patterns.
Much has already been written about Illinois’ recent population loss and there will be much more, but we’re not going to include any politics or opinions here. This post is to merely help us better understand and visualize what the data looks like off the charts. For us, and you, to use as a reference point for how our city and state not only relates to others but how we relate to each other.
ABC 7 Chicago: Illinois Supreme Court rules public officials can use campaign funds for attorneys
Elected officials in Illinois can continue to use campaign funds to pay for their legal defense, according to a recent ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez appealed his complaint with the court in 2019, demanding to set a precedent and alleging former Alderman Danny Solis improperly used $220,000 from the 25th Ward’s campaign fund for defense lawyers.
The Center Square: Groups seeking taxpayer funds in final days of Illinois legislative session
Various groups are looking for extra taxpayer funding following the COVID-19 pandemic, but a policy expert says Illinois does not have the extra funds.
The state Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 8. Illinois Senate Democrats are calling for wage increases for certain taxpayer-funded health care workers following the COVID-19 pandemic.