New bill would allow state to place a lien on business owners’ property for unpaid wage allegations

By Joe Kaiser

02/27/2018

A bill in the Illinois House of Representatives would allow the Illinois Department of Labor to place a lien on a business owner's property should he or she fail to respond to an allegation of unpaid wages within five days.

TAGS: Chris Welch, Department of Labor, jobs, lien, small business, taxes

New bill would hike, expand obscure tax for Illinois small businesses

By Amy Korte

02/26/2018

State Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch has proposed a measure that would increase by 400 percent the personal property replacement tax imposed on partnerships, LLCs and other types of businesses.

TAGS: Chris Welch, small business, taxes

Illinois General Assembly passes cursive writing mandate

By Joe Kaiser

11/08/2017

Despite the potential for imposing new costs on school districts, Illinois lawmakers overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto on a bill mandating cursive writing instruction.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, Chris Welch, education

October marks Illinois’ first-ever ‘zombie preparedness month’

By Joe Kaiser

10/31/2017

A resolution introduced by state Rep. Chris Welch, D-Westchester, and passed by the Illinois House designated October as “Zombie Preparedness Month.”

TAGS: Chris Welch

House overrides Rauner veto on cursive writing mandate

By Joe Kaiser

10/27/2017

Despite the potential for imposing new costs on school districts, the Illinois House of Representatives overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto on legislation mandating cursive writing instruction.

TAGS: Chris Welch, education

Rauner vetoes cursive writing mandate

By Joe Kaiser

09/25/2017

A bill that would have mandated cursive writing instruction in public elementary schools contained an unknown cost for school districts.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, Chris Welch, education, veto

‘Illinois math’ in one tweet

By Michael Lucci

07/05/2017

The Land of Lincoln needs to end the phony math and restructure its debts and pensions. But legislative incompetence will keep the state in a death spiral.

TAGS: budget, Chris Welch

Bill to impose ‘privilege tax’ on investment managers fails to move in Illinois House

By Amy Korte

06/06/2017

Senate Bill 1719 would impose a 20 percent surcharge on fees earned by investment managers, but the spring legislative session ended with the Illinois House failing to call the measure for a vote.

TAGS: Chris Welch, daniel biss, privilege tax, taxes

Amended cursive writing mandate passes Illinois Senate

By Brendan Bakala

06/02/2017

A Senate amendment would require public elementary schools to teach cursive writing, while the original House bill would extend the handwriting instruction mandate to all Illinois public elementary and high schools.

TAGS: Chris Welch, education, regulations

Illinois House passes cursive writing mandate for schools

By Joe Kaiser

04/28/2017

House Bill 2977 would require both public elementary schools and high schools to include cursive instruction in their curriculums, and the plan doesn’t include how much this unfunded state mandate would cost taxpayers.

TAGS: budget, Chris Welch