HB 5973 would remove significant occupational-licensing barriers, thereby making it easier for former offenders to support themselves and their families – and making it less likely ex-offenders will commit crimes in the future.
On May 30, the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to delay payments to Chicago’s police and fire pension funds – at a cost to Chicago taxpayers of an additional $18.6 billion over the next 40 years.
The Illinois House will attempt a fifth vote on an AFSCME arbitration bill designed to remove Gov. Bruce Rauner from the collective bargaining process.
House Bill 5973 would help ex-offenders support themselves and their families by removing barriers for nonviolent ex-offenders who want to work in barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair braiding, nail services, roofing and funeral service.
Amazon’s new Joliet, Ill., facilities will bring needed jobs to the state, but special tax deals are not the way to improve Illinois’ sluggish jobs climate.
Latest budget proposal from House Democrats would almost certainly cause further delays in officials’ pay, as Gov. Bruce Rauner would likely veto the plan, which is unbalanced by $7 billion.
Imposing civil fines instead of criminal penalties for marijuana possession is a smart first step toward changing how the state deals with low-level, nonviolent crimes.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.