Illinois jails book over 2.6 times the number of people they did in 1981, costing taxpayers money and keeping many people who have not yet been convicted of crimes behind bars.
Funds provided through Senate Bill 2039, which Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law Dec. 7, will allow the Illinois Lottery to resume paying winning ticket holders.
Amid budget gridlock, Illinois lottery winners sue to have their winnings paid with interest and to prevent the state from selling more tickets it can’t pay out.
The states are the laboratories of democracy, but their experiments can’t violate citizens’ constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of association under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
The Illinois House of Representatives concluded its 2015 session without passing a budget, relying instead on piecemeal legislation to resolve policy issues and fill funding gaps.
Amid continued budget gridlock in Springfield, Senate Bill 2039 provides funds to pay Illinois Lottery winners, as well as to allow for road maintenance, 911-center operations and projects by Chicago’s tourism office, among other local government programs.
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...