Out of almost 7,000 bills filed, the Illinois General Assembly passed a little over 400. Some were good. Some were bad. Here are 16 bills that would have improved life in the state had they passed.

What pressing issues did the Illinois General Assembly consider among 6,745 bills this past session? They pondered a sticker commission, “end-of-life” carpets, paper grocery coupons, 15-year-old voters and their own beauty sleep.

Climate change education, gender inclusiveness, birth certificates, prostitution privacy, court translators and insulin costs all received attention from the Illinois General Assembly. Laws involving them take effect July 1. Plus, the state gasoline tax goes up.

For most bills filed in Springfield, taxpayers will have to guess at how much more will be demanded of them. Illinois General Assembly members only worried about costs 10 times for 3,859 of their bright ideas about how to improve the state.

Illinois General Assembly members raced the clock to pass legislation. Of the 416 bills sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk this session, 155 were passed in the final week and 96 of those were on the last day.

6,745 bills were filed in the Illinois General Assembly this session, but only a small fraction passed both houses. Of those, 86% were introduced by Democrats. That big disparity is rooted in Democrats drawing legislative districts that shrink opposition.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will face 7.5 years in prison for a bribery scheme involving the state’s largest utility company. When it comes to public corruption, he’s Illinois’ convict of the week.

Think former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s influence ended when he resigned or was convicted of bribery? Maybe not. Fifty-seven Illinois General Assembly members who received funds from Madigan’s political committees are still in office.