Springfield, Illinois— Two Northwest Illinois lawmakers are renewing their fight to eliminate a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card system they claim adds an unfair layer of bureaucracy and financial strain to Illinoisans who want to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights. State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) […]
SPRINGFIELD — Two Illinois Senate committees will be co-chaired by Republicans in a move that harkens back decades to a time when Republicans and Democrats more often worked together to recognize shared goals and achieve them. “I appreciate Leader Curran reaching out with this idea. At […]
This spring will bring a developing program from the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IDHA) called the Strong Communities Program (SCP). This program is designed to provide competitive grants to various municipalities, counties and land banks that will go toward either the maintenance or demolition of abandoned […]
On Feb. 2, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) opened its fourth annual Makers Madness contest. In a search to find and declare “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois,” residents are allowed to nominate and then vote on their favorite product made by Illinois manufacturers. Nominations for […]
As Illinoisans continue to struggle with high utility bills, Ameren Illinois filed plans this week for both electric and gas rate increases with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). This is in addition to the electric rate increase that took effect in June 2021, where the average […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is recommending Illinois taxpayers hold on filing their 2022 tax returns if they received the special, one-time property tax and/or income tax refund check from the state of Illinois last year. Currently, the IRS is working with state tax officials to […]
In an email notification, state retirees were informed that their January pension checks were accidentally increased this month, as the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) failed to withhold the correct amount for federal taxes. Currently, SERS is leaving it to the retirees to correct this mistake […]
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its December unemployment statistics, and Illinois remains among the worst in the nation with an unemployment rate at 4.7%. The only state with a higher rate than Illinois was Nevada. In December, Illinois’ 4.7% unemployment rate meant that at […]
Gov. JB Pritzker announced this week that he will be ending his continued COVID-19 disaster declarations on May 11, 2023. This announcement coincides with the decision by the White House to end the federal emergency declarations on that date. Illinois’ disaster declaration has been in place […]
Leader John Curran announced the below committee assignments: AGRICULTURE Senator Win Stoller, MS Senator Neil Anderson Senator Terri Bryant Senator Andrew Chesney Senator Sally Turner APPROPRIATIONS Senator Chapin Rose, MS Senator Don DeWitte Senator Win Stoller Senator Craig Wilcox APPROPRIATIONS – EDUCATION Senator Tom Bennett, MS […]