As the 60-day deadline approaches for some of the Legislature’s passed bills, the Governor officially signed over 130 bills into law on July 28. Several of those bills were sponsored by Senate Republicans. Here are some notable ones: House Bill 3203 – Expands the availability of fentanyl […]

 Lots of farmers and gardeners sell compost to friends and neighbors, though that practice may have been illegal, due to an issue with the way the law was written. State Senator Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) passed legislation designed to fix the issue.His legislation, which was recently […]

A new law on the books aims to keep kids safer by reducing the chance of them being struck by a vehicle while getting on a school bus. The legislation, co-sponsored byState Senator Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City), requires that on a route where a child must […]

On Monday, Governor JB Pritzker signed five bills sponsored and/or supported by State Senator Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) that expand protections for veterans, active-duty soldiers, and military dependents.  “The General Assembly took solid steps this year to improve the services provided to our veterans and their families,” […]

Legislation sponsored by State Senator Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) taking aim at reducing the current police shortage at Illinois universities was signed into law late last week. Previously, out-of-state residents could not apply for university police officer positions unless all Illinois applicants have been deemed unqualified. […]

Legislation signed into law sets path for a fish processing plant to open in Alexander County The final legislative hurdle in bringing a Kentucky-based fish processing company to Southern Illinois was accomplished late last week with the signing of Senate Bill 1068, filed by State Senator […]

The Illinois Department of Revenue will have increased authority over delinquent taxpayers who want to register new businesses thanks to legislation sponsored by State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) that was signed into law on Friday.  House Bill 2579 amends the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act by allowing […]

There are many little-known grants from the Department of Commerce Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for workforce programs and training with open applications right now and funding is still available for several. However, within the next month, several of those grants will reach their deadlines. Digital Equity Capacity […]

After the severe weather, tornadoes, and straight-line windstorms that Illinois saw toward the end of June and beginning of July, the Governor has issued a disaster proclamation for eight Illinois counties. This proclamation went into immediate effect for Coles, Cook, Edgar, Hancock, McDonough, Morgan, Sangamon, and […]