Illinois in Focus

By The Center SquareNews

Illinois in Focus episodes

July 31 Weekend Edition | Dems, GOP Demand Ethics Reform from Welch
(The Center Square) – State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, issued a statement calling for legislation he introduced to bring further ethics reform to Springfield following the unanimous vote by the Legislative Ethics Commission to release an investigation report into former Rep. Harry Benton, who was accused of sexual harassment.
Rashid’s House Bill 3562 would bring the Legislative Inspector General’s authority in releasing publicly details of an investigation without the approval of lawmakers or a significant delay.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and House GOP members have continued to call for Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to consider similar ethics reform proposals introduced by Republican members, while questioning if Welch followed ethics rules already in place.

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24 min
July 25 Weekend Edition | Speaker Welch's Response to Staffer Assault Complaint Draws Questions on His Own Conduct
(The Center Square) – After reporting about a now-resigned state representative and allegations that Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch may have mishandled allegations against the lawmaker, new questions are being raised about the speaker’s own behavior, particularly toward women on staff.
The Chicago Tribune reported details last week from an unnamed former staffer of former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment in 2023.
Questions arose as to why Welch didn’t take immediate action on the complaint made to his office until a second woman, this time a lobbyist, reached out with her own complaint about Benton earlier this year.

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24 min
July 17 Weekend Edition | Ammons pleads not guilty, wants to delay House investigation
(The Center Square) — Illinois State Rep. Carrol Ammons, federally indicted on multiple charges of wire fraud, pleaded not guilty in her first court appearance Thursday morning. With the courtroom gallery at its maximum capacity of 49 people, roughly 30 people, consisting of members of the public — along with friends, family and supporters of the representative — were sent to watch the hearing in an overflow room in the Urbana federal court building. Ammons, charged with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of witness tampering, entered a not guilty plea beside her two lawyers, Mutaquee Akbar – who is from Florida – and Angela Reany – an attorney from the Carbondale area. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min
July 11 Weekend Edition | Illinois Lawmaker, Husband Indicted Over Alleged Kickback Scheme
(The Center Square) – An Illinois state representative faces multiple counts of wire fraud and providing a false statement, according to a federal indictment released Tuesday night.
State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, was charged with eight counts of wire fraud surrounding an alleged kickback scheme involving campaign contributions. She was also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Her husband, Aaron Ammons, the Champaign County clerk of courts, also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of evidence.
Neither Carol nor Aaron Ammons responded to The Center Square's request for comment.

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24 min
July 03 Weekend Edition | Illinois politicians claim cautious win in birthright citizenship ruling
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against an executive order by President Donald Trump Tuesday, which sought to ban birthright citizenship nationwide. A number of political heavyweights in Illinois have weighed in on the judgement. The court heard arguments and ultimately struck down the president’s February 2025 order stripping birthright citizenship protections from children born after Feb. 19, 2025, whose parents are either illegally present in or temporary residents of the United States. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min
June 26 Weekend Edition | Pritzker Defends Plan to Raise Tolls
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says higher proposed Illinois Tollway rates are for many users that travel to and from other states. Illinois Tollway officials are proposing a toll increase of about 45 cents per toll for IPASS users and a 30% rate hike for commercial IPASS users. At a ribbon cutting for building solutions company Amrize in Chicago on Tuesday, a reporter from The Center Square asked the governor about the potential burden on companies that move materials in Illinois. “I want to be clear that many of the trucks, many of the cars that are traveling on our tollways are actually from out of state and going to other states, so they're actually not Illinois companies and not Illinois individuals,” Pritzker said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min
June 20 Weekend Edition | Pritzker signs budget sending millions to NGOs
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a $55.9 billion state budget for fiscal year 2027, with tens of millions of dollars included for non-governmental organizations.
The governor placed his signature on the new spending plan in Chicago on Tuesday, calling it his eighth straight balanced budget.
“This budget lowers costs for everyday Illinoisans and protects our state’s fiscal health and continues the economic progress we have worked so hard to build over the last seven-and-a-half years,” Pritzker said.
The revenue plan imposes new taxes on digital advertising, digital assets, fantasy sports and prediction contests, places new limits on income tax carryover deductions, creates a social media platform fee and raises environmental filing fees and the retail tire tax.

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24 min
June 12 Weekend Edition | Pritzker: 'We’re not raising people’s taxes' for stadium
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says there could be a special legislative session in Illinois this summer, but he won’t raise people’s taxes to pay for a new Chicago Bears stadium. Pritzker spoke in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon and said there could be a special session if the General Assembly can get together on one piece of Bears legislation. “The first priority for me is we're not raising people's taxes to pay for a privately owned stadium, that’s number one, or any stadium for a billionaire-owned family,” Pritzker said. The governor also said the legislature would be meeting again in few months. Fall veto session is scheduled Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min
June 05 Weekend Edition | GOP rep: New budget shows 'addiction' to taxes
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois’ new budget for fiscal year 2027 protects working families from new taxes, but Republican state Rep. Blaine Wilhour says the governor can’t stop asking for more. The governor touted investments in housing, education and health care in the $55.9 billion spending plan approved by the General Assembly on Monday. “We made all of those people-first investments while maintaining our positive fiscal trajectory and protecting working families from paying new taxes,” Pritzker said. The state’s latest revenue package includes Pritzker’s social media platform fee, which the governor suggested could generate $200 million for public education. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min
May 22 Weekend Edition | Prescription board bill advances without money
(The Center Square) – Illinois may soon have a prescription affordability board to impose price caps on drugs, but questions are being raised over the proposed board’s potential effectiveness and lack of budget appropriations. Senate Bill 3496 was filed in February to ensure proper licensing of nurses, but the bill text was gutted and replaced by House Amendment 1 to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, told the House Executive Committee on Wednesday the board would be independent of any other state agency and would set maximum prices for drugs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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24 min

About Illinois in Focus

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The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of Illinois from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.