Illinois lawmakers are calling for accountability into the state's handling of unemployment payments during the COVID-19 pandemic after an audit showed $5.2 billion was overpaid, including tens of millions to some who were incarcerated or deceased. Unemployment spiked at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders impacting the economy in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

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With the Illinois Supreme Court decision to end money bond statewide, prosecutors and the law enforcement community are bracing for impact. On Tuesday, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the Pretrial Fairness Act as constitutional. County court systems across the state have 60 days to implement the law. Supporting the end of cash bail statewide, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said there are still sureties a court can require of criminal defendants awaiting trial like requirements they not contact a particular person or not violating other laws.

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Motions continue back and forth between former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s attorneys and federal prosecutors alleging Madigan ran a criminal enterprise from through the Illinois Statehouse. In the summer of 2020, federal prosecutors revealed a deferred prosecution agreement between utility ComEd and the government that had the utility agree to pay $200 million for bribing “Public Official A.” It was later revealed through indictments the official was Madigan.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he has reached a tentative agreement with the state's largest union regarding their new contract with the state. However, the taxpayer cost has yet to be revealed, leading some to expect increased taxes as a result. With Illinois’ gun and magazine ban being challenged in a case expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says there needs to be a federal ban. On the one-year anniversary of the Independence Day parade shooting in Highland Park Tuesday, Pritzker said there needs to be more gun control.

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Two taxes on basic necessities in Illinois are set to increase beginning Saturday. With the start of the new fiscal year July 1, the state's gas tax will increase by 3.1 cents a gallon to a total tax of 45.4 cents. That's the second increase of the motor fuel tax since Jan. 1, when it increased by an additional 3.1 cents. The state's tax on groceries will also go back to 1% after Gov. J.B. Pritzker put a hold on the tax during last year's election cycle. Whether Illinois' gun and magazine bans are constitutional is now up to a federal appeals court. The consolidated cases challenging state and local gun and magazine bans in Illinois were heard Thursday by a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

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Rules for how Illinois taxpayers will subsidize the ballooning costs of health care for noncitizen migrants in the state are now on the books after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a Medicaid omnibus bill Friday. The Chicago City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson heard Wednesday from Chicago residents upset about the influx of migrants in their communities and the resources that have been allocated to assist them. Chicago city officials and community members are looking to address ongoing issues of crime in the city. Crime in Chicago has been increasing over the past few months, with several violent weekends in which many have died. On Tuesday night, a group of individuals in the city ransacked a gas station while causing property damage to the building and to other vehicles in the area.

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Former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said he faced a lot of headwinds during his time in office, but didn’t want to talk about politics after his official portrait was unveiled Monday. The former one-term Republican governor had a tumultuous time in office with a more than two-year long budget impasse. Democrats who controlled both chambers still blame Rauner for the impasse. As Illinois implements more requirements on local libraries in order to access state tax dollars, some are questioning whether state government is overstepping its boundaries. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed a first-in-the-nation law that restricts state tax dollars for local libraries that don't follow certain guidelines from a national group. House Bill 2789 requires state libraries to adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights if they want to receive state grants.

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state's $50.6 billion budget, which includes pay raises for state lawmakers, health care for undocumented migrants, and new taxpayer-funded programs for education. With the consolidated gun ban challenge being briefed and soon heard in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal, an Illinois attorney is asking a federal district judge for partial judgment. Effective immediately, Illinoisans wanting to challenge the constitutionality of state laws or executive actions in state court can only file litigation in two of the state’s 102 counties.

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With increased spending on legislator pay, local governments, K-12 and higher education and other programs, Illinois’ budget for the coming fiscal year is the largest in state history and ready for the governor’s desk. The House passed the $50.6 billion state budget early Saturday along party lines, 73-38. The Senate approved the plan late Thursday mostly along party lines. Despite statehouse corruption on full display with guilty verdicts against four individuals in the “ComEd Four” bribery trial, Illinois legislators left Springfield without sweeping ethics reforms.

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Topping $50 billion, Illinois Democrats say they have reached a budget agreement. The proposed fiscal 2024 budget is similar to what Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled earlier this year. It includes $700 million for K-12 and early childhood education, and an additional $100 million so those under the median income can go to community college tuition free but at taxpayer expense. While legislators are advancing legislation to shore up ethics concerns with the red light camera industry in Illinois, some are looking for even more ethics reforms. Illinois citizens wanting to sue the state for alleged violations of the constitution would only be able to file their complaints in Sangamon or Cook counties with a bill advancing in Springfield.

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