Illinois in Focus

With the final day of session scheduled Friday, Democratic lawmakers are set to approve a $45.6 billion spending plan that’s been in bill form for just a couple of days.

Taxpayers still don't know how their money was spent from a state budget year that ended more than 280 days ago.

Republicans in the House committee reviewing the budget Wednesday reflected on how years ago, lawmakers would be able to go through a budget line-by-line in crafting a plan in a collaborative way.

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As Democrats continue negotiating how to spend taxpayer dollars for the coming fiscal year, Republicans say millions of their constituents across Illinois are being snubbed.

Spring session of the Illinois Legislature ends April 8. It’s expected a plan to spend taxpayer dollars for the fiscal year that starts July 1 will be approved before then.

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In the final weeks of session at the Illinois statehouse, there are growing demands on how to pay out tax dollars, including billions left over from federal COVID-19 relief.

Both the Illinois House and Senate return Tuesday with a scheduled adjournment of April 8. It’s expected they’ll finish up business, including passing a more than $42 billion state spending plan by then.

There are other issues that are expected to be tackled outside of the state budget. The ongoing unemployment debt of about $4.5 billion is costing Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars in interest.

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Not only does Illinois have the second highest gas taxes in the nation, Illinois is also an outlier for tacking on a sales tax on top of the state, federal and sometimes local gas taxes. Republican state senators unveiled their plan to cap the sales tax on gas to 18 cents a gallon.

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Not guilty pleas were entered Wednesday by former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain. Madigan, 79, faces 22 counts of corruption, including bribery, fraud and racketeering charges in connection to an investigation into utility giant ComEd and its attempts to gain favor with the former speaker in exchange for favorable legislation.

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Prosecutors indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on 22 counts of corruption Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. announced the charges Tuesday afternoon, connecting Madigan to the nearly decade-long bribery scheme utility Commonwealth Edison admitted to in the summer of 2020.

The indictment alleges the “Madigan Enterprise” engaged in interstate commerce and constituted an “ongoing organization whose members functioned as a continuing unit for the common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise.”

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According to the Fourth District Court of Appeals, Pritzker’s emergency rules for schools to require masks, exclude “close contacts,” and require vaccine or testing for staff, aren't in effect after being blocked by a bipartisan legislative panel last week.

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The temporary restraining order blocking Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mask and exclusion policies in schools remains in place as the Fourth District Court of Appeals dismissed the governor’s appeal as moot.1

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Masks mandates for most indoor activities in Illinois will be lifted Feb. 28. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is keeping his mandate for masks in schools in place, despite a judge ruling the policy null and void.

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The governor’s proposed budget seeks to spend nearly $4 billion more in the coming fiscal year than he proposed the year before. He laid out his priorities Wednesday at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.

Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said he’s not accustomed to hearing good news in a budget speech.

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