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Betting on in-state college sports could become legal with the stroke of the governor's pen after lawmakers in the General Assembly approved an amendment to the state's sports betting law Thursday. The amendment to House Bill 3136 passed both the House and Senate with vast bipartisan support, reaching the threshold necessary for it to take effect immediately once signed by the governor. The measure would be a major expansion to the sports betting bill which Pritzker helped...
Masks will be required at all Illinois long-term care facilities, day cares and Pre-K-12 schools, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday amid a nationwide surge of COVID-19. "Every time we think we know where this virus is headed, it changes and it shifts," Pritzker said at a COVID-19 briefing in Chicago. "For example, unlike before, people 29 years old and younger accounted for 12 percent of hospitalizations. All across the nation, we are seeing young people with no underlying...
Since economic shutdowns began and COVID-19 death counts started to rise in March 2020, national unemployment rates have hovered at historically high numbers, stressing state unemployment systems left dealing with an unprecedented number of claims. In Illinois, that’s led to a deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund – or the pool of money used to sustain the social safety net – that could rise to $5 billion. Stakeholders from both political parties, as well as business and labor groups, are now warning of “crip...
Gov. JB Pritzker outlined a $41.6 billion budget proposal Wednesday that would hold most state agencies at flat funding levels but which relies heavily on changes to the state’s corporate tax structure that lawmakers have not yet approved. The budget proposal, which is only the governor’s request for lawmakers in the General Assembly, does not call for income tax increases. Over the next four months, lawmakers will work on an operating budget of their own to send to the gov...
One of the most transformative six-day periods in the history of Illinois government came to an end Wednesday with the election of Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, as the state's House speaker – the first Black man to hold the title. Equally groundbreaking was the fact that Welch unseated Rep. Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, the nation's longest-serving legislative leader who had been speaker for all but two years since 1983. Welch sought a unifying tone in his first f...
While Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new executive order this week allowing for transfers into state prisons at the discretion of the Illinois Department of Corrections director, an association representing the state's sheriffs contends that the move was more show than substance. Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, said Wednesday that the new order's stipulation that transfers are allowed "within the sole discretion of the Director of IDOC"...
The state on Tuesday announced another 20 COVID-19-related deaths and 1,549 new confirmed cases of the virus. That brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Illinois to 7,657 out of 196,948 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. More than 3.14 million tests have been conducted during the same time period. A total of 4,162 of the virus-related deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, where 25,452 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health....
The state on Wednesday released new guidelines for youth and recreational sports that will drastically limit allowable activities based on the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. Gov. JB Pritzker announced the new guidelines at a COVID-19-related news conference in Chicago Wednesday, calling it a "situation where the toughest choice is also the safest one." The guidelines, which classify sports in three tiers of risk based on the likelihood that participation in the...
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday gave only vague answers to reporters' questions about potential future restrictions Illinois might put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in certain areas. He took the inquiries Tuesday morning at an unrelated news conference in Chicago, hours before the Illinois Department of Public Health announced another 707 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 26 more virus-related deaths. That brought the total COVID-19-related casualties in...
Since January, Illinois residents and visitors have spent nearly $240 million on legalized recreational marijuana, producing $52 million in state revenue, according to a news release from the governor's office. Of that, $34.7 million came from excise taxes, while $18 million came from sales taxes. Per the law, 8 percent of that revenue will be shared with local governments, while the Illinois Department of Revenue estimates $25.9 million from excise and sales taxes will be...
On just the third day of legislative session since March 5, Senate Republicans called a socially distanced outdoor news conference Friday morning to argue for a more collaborative approach to state government and pandemic response going forward. "This discussion needs to go beyond 2:30 in the afternoon press conferences," Sen. Minority Leader Bill Brady said outside the Capitol, referencing the daily COVID-19 news briefings held by Gov. JB Pritzker. Brady, of Bloomington,...
Attorney General Kwame Raoul has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced in a news release Tuesday, and the governor plans to get retested as well. "After experiencing minor symptoms over the weekend, I consulted with my health care provider using telehealth services. Upon the advice of my doctor, I was tested yesterday and informed today that I have tested positive for COVID-19," Raoul said in a news release. Raoul said in the statement his symptoms remain mild and...
SPRINGFIELD – Anyone who cast a ballot in the last three years or who registered to vote or changed addresses after the March primary will be sent an application to vote by mail after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill expanding the program Tuesday. In a news release, Pritzker's office said the program is aimed at ensuring "safe and active participation in the 2020 general election during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic." Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1863 and House Bill 2238, w...
The U.S. saw nearly 3 million more unemployment claims the week ending May 9, including another 72,993 in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The 2.98 million claims nationwide in the week pushed the jobless claims in the first two months of the novel coronavirus pandemic to more than 36 million. The unprecedented number of claims made for a national unemployment rate of 15.7 percent the week ending May 2. In Illinois, the number of new claims on the week was...
Changes are coming to the stay-at-home order, Gov. JB Pritzker said again at his daily COVID-19 briefing Tuesday in Chicago, but it is unclear what they are and when they will happen. More information on what models the state is using to predict a peak and what changes will be made to the order is "coming in the very near future," Pritzker said, and many options are being considered, "We're looking at lots of things like that," Pritzker said when asked about the possibility of...
Gov. JB Pritzker announced changes to the state's guidance as to who can get tested for novel coronavirus disease Thursday and said state labs are ramping up testing efforts. Illinois' recommended testing criteria will now include "all those who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms," according to the governor's office. The new guidance will apply to state-run drive-thru testing centers and will be offered to medical providers across Illinois, although those with mild symptoms...
Illinois officials announced on Tuesday the largest single-day increase of novel coronavirus-caused deaths in the state. The 73 new fatalities in 14 counties — Champaign, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Ford, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, Tazewell, Will and Winnebago — bring Illinois’ total to 380. Coles, Lawrence, Richland and Shelby counties each reported their first confirmed cases of the virus Tuesday. Coroners and medical examiners across the state may be condu...
SPRINGFIELD – Public K-12 schools statewide were instructed to begin remote learning days Tuesday until in-person instruction can resume, and standardized testing in the state is canceled for the year as well. Illinois Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen Ayala was given the authority to define and give guidance on remote learning days in a recent executive order signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All schools public and private will be closed t...
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued guidance for lenders and borrowers Monday regarding debt collection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evictions are suspended for homes and rental units in Illinois per an executive order by Gov. JB Pritzker, and IDFPR is urging all mortgage servicers to defer payments for 90 days for those suffering hardship as a result of the pandemic. The department also highlighted a recent executive order suspending repossession of vehicles during the duration of a...
Gov. JB Pritzker announced new measures benefitting the homeless and people on supplemental nutrition programs Friday and continued to pressure the federal government for further, centralized action in response to COVID-19. At the same daily briefing in Chicago, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced 488 new confirmed cases of the virus and eight more related deaths in Illinois. Pritzker said the state is also working on collecting numbers of...
SPRINGFIELD - Public and private Illinois schools will be closed for two weeks, starting Tuesday, March 17, and reopening Tuesday, March 31, per a Friday order from Gov. JB Pritzker. The move is the latest in a string of social distancing efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, by limiting contact among large groups of people. Yesterday, the governor mandated the cancellation of events with more than 1,000 people and strongly encouraged...
Gov. JB Pritzker banned events with more than 1,000 attendees for the next 30 days and urged businesses to allow employees to work from home as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state reached 32. At a daily news media briefing on the spread of the novel coronavirus Thursday, the governor noted authorities would "break up" any large gatherings exceeding that number. He also said the ban applies to large religious congregations, and noted he asked all professional...
Illinois leaders reacted to news Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich which he received for corruption convictions. ABC News confirmed the commutation had occurred Tuesday. Blagojevich began serving a 14-year federal prison sentence in 2012. He was convicted on 11 criminal counts related to his effort to sell the former U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president. Blagojevich was also convicted on six counts related to campaign contribution...
Two Chicago-area residents who tested positive for novel coronavirus earlier this year have recovered and were released from home isolation this weekend, according to public health officials. Federal, state and local health officials made the announcement in a news release Saturday, noting that the risk to the general public remains low and the two patients caused no further spread of the virus. "Based on what is currently known about the virus, and after close consultation wi...
The Illinois State Police director said this week that his department has stepped up illegal firearm ownership enforcement methods, but it needs greater resources to continue the job - including fingerprints of Firearm Owner Identification Card applicants. During a news conference Thursday, ISP Director Brendan Kelly gave an update about enforcement efforts and announced support for Senate Bill 1966, a measure that would increase FOID card fees and mandate fingerprinting of ap...