Budget on hold
Illinois lawmakers passed the annual budget in the early morning hours Tuesday, but the Senate President filed a procedural hold, keeping it from advancing.
The $42 billion spending plan decreases a variety of tax incentive programs employer groups say equates to more than $600 million in tax increases.
The measure, which includes around $2.5 billion in federal COVID-relief funds, also increases lawmaker salaries.
It does not pay down the state’s $5 billion debt in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
Ethics package passes, but some want stricter measures
Ethics reform passed the statehouse, but some are already looking for stricter measures to hold lawmakers accountable.
The flurry of legislation came in the waning hours of Illinois spring legislative session and ultimately spilled into overtime, with the House adjourning around 2:40 a.m. and the Senate at
By Tim Kirsininkas & Capitol News Illinois
• 5 hours ago
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down.
“This legislation takes the first steps in addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state s history,” Gillespie said in a news conference Monday night. “While it won t end corruption overnight, it closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades.”
After a string of indictments on a variety of alleged corruption against former state lawmakers and officials, ethics reforms have been slow to be adopted at the Illinois stat
After a string of indictments on a variety of alleged corruption against former state lawmakers and officials, ethics reforms have been slow to be adopted at the Illinois statehouse. Some