Historic year draws to a close This year began with the usual optimism about a fresh start and the potential for positive changes. Back in January we were talking about…

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House Republicans call for special session on coronavirus response plans This week should have been the second week of the fall session of the Illinois General Assembly, but House Speaker…

Coronavirus outbreak continues worsening in Illinois One week ago the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 15,415 new cases of coronavirus in Illinois in a single day – a new…

Fall veto session cancelled I am disappointed to report that the fall session of the General Assembly has been cancelled. We were scheduled to meet next week and the week…

Business Interruption Grant program slow to provide assistance A report from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has shown that the state has been slow to help…

Department of Employment Security gets negative performance review The Better Government Association (BGA) has released a study finding that the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) was not prepared for…

Department of Public Health warning of significant increase in coronavirus cases The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported late last week that of the more than 7 million coronavirus…

Getting back to business Since the spring we have seen many Illinois businesses reopen, entirely or partially, from the shutdown, but many are still struggling. Sadly some have not been…

Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform goes quiet In response to a series of high-profile ethics scandals last year the General Assembly created the Joint Commission on Ethics and…