School funding reform bill hanging in limboThe legislature has been in summer recess for the past couple of weeks. During that time I have taken the opportunity to visit several…

Thank you to our first respondersFar too often we are reminded of the risks that our first responders take to keep us safe. In the past few weeks, those of…

Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) discusses the summer 2017 special session of the Illinois legislature in which the House and Senate voted to raise taxes and enact a state budget…

House overrides Governor’s budget, tax vetoesAs you have probably read and heard, the House passed a budget and a tax increase on Sunday night. The spending bill, Senate Bill 6,…

Session to continue at least one more day as negotiations continueI want to give you a quick update on where things stand as of Friday afternoon. This morning, by a…

Special session gets off to slow startThe Governor has called the House and Senate into special session for each of the last 10 days of June, or until a balanced…

Special sessions called for late JuneGovernor Rauner has called the House and Senate into special session beginning Wednesday June 21 and continuing through the end of June. As you know,…

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is reminding all qualified cities, towns and villages that the deadline to apply for Limited Pyrotechnic Distributor licenses is June 15,…

Another debt downgrade for IllinoisBefore adjourning the spring session without a budget agreement in place, state officials were warned by the major credit rating agencies that the state would face…