Ill State News

By Peter Hancock Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Families of Illinois prison inmates and legal advocates spoke out this week against a new program at the Illinois Department of Corrections that restricts incarcerated people’s access to incoming mail and in some cases only allows them to see electronically scanned images of letters and other […]

CHICAGO – Get Covered Illinois kicked off 2026 open enrollment and launched its “Here to Help” campaign across the state.    Open enrollment, which began on November 1 and runs through January 15, is the annual opportunity for Illinoisans to enroll in, renew, or change their health insurance plans. Nearly 466,000 Illinoisans purchased health coverage through Get Covered Illinois during

By Terri Bryant, Illinois State Senator Democrats Pass Controversial Energy Legislation In the late hours of the final day of the General Assembly’s fall Veto Session, Illinois Democrats passed their so-called “Energy Omnibus Bill,” which eliminates limits on how much energy rates can be increased, opening the door for an $8 billion hike on power

By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinois  bmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers passed two-dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty. House Bill 767 would allow IDPH Director Sameer Vohra to issue state-specific

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) is announcing Illinois has gone from an “F” on the Shared Hope International Just Like Me report cards: https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/ to an “A” due to the recent passage of the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act.    ILLINOIS STATE WIDE TRAUMA   The Just Like Me Report Cards

SPRINGFIELD, Ill – The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office has announced that fire departments across the state are beginning the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS)—a secure, cloud-based platform built to modernize how emergency incidents are reported and analyzed.   Departments across the country are onboarding to NERIS as part of a phased

By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House rejected a bill Thursday that would have given the state Department of Insurance authority to regulate homeowners’ insurance rates. Gov. JB Pritzker had called for the legislation in July after State Farm Insurance announced it was raising rates for property and casualty insurance in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation extending Illinois’ SALT (State and Local Taxes) Workaround during its fall Veto Session.   The workaround permits Illinois pass-through businesses (S-CORPS and partnerships) to deduct state taxes from their federal tax returns.   “Small businesses were relieved when the General Assembly voted to extend the SALT

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jennings today announced additional funding for two energy efficiency grant opportunities. The Energy Efficiency Assessment (EEA) Program has $350,000 in funding available for recipients to conduct energy efficiency assessments at properties serving residents receiving housing assistance from a state or federal program. The Energy Efficiency Trust