TheRepublic.com - Illinois state government News

Motorists urged to drive safely on holiday weekend

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:07:11 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Buckle up, take your time and don't get behind the wheel if you've been drinking alcohol.

New Ill. House gun bill has more restrictions

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:20:54 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A compromise allowing the carrying of concealed weapons backed by House Speaker Michael Madigan and agreed to by the General Assembly's leading gun-rights advocate materialized Wednesday, adding to the list of gun-free locales but making it easier for qualified gun owners to get permits.

Ill. General Assembly overrides 'Smart Grid' veto

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:58:04 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois lawmakers have overridden Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of legislation that addresses so-called Smart Grid technology.

Speaker: House guns vote on Friday

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:05:34 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says legislation allowing the carrying of concealed guns will get a vote Friday.

Illinois Senate approves sex education bill

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:54:35 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois public schools that teach sex education will have to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases instead of a curriculum focused solely on abstinence, according to a plan that cleared the state Senate on Wednesday.

Top Ill. senator urges House vote on pension plan

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:29:16 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is urging a House vote on his pension-reform plan even though Speaker Michael Madigan has his own proposal.

Republican Bucshon seeks southern Ill. House seat

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:05:33 -0400

O'FALLON, Illinois - An Illinois Army National Guard veteran and former sports journalist says he's running for a southern Illinois congressional seat.

Ill. House: Senate pension plan saves less money

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:35:12 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois House members said Tuesday that Senate President John Cullerton's pension reform proposal saves less than 60 percent of what he has predicted.

Clinton: Illinois should legalize gay marriage

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:32:05 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Former President Bill Clinton is calling on Illinois lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage.

Illinois House panel approves fracking regulations

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:08 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A groundbreaking deal to regulate high-volume oil and gas drilling in Illinois cleared a top House committee Tuesday, setting up a floor vote on a measure that supporters say would bring tens of thousands of jobs to struggling areas in the southern part of the state.

Ill. House committee approves Medicaid expansion

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:10:24 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A plan to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income adults without children squeaked through an Illinois House committee Tuesday despite scrutiny over a last-minute amendment that would give more flexibility to mental health institutions.

Ill. Senate panel endorses ammunition limit

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:52:43 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims testified Monday in favor of an Illinois limit on the size of ammunition magazines, a proposal that got a Senate committee endorsement.

5 killed in crash in Ill.; van coming from Calif.

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:07:24 -0400

ST. LOUIS - A van carrying 11 men returning from a California religious gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times Monday, killing five of them and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.

Gov. Quinn: Illinois has chance to make history

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:08:48 -0400

CHICAGO - Gov. Pat Quinn said Illinois lawmakers have a chance to make history on two fronts this month by approving a plan to fix the state's decades-old pension crisis and legalizing same-sex marriage.

Quinn pushes for ban on high-capacity ammunition

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:06:14 -0400

CHICAGO - Illinois' top Democrats joined parents of Connecticut school shooting victims Sunday to call for a state ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, a push made as lawmakers face a tight deadline on a contentious measure to legalize concealed carry.

State workers anxious as lawmakers debate pensions

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:48:17 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - An Illinois agency manager might have to delay retirement. A former university secretary wonders if she'll have to cancel vacations. A state office assistant fears he won't be able to afford the medical care his wife needs.

Ill. lawmakers face tough votes before adjourning

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:14:29 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Illinois General Assembly has just two weeks left in Springfield before it adjourns for the summer, leaving lawmakers with a tight deadline for action on issues including tackling the state's pension crisis, gay marriage and how guns will be allowed to be carried in public.

Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:34:10 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois lawmakers agreed to legalize the use of medical marijuana on Friday under a plan that's being billed as the strictest in the nation among states that have authorized the drug's medicinal use, though it was unclear whether the Democratic governor plans to sign it.

Senate Democrats want more school money, not cuts

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:02:43 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois Senate Democrats want to boost general education funding by $156 million next year, not cut it, key budget negotiators said Friday, but acknowledged the increase would only keep per-student funding level.

Raoul: 'Extremists' delay Senate gun-carry bill

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:47:13 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - An Illinois senator is blaming unnamed "extremists" who oppose legislation to restrict the possession of concealed guns for delaying a vote on the issue.

AFSCME gives final OK to contract with state

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:06:34 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois' largest union has given the final go ahead on a three-year contract with the state.

Lt. Gov. Simon promotes college scorecard measure

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:07:55 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon wants to see all colleges and universities in Illinois feature a link to the federal College Scorecard on their websites.

Lawmakers Ok bill for veterans' memorials upkeep

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:05:44 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois lawmakers have approved a measure aimed at boosting the upkeep of veterans' memorials.

Universities agree to slowly pick up pensions

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:25:39 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois' state universities and community colleges have agreed to gradually start picking up their own retirement costs under a preliminary deal that emerged at a public hearing Thursday, a step forward on a concept that's been debated by lawmakers for more than a year.

Family drama adds intrigue to Ill. governor's race

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:48:42 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Politics has long been a family business in Illinois, a place where who you know - and who you're related to - matters more than most. But the family drama shaping up around the next governor's race adds a new layer of intrigue in a Capitol already grappling with huge financial problems.