Minimum wage bill passes House, but not without defectors

By Hannah Meisel  - February 15, 2019

A bill that raises Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 will be sent to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk after it passed mostly along party line votes Thursday after two hours of debate.

Bill approving the sale of the Thompson Center lands on Pritzker’s desk

By Heather Cherone  - February 14, 2019

A 2-year-old bill that gives state officials the green light to sell the James R. Thompson Center landed on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk earlier this week, giving the rookie governor 60 days to act on the measure that could pave

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Minimum wage bill heads to House floor after partisan committee vote, Madigan OK

By Hannah Meisel  - February 14, 2019

Gov. JB Pritzker’s first big bill is close to becoming law after Democrats pushed legislation to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 by 2025 through a House committee Wednesday, readying it for a floor vote Thursday.

Morning briefing — Brookfield Zoo asks for funding in capital bill; Judge to weigh whether to hold Madigan employees in contempt of court

By Hannah Meisel  - February 14, 2019

After the closure of northbound Lake Shore Drive for nearly 24 hours by the discovery of cracked steel support beams sparked a renewed push for a capital bill, officials from Illinois’ largest zoo asked for a piece of the pie.

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Rahm: Forced closure of Lake Shore Drive by cracked beams shows need for capital bill

By Heather Cherone  - February 13, 2019

The closure of northbound Lake Shore Drive for nearly 24 hours after the discovery of cracked steel support beams on Monday should be a “wake up call” for everyone that Illinois — and Chicago — can no longer paper over its

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Follow Chicago’s lead and hike taxes on e-cigarettes, Rahm tells lawmakers

By Heather Cherone  - February 13, 2019

Illinois lawmakers looking for ways to plug the state’s massive budget deficit should follow Chicago’s lead and hike taxes on e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.

Dem lawmakers vow to hold Pritzker to his promise to expand, protect reproductive rights

By Heather Cherone and Hannah Meisel  - February 13, 2019

As four Democratic lawmakers launched an effort Tuesday to repeal a law that could send doctors to jail for performing an abortion and another that forces minors to notify their parents before terminating a pregnancy, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)

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Dems to push for repeal criminalization of abortion doctors, parental notice laws

By Hannah Meisel  - February 12, 2019

Nearly two years after the last major abortion-related bill passed the General Assembly, a group Democrats on Tuesday will introduce a pair of bills to repeal two old abortion bills still on the books in Illinois.

Downstate restaurant owners balk at Restaurant Association’s endorsement of minimum wage hike

By Hannah Meisel  - February 12, 2019

After a bill to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 passed the Illinois Senate last week on a party-line vote, Gov. JB Pritzker — who has been pushing Democratic leaders to get the measure passed before

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Pritzker lowers expectations for budget as he lays out Rauner ‘failures’ in report

By Hannah Meisel  - February 11, 2019

Just one day after vowing to propose a truly balanced budget that takes into account extra spending from a minimum wage hike bill pushed by the governor’s office, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday lowered expectations for his Feb. 20

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