State News

HB 4416, the Unemployment Equity Act sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D-33), passed the House Labor Committee. This is a critical step forward in ensuring frontline, public education workers are eligible to receive unemployment when school is not in session. “The Unemployment Equity Act is about fairness and justice for all…

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) and Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE-03) have introduced the Preventing Real-time Exploitation and Deceptive Insider Congressional Trading Act (PREDICT Act), a bipartisan effort to prohibit senior government officials from participating in insider prediction market trading. The PREDICT Act would prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children; the President and Vice President; and…

On March 25, 2026, Governor Pritzker convened local officials, community members, and construction and business representatives in McLean County to discuss building more housing to lower costs. During the roundtable, the Governor heard from local leaders and discussed how his Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) proposal can help make renting and owning homes more affordable in…

Agenda calls for commitment to Rebuild Illinois, positioning Illinois as a national hub for industry and investing in water infrastructure The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) has unveiled its 2026 legislative agenda. Legislative priorities for the group range from policies to sustain progress made to upgrade Illinois’ vast road and transportation…

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a new nationwide initiative is inviting young people to do something rarely asked of them at this scale: define what America should become. Submissions are now open at: youth250.org/letters As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Made By Us, a national coalition of hundreds of museums, historic…

On March 24, 2026, Governor JB Pritzker joined hundreds of farmers, agricultural advocates, and lawmakers for the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s (IDOA) 56th annual Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day. The annual event brought together scores of industry representatives and highlighted the state’s $26.4 billion agricultural sector that employs hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans while bolstering communities…

The historic reform will bolster reliability, expand access, strengthen safety across world-class transportation system The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that it has issued a formal Request for Proposal for firms to assist with the historic transition to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in late 2025, NITA will strengthen and modernize public…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging Parent PLUS federal student loan borrowers who have not previously consolidated their Parent PLUS loans to consider doing so by April 1. Recent federal law changes mean that parent borrowers with unconsolidated Parent PLUS loans, or who take out new loans after July 1, will have limited repayment plan options and be ineligible for income-driven repayment plans.…

Accusations stem from falsifying her personal income, clients’ business expenses EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A tax return preparer who worked in St. Clair County is facing several federal charges for allegedly making intentional false statements on tax return forms to defraud the Government. A federal grand jury returned a nine-count superseding indictment charging Dormeshia…

As the income tax filing deadline approaches, Attorney General Kwame Raoul has issued guidance to help Illinois residents safely file tax returns and urged people to exercise caution before providing personally-identifying and financial information online. “Unfortunately, bad actors stand ready to take advantage of consumers during tax season, and it is more important than ever…