The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan’s political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is one of three Democratic governors who were on Capitol Hill, fielding questions about sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
A new measure would allow the ISP explicitly to investigate internet crimes against children as a core mission of its criminal division. House Bill 2586, also called Alicia’s Law, would add to the current 13 missions of the Illinois State Police Department of Criminal Investigations. The bill passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly unanimously in late May. The bill is named after Alicia Kozak, who was at the first nationally child grooming and abduction case in 2002.
An amendment to the Illinois Hospital Emergency Services Act requires pregnant women in Illinois hospital emergency departments are able to access life-saving, medically necessary care. This comes with the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services rescinded guidance, which was originally issued by the Biden administration in July 2022. The guidance followed U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs the constitutional right to abortion.
“When voters had time to study the tax hike proposal and speak out, they crushed it at the ballot box,” said Chesney. “That’s what real transparency looks like. The Democrats pushing these secretive budget deals know their schemes wouldn’t survive daylight. That’s why the build the budget behind closed doors and ram it through without proper scrutiny. It is precisely why the Illinois Constitution requires three readings on three separate days.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a lawsuit led by Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost challenging the state’s mail-in voting law.
A controversial gun safety bill is one step away from becoming law in Illinois. Senate Bill 8, known as the Safe Gun Storage Act, passed the House 69-40 and is now on its way to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for final approval.
Federal prosecutors are recommending a 12½-year prison sentence and $1.5 million fine for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, portraying him as a “grand master of corruption” who misused public office for private gain over the course of a decade.
With just hours to spare before the end of the legislative session, Illinois Democrats muscled through a $55.2 billion state budget late Saturday night, drawing swift criticism from Republicans for raising taxes and offering little time for public scrutiny.
In a late-session flurry on Saturday night, Illinois lawmakers approved one of the narrowest Medicaid omnibus packages in recent memory, citing budget constraints and growing uncertainty around federal funding.