By JENNA SCHWEIKERT Capitol News Illinois jschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill drafted by two Illinois high school students would require producers of electronic smoking devices like vapes to manage the disposal of the devices through stewardship programs. The programs would collect used smoking devices and re...

By BRENDEN MOORE, NIKOEL HYTREK & JENNA SCHWEIKERT Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Reaction to Gov. JB Pritzker's combined State of the State and fiscal year 2027 budget address fell largely along partisan lines as Democrats offered muted praise while Republicans dismissed hi...

By NIKOEL HYTREK Capitol News Illinois nhytrek@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD - A Republican lawmaker who introduced a bill to outlaw abortion in Illinois has resigned from his GOP leadership position in the Illinois Senate after conversations with top Republicans. Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, on Feb. 5, intr...

By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing a $56 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 with minimal new spending. Outside of key areas like pensions, education and health care costs, discretionary spending under Pritzker's proposal would rise b...

By BRENDEN MOORE Capitol News Illinois bmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Gov. JB Pritzker will propose a plan during his State of the State address to drastically limit local governments' authority to restrict the types of structures that can be built on property zoned residential. Accessory dwelling...

By BRENDEN MOORE Capitol News Illinois bmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Don Tracy, Jeannie Evans and Casey Chlebek pitched themselves as best positioned to flip a Senate seat Democrats have held since 1985. None directly criticized President Donald Trump, but each signaled differences on tariffs and ...

By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Marimar Martinez, the Chicago teacher's aide shot five times by a Border Patrol agent last fall, will release evidence that was recently unsealed from the government's dismissed case against her. Her lawyers say the evidence ...

By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary A federal judge has upheld a first-of-its-kind Illinois law that protects consumers and retailers from paying so-called credit card "swipe fees" on taxes and tips. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act was passed in l...