Emanuel Chris Welch

Budget talks took up most of the political bandwidth in the waning hours of the legislative session, leaving the big transit question unanswered, among other issues.

Illinois Democrats, who hold supermajorities in the House and Senate, pushed through a spending plan with little time to spare before the May 31 midnight deadline.

In a new filing Monday, attorneys for Welch argued the Illinois Legislative Staff Association has no standing to sue over the speaker’s refusal to engage in collective bargaining with the would-be union’s members.

The would-be union claims its members rights were violated under Illinois' 2022 ‘Workers’ Rights Amendment.’

Illinois Gov. J,B. Pritzker’s office estimates the drugs — which include Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic — will cost taxpayers $210 million the first year. But others put that number much higher.

The more than 11 million Illinoisans who claim the standard exemption each year will not see an inflation-indexed bump for the 2023 tax year.

Lawmakers to return to Capitol Nov. 7 to address lingering issues.

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillsdale, says he hopes to pass the bill in the upcoming veto session.

Illinois became the first state in the country to abolish cash bail on Monday, but the courts remained slow in the Metro East.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called the state a ‘beacon for national success’ when it comes to the 2024 elections.