Advocates say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going.
Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Thousands of Illinois Students at Risk of Losing Access to After-School Programs
May 7, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
After 3 Years, Illinois Poised to Enforce Law Aiming to End Lending Discrimination
Apr 30, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Banks, credit unions and mortgage companies will soon have to report to state regulators about how many loans they make in low-income, high-minority neighborhoods. That's the result of a state law passed in 2021 as part of the Legislative Black Caucus' social and economic reform agenda.
Immigrant Advocates Tout New Report Showing Benefits of State-Funded Health Plans
Apr 26, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status.
Pritzker’s Health Insurance Reforms Clear House, Move to Senate
Apr 20, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s initiative targets many of the “utilization management” practices insurance companies use to hold down costs by either denying claims or steering patients toward lower-cost options.
Education Leaders Seek Added State Funding to Help Accommodate Influx of Migrant Students in Illinois
Apr 18, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The recent surge of migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Advocates say the state has not done enough to address educating the children of those coming across the border.
Pritzker Names State Sen. Ann Gillespie New Head of Illinois’ Insurance Oversight Agency
Apr 10, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The announcement came in the middle of a legislative session in which Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing sweeping changes in state regulation of the health insurance industry.
Illinois Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Where Child Sex Offenders Can Live
Apr 6, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
In a 6-0 decision, the court found the residency restriction “does not infringe upon a child sex offender’s fundamental rights” and that there was a “rational basis” for the state to restrict where a person convicted of such a crime can live.
Defamation Case Linked to Former Michael Madigan Aide Sent Back to Illinois From Puerto Rico
Brian Hynes seeks damages after being sued in false claims case
Apr 1, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The case involves Brian Hynes, a Chicago-based lawyer and one-time protégé of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who maintains a residence in Puerto Rico. Hynes has operated lobbying and business entities over the years that work with the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago.
Illinois Teacher Shortage Persists, Survey Finds
Mar 26, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
This year’s survey found more than 90% of schools responding reported having a “serious” or “very serious” teacher shortage problem.
Illinois Supreme Court Asked to Review Law Limiting Venue in Constitutional Challenges to Cook, Sangamon Counties
Mar 18, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The law passed last year came in response to the large number of constitutional challenges that were filed in multiple jurisdictions challenging Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigation orders, as well as a law ending cash bail in Illinois and the state’s 2021 assault weapons ban.
Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Pritzker’s Health Insurance Reform Plans
Mar 13, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The changes, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker first unveiled in his State of the State address in February, would limit the ability of companies to deny claims or steer patients toward cheaper, and possibly less effective, treatments.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn Backs GOP-Sponsored Ethics Amendment
Mar 5, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
A Republican proposal that would give citizens the ability to propose ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot received a bipartisan boost Tuesday when former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn endorsed it.
Native Tribe Seeks Return of Ancestral Land in DeKalb County
Mar 2, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
A bill pending in the General Assembly would give back roughly 1,500 acres of park land in DeKalb County to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. That tribe once occupied much of the Great Lakes region but was forcibly removed in the 19th century.
Trial of Former GOP Illinois Lawmaker Delayed Another Day as He Cancels Plan to Represent Himself
Feb 12, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Former state Sen. SamMcCann’s trial has been delayed numerous times since his February 2021 indictment on fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion charges.
Trump Ballot Challenge in Illinois to Move Forward
Feb 7, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The case is based on claims that former President Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol amounted to an insurrection, and thus he should be disqualified from holding public office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
Illinois State Board of Education to Seek $653M Increase in Upcoming Budget Year
Jan 24, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
PreK-12 education spending currently makes up about one-fifth of the state’s entire General Revenue Fund budget. The proposed increase, if approved, would bring the state’s total GRF spending on public education to just over $11 billion.
Proposal Calls for Expanding Voting by Mail in Illinois
Jan 12, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
As the 2024 election season draws near, voters will once again choose whether to cast their ballots in person or by mail. One Illinois lawmaker is proposing a bill that would make voting by mail the default option for people in counties and cities that choose to go that route.
Trump Faces Ballot Challenge in Illinois Minutes After Filing His Petitions
Jan 4, 2024 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
A group of five voters filed a joint objection to former President Donald Trump’s candidacy, arguing that he should be disqualified under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits anyone who took part in an insurrection against the U.S. from holding federal office.
As Dual Credit Participation Grows in Illinois, Study Shows Gaps Widening
Dec 28, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
A growing number of students are working to earn as many college credits as possible while they are still in high school. But even as the popularity continues to grow for “dual credit” offerings, a new study shows disparities between racial, economic and geographic groups are also widening.
As Deadline Looms, Assault Weapons Registration Rules Still Unresolved
Dec 12, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Firearm owners in Illinois will have to wait at least another month before knowing exactly what items they must register with the Illinois State Police under the state’s assault weapons ban, even as the deadline for submitting those registrations is less than three weeks away.
Supreme Court Rules Chicago Teen Bicyclist Is Covered by Father’s Auto Insurance Policy
Dec 1, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The case involved a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2020 while riding his bicycle on a public street. He suffered injuries to his right arm, shoulder and thigh that required medical attention.
Illinois Supreme Court Rules FOID Records Exempt From Public Disclosure
Nov 30, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that people may obtain records about their own Firearm Owners Identification cards, but they may not use the state’s Freedom of Information Act to do so.
Illinois School Board Weighs Increased Funding Requests Ahead of Budget Season
Nov 18, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Officials at the Illinois State Board of Education say they’re receiving more requests for increased funding for next year than the state could possibly afford, and they’re bracing for the possibility that budgets will start to tighten in the near future.
Illinois Supreme Court Weighs Constitutionality of Lifetime Restrictions on Child Sex Offenders
Nov 15, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The court is weighing whether it is constitutional to impose lifetime restrictions on where a person can live after they’ve been convicted of a sex crime involving a minor.
Latest Illinois School Report Card Shows Proficiency Gains, Persistent Gaps on Racial Lines
Oct 31, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Elementary and secondary students in Illinois showed consistent improvements in their reading and math scores while the state’s high school graduation rate reached a 13-year high for the most recently concluded school year.
Pritzker Proposes Creation of New Standalone Early Childhood Agency
New entity would coordinate child care, preschool, early interventions
Oct 24, 2023 | Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Vowing to make Illinois the top state in the nation for child care accessibility, Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a plan to consolidate all the state’s early childhood programs and funding into one new state agency. Currently, early childhood services are spread across three agencies.