Illinois General Assembly
State Government: Elected Officials | State Legislative Bodies
Recent News About Illinois General Assembly
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GOP state lawmakers join Supreme Court brief asking to reject challenge to compulsory union fees
A group of nine Republicans currently serving in the Illinois General Assembly, including two rookie state lawmakers, have signed their names to a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to uphold the state’s ability to allow unions to extract fees from government employees who don’t wish to join a union, arguing the country’s founding federalist principles should allow the 50 states to decide such policy questions for themselves. -
Pro-life lawmakers, groups appeal Springfield judge's refusal to block IL abortion funding law
A group of pro-life Illinois state legislators, anti-abortion organizations and the Springfield Roman Catholic diocese have indicated they will continue their legal fight to stop the state of Illinois from using taxpayer money to fund abortions, filing notices to appeal a Springfield judge’s decision to deny them the injunction they sought to block the state law authorizing public funding for what they estimate could be “tens of thousands” of abortions each year. -
Attorney says Second Circuit decision in Illinois biometric data case provides roadmap to deal with future cases
A Chicago-area attorney is advising employers that they should take more steps to make sure they are protected from lawsuits alleging the improper storage of fingerprints and other so-called biometric identifying information gathered from employees. And, he said, the attorneys representing them can look to a recent decision from a New York federal appeals court for guidance on one successful avenue of defense. -
Attorney: New bill banning employment salary inquiries likely in Illinois, despite veto loss
In the wake of a veto of legislation to amend the Illinois Equal Pay Act, lawmakers in the state have been left to sift through the rejected proposal and find a foundation to serve as a model for the next proposal. -
Illinois law requiring taxpayers to pay for abortions faces court challenge; no funding source ID'd, suit says
Anti-abortion groups have filed a lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that clears the way for the public funding of elective abortions beginning on Jan. 1, saying the legislation violates the Illinois state constitution's requirements that lawmakers first identify where the tens of millions of dollars will come from to pay for more than 40,000 abortions per year. -
Sexual harassment accusations continue to roil IL assembly, but very different from private sector cases
As sexual harassment scandals spread in the Illinois General Assembly, some lawmakers are calling for still more action to empower investigators to pull the curtain back on what has been described as a rampant culture of abuse in Springfield. However, unlike private sector employers, state officials don't face a realistic threat of lawsuits over their actions, says a lawyer who specializes in such harassment cases. -
Illinois Supreme Court to decide if hospitals will have to pay property taxes
The Illinois Supreme Court recently agreed to hear arguments in another case addressing whether hospitals should be exempted from paying property taxes, marking the second time this year the court will tackle the question weighing on hospitals and local governments across the state. -
Illinois horse racers lawsuit: Illinois hasn't paid its share to replenish purse accounts for 14 years
State government has undercut the Illinois horse racing industry, according to a complaint filed Nov. 1 in Cook County Circuit Court. -
Spike in IL lawsuits vs employers over fingerprints, other biometric data may be just the beginning
A spike in the number of lawsuits in Illinois over biometrics data is a result of such data becoming more commonly used or misused by both business and social media. But whatever the reason, businesses should look for more and more of these lawsuits in coming days, a Washington, D.C.-based labor and employment attorney warns, thanks to a unique facet of Illinois' law -
Attorney: Despite Rauner veto, 'some sort' of law banning pre-employment salary inquiries possible in IL
Changes to Illinois law may make a potential employer’s inquiry into a job applicant’s wage, benefits and other compensation history an unlawful form of discrimination, despite a veto from Gov. Bruce Rauner. -
Business groups: IL geolocations privacy bill ups lawsuit risk against 'businesses of all sizes'
Already facing a surge of lawsuits under a state technology privacy law, business groups have expressed relief at Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to veto a new state technology privacy law regulating how and when smartphone apps and the businesses that develop and deploy them must notify users their physical locations are being logged – a law the business groups say will only offer the same trial lawyers another avenue to sue them. -
State appeals panel: IL's governor has the power to fire members of Prisoner Review Board
A state appeals panel said Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has the right to fire members of the Prisoner Review Board. -
Illinois' legal climate among nation's worst, survey says
Cook County's increasingly bad reputation for attracting lawsuits from across the nation has contributed significantly to helping the state rank again among the worst legal climates in the nation in a recent national survey. -
Judge: State Rep Drury yet to prove malice in defamation suit vs Proft over campaign ads
An Illinois state representative and Democratic candidate for governor has failed in his renewed attempt to sue an Illinois conservative radio talk show host and political activist and his political organization for statements made in 2014 political advertisements, as a Cook County judge has again tossed the defamation lawsuit brought by State Rep. Scott Drury against Dan Proft and Liberty Principles PAC. -
Proposed legislation to nix Cook County soda tax could conflict with Illinois home rule principle
While polling data indicates Cook County's new so-called "pop tax" is largely unpopular, two proposals filed in the Illinois General Assembly to flush the tax could infringe on the principle of home rule. -
Lawsuit demands IL pay schools based on 'evidence-based' funding plan called for in state budget
Parents of Illinois public school students have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to secure what they consider adequate funding for the coming school year. -
Appeals court: Pension fund has right to $11M, potential tax hike from Harvey for underpaying pensions
While leaving it to the elected leaders of the city of Harvey to figure how much tax to levy to get the money they need from property tax payers, a state appeals court panel has ruled the south suburban city’s pension fund is on the brink of default, and, thus, the pension board for the city’s firefighters has a valid claim under state law to force the city to cough up nearly $11 million in unpaid and underpaid pension fund contributions. -
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Taxes hiked, Democrats blamed, but how much will Republicans be boosted in 2018?
The Illinois General Assembly recently ended a two-year budget stalemate by overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a proposed spending plan that included a 32 percent income tax increase. But just how much the tax increase will persuade Illinois voters to toss out of office the primarily Democratic lawmakers who promoted and voted for the tax hike remains an open question. -
Budget won't pull IL out of financial straits; Residents can 'look forward' to more taxes, U of C prof says
Illinois ended its two-year budget hiatus earlier this month, but the state's financial plan still lacks the essentials needed to sustain it over the long term, according to a University of Chicago professor. -
Judge pulls plug on challenge to IL 'Zero Emissions Credit' Exelon nuclear plant bailout
Saying the law could both simultaneously be a subsidy designed to prop up two Illinois nuclear power plants and a legitimate attempt to reduce carbon emissions, a Chicago federal judge has pulled the plug on attempts by a group of power generators and electricity consumers to challenge a recent state law the plaintiffs claimed unconstitutionally used “green energy” goals as a pretext to rig the wholesale electricity generation and supply markets in favor of electricity generation giant Exelon.