News

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Auditor General has released a scathing performance audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s handling of unemployment insurance claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a resolution filed by a Senate Republican legislator. In other news, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has several grant programs with application deadlines approaching over the course

SPRINGFIELD – A July 18 ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court upholding the “no cash bail” provision of the SAFE-T Act is a disappointment, according to State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley), who says he has never supported the controversial law or the way it was passed in Springfield late in the night without any input from law enforcement. “State’s attorneys

SPRINGFIELD – More than 100 bills were signed into law late last week including a measure that protects children who are crime victims and legislation that addresses the isolation of residents of long-term care facilities. Also late last week, the Illinois State Police launched a new public website to view crime statistics. The website is a part of the state repository

The Democrats’ new grocery tax will go into effect on July 1. Click https://fb.watch/lsmNQQ1dMF/ (or on the graphic below) to hear my thoughts about the tax, which I did not support.

SPRINGFIELD – The Governor has released emergency rules on Illinois’ out-of-control undocumented immigrant healthcare program, which continues to be the subject of controversy. In other news, the preliminary May unemployment data is now available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unfortunately, Illinois’ ranking remains tied for the fourth highest state unemployment rate in the country. With the dry and

The first day of Summer 2023 is June 21 at 9:57 a.m. CDT. It’s often called the longest day of the year because it’s the day with the most daylight.

SPRINGFIELD – This week the Governor signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget plan, the largest in state history. In other news, a measure intended to provide tax relief at the grocery store is already set to expire beginning July 1. Also, there is one more week to apply for the Governor’s Hometown Awards, which recognize volunteer projects that have

SPRINGFIELD – After weeks of traveling the state touting a spending plan that failed to win bipartisan legislative support, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Fiscal Year 2024 budget into law on June 7. But State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) says questions remain about whether the new budget will be truly balanced at the year’s end due to underestimating spending

SPRINGFIELD – It has been one week since the Illinois General Assembly approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget plan, and questions remain on whether it is truly balanced. In other news, the Illinois Office of the Auditor General has recently released an audit of the Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program, which found several failures with the $585 million initiative.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders once again chose bigger government and special interests over plans that better reflect the priorities of Illinois citizens, approving a $50 billion state spending plan May 25. State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) says Senate Republicans have for months offered plans that would better reflect the priorities of hard-working taxpayers, but