News

Springfield, IL – Senate Republicans remained at the negotiating table during the week, continuing their work to pass a long-term budget solution with necessary reforms, according to State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford). Also during the week, an annual ceremony honored firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty; students from across Illinois came to the Capitol to show

SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers in the Illinois Senate are getting closer to a deal to end the budget impasse, according to State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), but he adds that there are a number of key issues that need to be addressed before finalizing any budget.  “We are trying to deal with significant systemic problems that have been building for decades, issues that

Springfield, IL – Illinois Senators completed final action on legislation during the week, while also holding a public hearing on school funding reform, and honoring those police officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.  Innovative school funding reform plan gets hearing Every lawmaker under the Capitol Dome believes Illinois needs to reform the way it funds elementary

Springfield, IL – A simulation of education funding reform legislation run by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) during the week shows good results for school districts across the state. The evidence-based funding approach is modeled after suggestions from the Education Funding Reform Commission, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who were tasked with offering ideas on how to better

Springfield, IL. – Two reports released this week demonstrate Illinois’ need to enact critical reforms in order to improve the state’s financial footing, the Illinois Department of Transportation wants to help motorists get around Illinois, and Route 66 makes the endangered landmark list.   Reports highlight need for reforms A report issued by the Anderson Economic Group, and reported on by

Springfield, IL. – Fixing the state’s broken school funding formula is the goal of two legislative proposals introduced this week, while another recently filed measure seeks to address the teacher shortage in Illinois’ rural school districts. In other news, the Illinois State Police is taking a proactive step to combat hate crimes in Illinois communities, and the Department of Revenue

Springfield, IL. – This week, Senate Republicans continued to highlight their vision for a full-year, balanced budget with commonsense reforms that will put Illinois’ fiscal house in order and create a foundation for future budgeting.  This forward-looking approach stands in stark contrast to House Democrats who, devoid of any new ideas and solutions, ran another stopgap budget containing no reforms

Springfield, IL. – While Senate Republican lawmakers are looking to build bipartisan momentum toward a future budget and reform package, that spirit of cooperation did not extend to pension reform measures that failed to advance out of a Senate Committee this week. However, the Senate did unanimously come together in support of a proposal to lift the statute of limitations

Springfield, IL. – As the General Assembly and the Governor struggle to come together on a budget compromise that prioritizes reductions to government spending and waste, while also advancing associated structural reforms intended to provide the state with long-term fiscal solvency and stability, momentum seems to be building in favor of compromise pension proposals introduced by Senate Republican lawmakers that

It’s been said you are never safe when the legislature is in session, and that’s very evident by looking at some of the legislation introduced this year in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD – Taxpayer funds could be used to fund political campaigns while state revenue is slashed, and pets could receive court-appointed special advocates, if some of the Illinois General Assembly’s worst