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Despite continued criticism of fraud and abuse within Illinois’ SNAP program, Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a new, state-funded cash benefit for households that lose or see reductions in federal SNAP benefits under updated work requirement rules. Senate Bill 3277 would require the Illinois Department of Human Services to establish the Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH)

Governor J.B. Pritzker’s budget address this week drew sharp criticism from Senate Republicans, who said Illinois families were hoping to hear real solutions on rising costs, property taxes, and economic stagnation. Instead, they argued the speech sounded more like a campaign message and offered another record-setting spending plan with no real relief for the families and businesses of Illinois. Under

Several programs across Illinois are offering free income tax preparation assistance for low-to-moderate income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities ahead of the April filing deadline. The services provide basic state and federal return preparation and electronic filing guidance. Programs providing assistance include: the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs, the AARP

A new proposal would help more Illinois kids and families, especially those with disabilities, enjoy local parks by giving grant priority to projects that go above and beyond accessibility standards, without costing taxpayers more. Senate Bill 3016, introduced by Senator Don DeWitte, updates the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program to prioritize grant applications for park projects

In an effort to protect seniors from rising costs, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Syverson would ensure Illinois’ low-income senior citizens assessment freeze keeps pace with inflation. Senate Bill 4029, would automatically adjust the income eligibility cap for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption based on inflation beginning in tax year 2029. By tying the income threshold to the

As Governor JB Pritzker prepares to deliver his annual budget address later this week, Senate Republicans are urging him to focus on affordability for Illinois families and a responsible, sustainable budget. Senator Syverson said families are already struggling with the rising cost of living and added that the last thing working people need is a budget that expands government while piling on higher

Thirty-four Illinois companies have been awarded a combined $2.4 million through the state’s Innovation Voucher Program, which supports research and development partnerships between small businesses and Illinois universities. The program helps companies validate new technologies, accelerate product development, and move innovations closer to market. The awards support projects across a wide range of industries, including health and life sciences, artificial

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced $3.6 million in grant funding to support local food processing, aggregation, and distribution projects across the state. The funding is intended to help strengthen the infrastructure needed to get Illinois-grown food from farms to consumers. Grant awards will be available for collaborative projects ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and for individual projects ranging

Illinois Senate Republicans have introduced a package of legislation aimed at strengthening protections for victims of domestic violence and holding repeat offenders accountable. The proposal comes as domestic violence-related deaths continue to rise across the state. According to the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, domestic violence-related deaths increased 140% from 2022 to 2024. Senate Republicans say the current law too

New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Illinois continues to lose residents to other states at one of the highest rates in the nation. Between mid-2024 and mid-2025, more than 40,000 Illinois residents moved to other states, ranking Illinois third-worst nationally for domestic population loss, behind only California and New York. While Illinois posted a modest overall population increase,