State

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- The proposed amendment to change Illinois’ constitution from a flat income tax to one with higher rates for higher earners will get a last-minute hearing Wednesday in Springfield.…

By Dana Vollmer WNIJ News SPRINGFIELD -- Legislation being considered in the Illinois House would raise the age for locking up children accused of a crime. Children as young as 10 can be detained under current law. Some lawmakers…

By The Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on Sunday, signed a bill banning the sale of tobacco products to minors. Pritzker on Sunday signed legislation raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products…

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state's Medicaid program will use state and federal funds to cover sex reassignment surgery, but the governor's office hasn't said how much the…

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- A plan to legalize cannabis for adult use in Illinois is starting to come together in Springfield even as some lawmakers push for a slower, more cautious approach to legalize. State…

By Cole Lauterbach Illinois News Network CHICAGO -- Lori Lightfoot, a 56-year-old former prosecutor and an openly-gay black woman, promised as Chicago's next mayor to bring unity and new hope to a shrinking city mired in debt,…

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- Fewer Illinoisans enrolled in insurance plans offered through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act as costs increased and the lawmakers eliminated the penalty for…

By Cole Lauterbach Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois lawmakers are working on creating a harsher penalty for people who cause a serious injury to another person while texting and driving. Under the proposal, a driver who…

By Tammy Webber Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The surprise decision by prosecutors to drop charges against Jussie Smollett angered Chicago's police superintendent and mayor, who said the alleged hoax was costly to investigate and…

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- There’s a $2 billion gas tax increase on the table at the statehouse to pay for infrastructure projects, but some warn such a move will hurt lower-income families the hardest. There’s…

By Cole Lauterbach Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- A new poll shows the majority of Illinoisans support a progressive income tax structure, but a university pollster said the group's failure to be transparent about what questions…

By Benjamin Yount Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois' attorney general said he is suing President Donald Trump's administration to keep about $6 million in the state. Illinois is one of 20 states that have filed suit over…

By Cole Lauterbach Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois lawmakers have approved legislation that would raise the legal age to buy and use tobacco products in Illinois to 21. The measure would also raise the age for buying…

By Cole Lauterbach Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- A lesser-mentioned consequence of the budget battle between Democrats in the General Assembly and then-Gov. Bruce Rauner was the depletion of Illinois’ rainy day fund, which still…

By Greg Bishop Illinois News Network SPRINGFIELD -- The state Senate could soon vote on a measure that would require K-12 public schools in Illinois to teach LGBT history. State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, got House Bill 246 passed…