By Andrew Thomason | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD – In order to pay down overdue bills, Illinois Senate Democrats want to siphon cash from special funds that support myriad projects — including Boy and Girl Scouts, tourism, energy assistance and transit development. The fund raids are part of a broader budget crafted by Senate Democrats, which was approved in part [...]

By Stephanie Fryer | Illinois Statehouse News   SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House voted Monday to abolish a century-old legislative scholarship program blighted by lawmaker abuse. The bill killing the General Assembly Legislative Scholarship Program, which allowed lawmakers to give full scholarships for state universities to students, as long as the students lived in the [...]

By Jayette Bolinski | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn refused Monday to discuss the possibility of gambling expansion in Illinois, insisting he wants lawmakers to focus on Medicaid and pension reform. “Sometimes down here (in the statehouse), shiny objects can distract people. We don’t want any of that this week. We want [...]

By Anthony Brino | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — Three Illinois Republican state senators and a libertarian think tank proposed 59 reforms to make Medicaid more cost effective while providing better care for its recipients. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn wants to reduce Medicaid spending by $2.7 billion next year to avert a budget crisis. The [...]

  By Andrew Thomason | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — With 13 days left in the regular spring session, the Illinois Senate Democratsrolled out a budget that relies on facility closures, layoffs and 4-percent spending cuts for most state agencies. Still, the budget outline spends $16.9 billion on day-to-day state services such as the Illinois State [...]

By Stephanie Fryer and Anthony Brino | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers must craft next year’s budget and fix huge deficits by May 31, but the closest they came to addressing those problems was a proposal to tax online gambling. Other issues from a proposed minimum wage increases to the Nation of Islam [...]

By Andrew Thomason Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — A federal appellate court Thursday upheld Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision last year to deny state employees pay raises. In July, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District in Springfield, when Quinn refused the 2 [...]

By Jayette Bolinski | Illinois Statehouse News   SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ school chief this week sounded the alarm on possible cuts to the amount of money the state will give local schools during the coming fiscal year. Gery Chico, chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, called on parents, taxpayers and school officials to [...]

By Stephanie Fryer | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — Illinois senators Thursday rejected the reappointment of a co-founder of a group dedicated to a former Nation of Islam leader to the state's Human Rights Commission. Gov. Pat Quinn recommended that Munir Muhammad, of Chicago, be reappointed to the commission — a position he's had for [...]

By Anthony Brino | Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cut $11 million in Medicaid spending on home health care and, according to a new study, the move could lead to higher costs in nursing homes and hospitals. The Chicago-based Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, a health-care policy nonprofit, [...]