Illinois General Assembly

A bill to ban the sale of firefighter protective gear containing “forever chemicals” is gaining momentum in the Illinois General Assembly, as lawmakers, union leaders and firefighters themselves warn that the very equipment designed to save lives may be silently endangering them.

In the past several years, Native American advocacy groups have scored what they call major victories in state government.

Health care unions continue to rally for legislation to address understaffing they say strains hospitals and threatens both patient safety and staff well-being.

Advocates for after-school programs that provide tutoring, recreation and other services made their case again Tuesday for a $50 million state appropriation to restore programs in some schools where funding has run out and to expand them into more schools.

With hate crimes rising across Illinois in the last five years, lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow people to sue if they receive threatening flyers on private property due to protected identity characteristics.

A bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois missed a key deadline on Friday. But its sponsor, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, said it’s still alive — and she’s working on changes recommended by fellow lawmakers to get it passed.

The Illinois Senate passed legislation Thursday that would extend press protections to public media outlets, including NPR and PBS affiliates, that are operated by Illinois colleges and universities.

An Illinois measure would target the disclosure of fees for businesses, including restaurants, hotels and lodging, food delivery apps, live-ticketed events and independent contractors. So-called “junk” fees include service fees for popular concerts, resort fees for hotels and additional fees tacked onto restaurant bills.

State Rep. Bill Hauter, a Republican, is among the latest of Illinois lawmakers to propose legislation that would regulate the use and sales of an herbal substance called kratom.

Under proposed legislation, Illinois would explore the viability of reducing reliance on the state’s gas tax by putting in place a “road usage charge,” essentially a tax on the number of miles driven.