State Senator Jason Barickman

The Illinois General Assembly passed a $40 billion state budget along party-line votes Saturday night in the House and early Sunday morning in the Senate: 68-44 in the House and 37-19 in the Senate.

State lawmakers joined a special session of the Bloomington City Council on Saturday morning to discuss progress on securing state funding for the city’s capital projects.

Bloomington state Sen. Jason Barickman said he thinks this week's State of the State speech from Gov. JB Pritzker will not tackle the major issue facing the state.

Come November, Illinois voters will decide whether to change the state’s income tax structure from the current flat tax to a new progressive or graduated model.

State Sen. Jason Barickman said a new law to prevent further trauma to some sexual assault victims might not be enough.

The Bloomington Republican said the YWCA in Bloomington told him several McLean County women who reported sexual assaults when they went to the hospital for treatment ended up getting arrested because they had outstanding warrants. He said the problem does not happen often, but there have been incidents statewide.

The Illinois Senate has approved legalized recreational marijuana use.

Illinois has officially proposed legalizing cannabis for adults 21 years and older by Jan. 1, 2020. But as details of the legislation emerge, so does the opposition. 

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday approved a graduated income-tax structure that charges a rate of 7.99 percent for the most affluent residents.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday hailed the state Senate's approval of an increase in the minimum wage to $15.

State Sen. Jason Barickman delivered a fiery speech Wednesday in support of gun rights, attacking Democrats for trying to score political points on the issue.

Illinois has taken a step toward becoming the 37th state to ratify the 1972 federal Equal Rights Amendment.

Gov. Bruce Rauner toured the Destihl Brewery in Normal on Saturday before taking questions inside the seven-month-old facility.

The Illinois Senate has approved a new system for funding schools that will reduce large disparities between wealthy and poor districts.

The Illinois Senate on Tuesday is expected to take up a school funding overhaul that will increase aid to all of the state's more than 800 districts.

The lawmaker responsible for the school funding plan endorsed by the Senate over Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto said Sunday that the House should vote to override too.