Rauner calls immigration bill ‘very reasonable’
By Rick Pearson and Monique Garcia | Chicago Tribune
August 18, 2017
Filed under State
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner said Friday he plans to announce "in the next couple days" whether he'll sign a bill aimed at limiting the role of local law enforcement in federal efforts to detain and remove immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Asked during a Friday morning radio appearance if he...
Rauner: Trump’s comments on Charlottesville ‘damage America’
By Bernard Schoenburg | The State Journal-Register
August 17, 2017
Filed under State
Gov. Bruce Rauner rallied fellow Republicans Wednesday to "ignite a political revolution against the broken political system in Illinois" that in the 2018 election could oust the "corrupt politicians" in power. That was part of his speech at the Governor's Day rally at the Illinois State Fairgrounds....
Durbin: Trump ‘sabotaging’ ACA, bipartisanship needed
By Paul Swiech | The Pantagraph
August 17, 2017
Filed under State
President Donald Trump has been "sabotaging" the Affordable Care Act and further erosion of the law will increase health insurance premiums, the number of uninsured and the federal deficit, Illinois' senior senator said Wednesday. "We have to keep the system operating" as Congress works to improve...
Three arrested at anti-white supremacy protest outside North Side courtroom
By William Lee and Tony Briscoe | Chicago Tribune
August 16, 2017
Filed under State
Three people were arrested during an anti-white supremacy protest Tuesday outside a North Side criminal court building, according to police. About two dozen protesters, many wearing bandanas or masks covering their faces, gathered near the doors of a Cook County courthouse at 2452 W. Belmont Ave., w...
Snubbed financier says he’ll belatedly pay up for Gov. Rauner’s prize-winning steer
By By Kim Janssen | Chicago Tribune
August 16, 2017
Filed under State
Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, became the proud owners of a $50,000 prize-winning steer called Snuggles on Tuesday night after winning a charity auction at the Illinois State Fair. But the auction organizers might want to double count the cash. Of the "record" $104,000 Rauner bid for a...
Study: Illinois traffic deaths continue to climb
By By Mary Wisniewski | Chicago Tribune
August 15, 2017
Filed under State
Traffic fatalities in Illinois have continued to increase in the first six months of this year over the same period in previous years, even as the number of such deaths has slightly decreased nationally, according to a study released Tuesday. A study of traffic fatalities nationwide by the National...
Rauner calls for leader meetings on school funding
By Doug Finke | The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.
August 14, 2017
Filed under State
SPRINGFIELD — A day after losing a school funding vote in the Illinois Senate, Gov. Bruce Rauner Monday called for meetings among the legislative leaders to reach a compromise on school funding reform. Rauner issued a statement "calling on the four legislative leaders to meet as quickly as possible...
Rauner vows to veto education funding bill, demands Democrats send it to him
By Kim Geiger and Rick Pearson | Chicago Tribune
July 17, 2017
Filed under State
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday said he plans to rewrite a Democrat-passed education funding formula bill, setting up a likely showdown with Democrats who control the General Assembly as school districts across the state remain caught in the middle. The governor visited schools in downstate Mo...
Rauner threatens to keep lawmakers in Springfield if no budget by Friday
By Doug Finke | The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.
June 29, 2017
Filed under State
Gov. Bruce Rauner threatened Wednesday to keep lawmakers in Springfield indefinitely if they don't pass a balanced budget by Friday, the end of the current fiscal year. Rauner issued the terse, one-sentence statement as the eighth day of special sessions appeared to move the state no closer to adopting...
State budget deal not happening before spring session deadline
June 1, 2017
Filed under State
Illinois lawmakers left Springfield Wednesday after once again failing to enact a permanent budget by the scheduled end of the General Assembly's spring session. House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said the House would continue to "work through the month of June" to try to reach agreement on...
Illinois House narrowly OKs abortion-rights bill
By Doug Finke | The State Journal-Register
April 26, 2017
Filed under State
Illinois House members Tuesday approved a bill that would expand taxpayer-funded abortions and protect abortion rights in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the vote fell far short of what will be needed if Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner follows through on a...
Moody’s warns of credit declines for six schools, including SIU
By Dawn Rhodes | Chicago Tribune
April 18, 2017
Filed under State
After nearly two years of state budget gridlock, Illinois' public universities could soon face a tougher time borrowing money after a major credit agency downgraded the rating for one school and warned that six others could face the same fate. In reports issued Tuesday, Moody's Investors Service announced...
