Articles filed under Capitol News Illinois
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Proposal to expand federal drug discount could cost Illinois millions, agency head saysMay 17, 2026 3:41 pm - A proposal that would expand access to a federal program that discounts the price of prescription drugs could end up costing Illinois employers an additional $89 million a year, including more than $12 million a year for the state of Illinois itself.
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School choice option languishes as Illinois lawmakers weigh benefits, political falloutMay 15, 2026 3:23 pm - Diverse interest groups — from public school activists and downstate voters to state officials and school boards — have pushed Gov. JB Pritzker to finally make a decision about the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit.
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Illinois Senate Democrats introduce bills to regulate AIMay 14, 2026 5:51 pm - With just two weeks left in the spring legislative session, Illinois Senate Democrats introduced an eight-bill package aimed at regulating some uses of artificial intelligence after a lack of federal action on the issue.
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Illinois’ budget picture tightens in final stretch amid economic uncertaintyMay 13, 2026 6:25 pm - Growing pessimism over the direction of the global economy is leading budget analysts for the governor’s office and Illinois’ legislature to temper revenue expectations less than three weeks before lawmakers are set to finalize a new budget.
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‘Unusual and targeted’: Pritzker letter questions why feds haven’t released broadband fundsMay 12, 2026 5:52 pm - Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, urging him to approve Illinois’ proposal for federal broadband infrastructure funds.
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As Illinoisans lose federal food assistance, independent grocers face debt, store closureMay 12, 2026 2:07 pm - As thousands of Illinois households lose their federal food assistance this month, business owners also are preparing for potential loss. When households lose their benefits, they spend less at the grocery store, and the already-thin profit margins of independent grocers become even slimmer. Business owners face debt and potential store closures that could have far-reaching effects for small communities in rural Illinois.
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How do data centers benefit the places where they’re built? Local mayors give mixed reviewsMay 11, 2026 9:32 am - Lawmakers currently are debating how to regulate data centers while balancing that goal with the economic benefits the facilities can bring to communities. No regulations have moved beyond the discussion stage, and it’s unclear whether they’ll pass this spring. The most significant economic development data centers bring come from property taxes, construction job creation and community developments.
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Senate advances bill to expel students who commit sexual violence at schoolMay 08, 2026 7:21 pm - The Illinois Senate advanced a bill that would ensure students who commit sexually violent crimes can be expelled from school. The bill filed by Sen. Steve McClure, a Springfield Republican, was in response to an incident in Taylorville where a girl was sexually assaulted by an older, male student on the bus.
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Illinois State Police investigating fatal ICE shooting in Franklin ParkMay 07, 2026 8:01 pm - Eight months after a federal immigration agent killed a man in the suburbs during earliest days of “Operation Midway Blitz,” Illinois State Police have opened an investigation into the fatal shooting.
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Federal prosecutors drop conspiracy charge against remaining ‘Broadview Six’ defendantsMay 07, 2026 6:15 pm - After accusations flew in dueling legal filings earlier this week, a federal judge on Thursday officially dismissed the main conspiracy charge against the remaining “Broadview Six” immigration protesters indicted last fall.