Articles filed under Capitol News Illinois
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Millionaire tax amendment fails to gain enough support from House DemocratsApr 23, 2026 2:31 pm - A “millionaire tax” proposal floated in the Illinois House failed to gain enough traction in Springfield this week, making it increasingly unlikely that voters will be asked to approve the measure in November.
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Lawmakers eye water use transparency requirements for data centersApr 23, 2026 11:22 am - Data centers’ impact on water resources is one of the biggest concerns about the facilities, and it was the main topic of the final hearing about data center regulations in a House committee on Wednesday. The hearing revolved around the need for transparency, and lawmakers heard from water resource groups and a data center industry representative about the best way to do it.
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Illinois House approves redistricting amendment, fearing federal Voting Rights Act will be eliminatedApr 22, 2026 5:33 pm - Illinois voters could be asked to amend the state’s redistricting law this fall after the House approved a constitutional amendment fearing federal protections for minority representation will be struck down.
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State effort to ease school bus driver shortage paying offApr 22, 2026 10:23 am - A nationwide school bus driver shortage, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, persists in some parts of the country. But in Illinois, efforts to attract new demographics of bus drivers and make hiring easier have paid off.
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Pritzker executive order bars state employees from using insider info in prediction marketsApr 21, 2026 8:00 pm - Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Tuesday barring state employees from using insider information to place bets on prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi.
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Illinois Democrats still weighing budget options as strong revenue mixes with uncertain outlookApr 21, 2026 6:44 pm - Illinois Democrats are waiting to see April revenue numbers before making final decisions ahead of their May 31 adjournment deadline. Revenue in the current fiscal year is performing better than expected, which could give lawmakers more flexibility in the upcoming fiscal year 2027. Democrats are also considering asking voters to approve a millionaires tax amendment in November, but it’s not clear if they will be able to pass that resolution before a May 3 deadline.
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Bill would give Illinois EPA greater oversight of manufacturers’ plastic pellet runoffApr 21, 2026 10:56 am - A bill that cleared the Illinois House would give the state’s EPA emergency rulemaking powers to address plastic pellet spills and their effect on stormwater runoff. Plastic pellets are small round objects; the building blocks of plastic manufacturing, shipped from pre-production plastic manufacturers to production facilities then melted and molded into common plastic products. Unintentionally spilled pellets can end up in the state’s waterways when blown by the wind or carried by stormwater, potentially harming birds, turtles and fish.
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‘We cannot afford to get AI wrong’: State lawmakers debate best path to regulate AI boomApr 20, 2026 1:55 pm - As the artificial intelligence industry rapidly expands, state legislators appear poised to continue imposing regulations on the technology.
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Barbara Flynn Currie, 40-year veteran of Illinois House, trailblazer for women in Springfield, diesApr 17, 2026 6:49 pm - Former Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who served 40 years in the General Assembly, died Thursday at 85. Currie was first elected to the House in 1978, at a time when women made up only a small minority of the legislature. After 18 years in Springfield, Currie was promoted to House Majority Leader, the first woman to hold the second-in-command role. Currie retired from the General Assembly in 2019 but was then appointed to head the Illinois Pollution Control Board, a post she held until her death.
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GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey moves into Chicago apartmentApr 17, 2026 4:42 pm - Darren Bailey isn’t just trying to win over voters — he wants this year’s campaign to be an impressive experience for Chicago residents. The Republican nominee for governor said he’s moved into an apartment on Chicago’s near South Side that will serve as a sort of “headquarters” for his Chicago-area campaign operation.