Articles filed under Capitol News Illinois
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State commission refers federal immigration agents for investigation, possible prosecutionApr 30, 2026 7:52 pm - A state panel unanimously voted Thursday to approve a 204-page report detailing its investigations into misconduct by on-duty federal immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz.
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Illinois retailers celebrate early successes of state-funded apprenticeship programApr 30, 2026 1:43 pm - A first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program in Illinois launched by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association provides online college coursework and real-life experience. The program, announced earlier this year, provides management training and experience, usually for employees already working for a company. Employers who enroll current or future employees in the program can receive up to $5,000 in tax credits per apprentice.
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IBM will bring innovation hub, 750 new jobs to Chicago’s quantum parkApr 29, 2026 6:35 pm - Gov. JB Pritzker announced last Wednesday that IBM will bring its FutureNow innovation and delivery hub to Chicago’s South Side. The center will be located on the planned Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park campus and is set to create 750 full-time jobs in supercomputing fields, such as cybersecurity, AI and data science.
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Federal agency casts further uncertainty on Illinois’ credit card ‘swipe fee’ lawApr 27, 2026 6:24 pm - A federal agency says Illinois can’t limit credit card swipe fees for federally chartered banks, even though a federal judge earlier this year ruled that it could.
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Mid-May ruling set for special prosecutor demand to investigate alleged ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ abusesApr 26, 2026 4:40 pm - Cook County Judge Erica Reddick on Friday heard arguments for and against appointing a special prosecutor to investigate alleged wrongdoing by federal immigration agents during last fall’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” While petitioners pushing for a special prosecutor say Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has “abdicated her responsibility” by not opening any investigations, the state’s attorney maintains she has limited authority to do so. Reddick will deliver her ruling during a May 11 hearing.
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Illinois launches online resources for households on federal food assistanceApr 24, 2026 4:26 pm - Illinois launched two websites last week that share various work, training and volunteer opportunities that meet federal food assistance work requirements. The sites are free and available to all but designed specifically for Illinoisans who may lose federal food assistance due to recent program changes.
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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.