Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — The state of Illinois is investigating an automatic license plate reader system used in a northwest suburb after a Texas sheriff accessed the system to look for a woman who recently had an abortion. This and hundreds of other searches, according to Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, violated Illinois law.…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – In a year when many state agencies received little or no funding increase, state lawmakers this year approved an increase of $15.7 million, or 22.4%, for general operating expenses in Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office. That General Revenue Fund increase is significantly more than some other constitutional officers received for…

Capitol News Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will tell a congressional committee Thursday that America’s immigration problems are a result of a bipartisan failure to reform the country’s immigration system and secure the country’s borders. In more than five pages of written testimony submitted by the governor to the U.S. House Oversight Committee ahead of hours…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Under a bill awaiting the governor’s signature, certain insurance plans would have to cover hippotherapy and other forms of therapeutic horseback riding in Illinois. Hippotherapy is a type of physical, occupational and speech therapy where the movement of a horse is used to treat a patient’s specific disability or disorder.…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced they intend to retry state Sen. Emil Jones III after his April trial on charges of bribery and lying to the FBI ended in a hung jury. Jones, a Chicago Democrat and son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., stands accused of agreeing…

Capitol News Illinois Gun rights advocates once again are asking a federal appeals court in Chicago to overturn Illinois’ ban on assault-style firearms and large-capacity magazines in a case that may be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. In briefs filed Friday with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys representing plaintiffs challenging the law…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Public employees hired since 2011 must continue to wait for pension reform after Illinois lawmakers declined to take up the issue during the spring session. Lawmakers and labor unions have both expressed concern that benefits for Tier 2 employees – those who entered the public sector after 2011 – are…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — The “Clean Slate” Act, which could have sealed thousands and potentially millions of nonviolent criminal records in Illinois, had bipartisan support but failed to pass in the final flurry of legislative action this spring, the sponsor says. Senate Bill 1784 would have required law enforcement agencies to automatically seal eligible…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — A bill passed in this year’s legislative session would rewrite the definition of a “forcible felony” to allow Illinois State Police to use images obtained from automatic license plate readers in cases involving human trafficking and involuntary servitude. Automatic license plate readers are cameras that capture images of vehicle license…