Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Terminally ill Illinoisans may have the legal option to end their own life with the help of a physician next year under a bill approved by lawmakers Thursday. The procedure, which advocates and the bill call “medical aid in dying,” would give people in a sound mental state with severe…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — A bill that seeks to control the rising cost of prescription drugs while also offering financial help for many small, independent pharmacies in Illinois cleared the state Senate on Thursday and awaits action in the House. The bill, known as the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, contained in House Bill 1697,…

Capitol News Illinois by Binghui Huang, ILLINOIS ANSWERS COOK COUNTY — The day before Christmas eve in 2023, Andrew Ciaccio was up all night trying to soothe his stomach pains. When he woke, he could barely sit up. Something was wrong. “It was pretty intense,” he recalled. “I was vomiting and really sweating and really…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — A bill that would require gun owners to keep any firearms in a locked box whenever a minor is present will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker. Senate Bill 8, also referred to as the Safe Gun Storage Act, is the latest gun safety measure pushed by Democrats in the…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — With two days left in the legislative session, lawmakers in Springfield announced a pair of plans for how to reform Chicagoland transit agencies after two years of debate, one of which would come with a spate of new taxes. The proposals give new power to the agency that oversees the…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — In the backstretch of the legislative session, horse racing advocates are pushing to revitalize the industry in Illinois and its accompanying horse betting, both long in decline. City officials from Decatur and Illinois horse racing advocates joined an effort this week by Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, to push lawmakers to…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Legislation that would require Illinois public libraries to have life-saving medications on hand for people experiencing opioid overdoses and provide staff training has unanimously passed the Illinois Senate and is now on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. The legislation, House Bill 1910, was proposed by a high school student in Elgin.…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday he will not sign a budget that includes broad tax hikes to fund new spending as lawmakers are in the final hours of budget negotiations. “Anything that’s broad-based and would have a negative impact on working families, I would veto a budget like that,” Pritzker…

Capitol News Illinois by Madison Hopkins and Meredith Newman Illinois Answers Project CHICAGO — A single mother in Kenwood changed jobs in order to find child care – even though it meant possibly working fewer hours and less pay. A couple in Park Ridge has paid so much for care they haven’t been able to…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Illinois police officers soon could be required to undergo trauma-informed sexual assault training if the governor signs a bill passed by Illinois lawmakers last week. Senate Bill 1195, dubbed Anna’s Law, mandates police officers take part in trauma-informed programs, procedures and practices that are intended to “minimize traumatization of the…