Capitol News Illinois After a major Biden-era executive order mandating the vast majority of federal construction projects use project labor agreements suffered an initial loss in federal court this winter, a new report analyzing the use of these agreements in Illinois is refuting typical criticisms from opponents who claim they unfairly favor unionized labor. A…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — One of Gov. JB Pritzker’s top legislative initiatives stalled in the General Assembly this week when the chair of the House Higher Education Committee refused to call a vote on a bill that would authorize community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs in select, high-demand career fields. The decision…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — A Senate committee passed a bill this week that would give specialized training on human trafficking and establish coordination across multiple state agencies and partners. Human trafficking is defined by the U.S. Justice Department as “a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — After nearly three hours of debate before a packed hearing room, a House committee on Wednesday voted to advance a bill that would impose new requirements on homeschooling, fueling a heated discussion over parental rights and government oversight in Illinois. The measure, known as the Homeschool Act, would require families…

Capitol News Illinois (This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.) The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a wide-ranging investigation into Illinois’ treatment of people with developmental disabilities, examining whether the state provides adequate resources for community living and protects residents from harm in public institutions. Tonya…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that would prohibit public school students from using cell phones and other wireless communication devices during class time cleared a Senate committee Tuesday and could soon be considered by the full Senate. It’s a policy change that Gov. JB Pritzker called for in his State of the State address…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Chicago police executed a search warrant at the wrong address more than six years ago that left social worker Anjanette Young handcuffed and naked in her home as she was getting ready for bed. An Illinois House committee on Tuesday moved to overhaul how Illinois police officers execute search warrants…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Four years ago, the General Assembly unanimously approved a law aimed at ending a routine indignity faced by foster children who, lacking luggage of their own, sometimes moved from home to home with their belongings in a trash bag. As a result, the Department of Children and Family Services was…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Enrollment at Illinois community colleges grew to more than 285,000 in the spring semester this year, an 8.9% increase over a year ago and the largest spring-to-spring enrollment increase since the Illinois Community College Board began collecting systemwide data in the late 1990s. In a report released Tuesday, the ICCB…

Capitol News Illinois The family of an 11-year-old Chicago boy murdered last year by his mother’s ex-boyfriend the day after he was released from prison is suing the state — including the embattled Prisoner Review Board and Illinois Department of Corrections— for negligence. Jayden Perkins, an accomplished young dancer, was stabbed to death last March…