The U.S. Supreme Court now has another challenge against Illinois’ gun ban on its docket. Illinois on Jan. 10 banned the possession and sale of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities. A week later, lawsuits started to be filed challenging the constitutionality of the law. Cases are still pending in the district, appeals courts and now the U.S. Supreme Court. Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court docketed a case out of Naperville where plaintiffs challenged the ci...
Dec 01, 2023•24 min•Ep. 270
Thanksgiving dinner shoppers will get a bit of a break in the pocketbook this year. Illinois shoppers participating in the annual American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Thanksgiving Cost Survey reported the average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal is down slightly compared to last year. Illinois Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers reported a state-wide average price of $63.87 for a classic holiday feast for 10, or around $6.39 per person. That is a decrease from the previous year’s record-hi...
Nov 22, 2023•24 min•Ep. 269
Prosecutors are seeking life sentences for four former Commonwealth Edison leaders convicted of conspiring to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a defense attorney said Wednesday. A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request from defense attorneys to delay sentencing. Defense attorneys had asked for more time to deal with what they said were complex issues regarding sentencing guidelines. At a hearing Wednesday, defense attorney Patrick Cotter said prosecutors would be seeking...
Nov 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 268
With the end of the fall veto session, Illinois’ Invest in Kids school choice scholarship program benefiting around 9,600 students will come to a close. Despite families for months lobbying to extend the privately funded program beyond the Dec. 31 sunset, legislators didn’t advance any such measure. Republicans were critical of Democrats they say caved to the teachers’ unions who opposed the program. But, before adjourning, state Rep. Kevin Olickal, D-Skokie, said he’ll continue to fight. Suppor...
Nov 10, 2023•24 min•Ep. 267
A full month into Illinois’ gun ban registry and about 2,400 individuals have disclosed they own at least one banned firearm, attachment or some prohibited ammunition. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly says it’s “been slow, but steady.” For the registry that opened Oct. 1, Illinois State Police report 2,430 individuals disclosed possessing nearly 4,600 banned firearms, around 2,400 banned attachments and 44 disclosures of possessing banned .50 caliber ammunition. Support this podcast:...
Nov 03, 2023•24 min•Ep. 266
As members of each party lay out their priorities with the start of fall veto session at the Illinois statehouse, scores of school kids benefiting from the soon-to-expire Invest in Kids school choice scholarship program were on the scene. But to start the session, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, advanced a measure out of committee to allow statehouse staffers to unionize. “The way this bill is written, there will be no bargaining over calendars and schedules and how the legislat...
Oct 27, 2023•24 min•Ep. 265
Just four months into the fiscal year, Illinois’ Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program will suspend accepting new enrollees starting Nov. 6, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services said Thursday. In 2020, Illinois began subsidizing the health care of non-citizens in the state over the age of 65, estimating the cost to be $1.8 million. Two years later, the state started offering the taxpayer subsidized benefit to non-citizens over the age of 42. Support this podcast: htt...
Oct 20, 2023•24 min•Ep. 264
A federal judge who once ruled plaintiffs challenging Illinois’ gun and magazine ban may be able to prove their case now has the option of striking the law down based on the merits. Illinois’ ban on more than 170 semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols was enacted on Jan. 10. The law also bans the sale and possession of handgun magazines over 15 rounds and rifle magazines over 10 rounds. Firearms owners with such guns purchased before Jan. 10 have until Jan. 1, 2024 to register their firearm...
Oct 13, 2023•24 min•Ep. 263
As non-citizens continue to arrive in Chicago, many have been stuck at O'Hare Airport while awaiting housing. One mutual aid volunteer says even more soon will be without more shelter options. Chicago has seen more than 15,000 migrants from the southern border arrive over the past 12 months. Many of the migrants have traveled from communities in Texas, where resources are stretched thin because of the continued influx of border crossers. In response, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said Fri...
Oct 06, 2023•24 min•Ep. 262
The hearing took place not in Washington D.C., but at the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police hall. Testifying was Gianno Caldwell, a Fox News contributor and someone whose teenage brother was shot and killed in Chicago. He said with the end of cash bail and do-not-chase policies, criminals feel emboldened turning The Windy City into Gotham City. Chicago is savable, but he said residents have to make adjustments. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/suppo...
Sep 29, 2023•24 min•Ep. 261
Illinois Democrats celebrated the end of cash bail statewide on Monday while others worried about an increase in crime. The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today, or SAFE-T Act, was approved by the General Assembly in January 2021. It makes several changes to the criminal justice system, including eliminating cash bail statewide, making it the first state to do so after being enacted on Monday. The Pretrial Fairness Act was supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, but was delayed by court...
Sep 22, 2023•24 min•Ep. 260
With the abolishment of cash bail coming to an end in Illinois Monday (Sept. 18), the debate continues on what the effects will be on victims, particularly of domestic violence. Under the new law as part of the controversial SAFE-T Act upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court two months ago, if a judge decides a defendant does not pose a public safety risk, then they will be released pending trial. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Sep 15, 2023•24 min•Ep. 259
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis-Gates, who has been outspoken against the state's school choice program, is sending her child to a private school, according to the Illinois Republican Party and other reports. Davis-Gates took office in 2022 to lead the third largest teachers union in the country. Since taking office, Davis-Gates has publicly spoken out against the Invest in Kids Act, which allows people to pay for scholarships for students to attend private schools rather than atten...
Sep 08, 2023•24 min•Ep. 258
With a new school year underway or about to begin for students in schools across Illinois, some attending a private school using scholarships from the Invest in Kids program could be left in limbo unless lawmakers take action to continue the program. Gov. J.B. Pritzker made a stop at Community STEM Center in Matteson on Thursday to highlight the start of the school year. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Sep 01, 2023•24 min•Ep. 257
After July job numbers are included, Illinois finally returned to pre-pandemic total job levels more than three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. And the feat was accomplished almost a year after most of the rest of the country. The data from the Illinois Policy Institute show the state gained over 11,000 jobs in July. This job gain brings the state back to its pre-COVID numbers. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Aug 25, 2023•24 min•Ep. 256
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city of Chicago has had conversations with suburban leaders in Cook and other counties about the possibility of moving migrants into their communities. Thousands of migrant families have arrived in Chicago over the past year. City officials have placed many in police stations, YMCAs and Daley College. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Aug 18, 2023•24 min•Ep. 255
Illinois’ gun and magazine ban remains in place after being upheld by a split Illinois Supreme Court. The anticipated ruling in the case brought by state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, was released Friday. "First, we hold that the exemptions neither deny equal protection nor constitute special legislation because plaintiffs have not sufficiently alleged that they are similarly situated to and treated differently from the exempt classes," the majority opinion said. "Second, plaintiffs expressly wa...
Aug 11, 2023•24 min•Ep. 254
A new report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting Accountability shows a dramatic increase of overall taxpayer spending over the past six years. COGFA’s report on fiscal year 2024 released Monday reviews the annual budget that began July 1. The report details the budget process and how much each state agency and program is set to receive in annual appropriations. While a lot of reporting focuses on the state spending of $50.4 billion in Illinois General Revenue Funds, overall t...
Aug 04, 2023•24 min•Ep. 253
Illinois lawmakers are calling for accountability into the state's handling of unemployment payments during the COVID-19 pandemic after an audit showed $5.2 billion was overpaid, including tens of millions to some who were incarcerated or deceased. Unemployment spiked at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders impacting the economy in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotif...
Jul 28, 2023•24 min•Ep. 252
With the Illinois Supreme Court decision to end money bond statewide, prosecutors and the law enforcement community are bracing for impact. On Tuesday, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the Pretrial Fairness Act as constitutional. County court systems across the state have 60 days to implement the law. Supporting the end of cash bail statewide, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said there are still sureties a court can require of criminal defendants awaiting trial like requirements they...
Jul 21, 2023•24 min•Ep. 251
Motions continue back and forth between former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s attorneys and federal prosecutors alleging Madigan ran a criminal enterprise from through the Illinois Statehouse. In the summer of 2020, federal prosecutors revealed a deferred prosecution agreement between utility ComEd and the government that had the utility agree to pay $200 million for bribing “Public Official A.” It was later revealed through indictments the official was Madigan. Support this podcast: h...
Jul 14, 2023•24 min•Ep. 250
Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he has reached a tentative agreement with the state's largest union regarding their new contract with the state. However, the taxpayer cost has yet to be revealed, leading some to expect increased taxes as a result. With Illinois’ gun and magazine ban being challenged in a case expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says there needs to be a federal ban. On the one-year anniversary of the Independence Day parade shooting in Highland Park Tuesday, Prit...
Jul 07, 2023•24 min•Ep. 249
Two taxes on basic necessities in Illinois are set to increase beginning Saturday. With the start of the new fiscal year July 1, the state's gas tax will increase by 3.1 cents a gallon to a total tax of 45.4 cents. That's the second increase of the motor fuel tax since Jan. 1, when it increased by an additional 3.1 cents. The state's tax on groceries will also go back to 1% after Gov. J.B. Pritzker put a hold on the tax during last year's election cycle. Whether Illinois' gun and magazine bans a...
Jun 30, 2023•24 min•Ep. 248
Rules for how Illinois taxpayers will subsidize the ballooning costs of health care for noncitizen migrants in the state are now on the books after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a Medicaid omnibus bill Friday. The Chicago City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson heard Wednesday from Chicago residents upset about the influx of migrants in their communities and the resources that have been allocated to assist them. Chicago city officials and community members are looking to address ongoing issues of cri...
Jun 23, 2023•24 min•Ep. 247
Former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said he faced a lot of headwinds during his time in office, but didn’t want to talk about politics after his official portrait was unveiled Monday. The former one-term Republican governor had a tumultuous time in office with a more than two-year long budget impasse. Democrats who controlled both chambers still blame Rauner for the impasse. As Illinois implements more requirements on local libraries in order to access state tax dollars, some are questioning wheth...
Jun 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 246
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state's $50.6 billion budget, which includes pay raises for state lawmakers, health care for undocumented migrants, and new taxpayer-funded programs for education. With the consolidated gun ban challenge being briefed and soon heard in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal, an Illinois attorney is asking a federal district judge for partial judgment. Effective immediately, Illinoisans wanting to challenge the constitutionality of state laws ...
Jun 09, 2023•24 min•Ep. 245
With increased spending on legislator pay, local governments, K-12 and higher education and other programs, Illinois’ budget for the coming fiscal year is the largest in state history and ready for the governor’s desk. The House passed the $50.6 billion state budget early Saturday along party lines, 73-38. The Senate approved the plan late Thursday mostly along party lines. Despite statehouse corruption on full display with guilty verdicts against four individuals in the “ComEd Four” bribery tri...
Jun 02, 2023•24 min•Ep. 244
Topping $50 billion, Illinois Democrats say they have reached a budget agreement. The proposed fiscal 2024 budget is similar to what Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled earlier this year. It includes $700 million for K-12 and early childhood education, and an additional $100 million so those under the median income can go to community college tuition free but at taxpayer expense. While legislators are advancing legislation to shore up ethics concerns with the red light camera industry in Illinois, some ...
May 25, 2023•24 min•Ep. 243
With Friday being the last scheduled day for the spring session at the Illinois Statehouse, lawmakers have yet to reveal a state budget for taxpayers to review. Last year's budget was over 3,000 pages and was presented by the Democratic majority to Republicans at the last moment, giving the public no time to review it. Opposition is growing over a piece of legislation advancing in Springfield that would allow for punitive damages in wrongful death cases. Chicago remains the nation’s third most p...
May 19, 2023•24 min•Ep. 242
A report detailing Illinois' budget forecast is warning of a huge drop in state revenues. The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability said April receipts fell $1.8 billion compared to the same month the year prior. The COGFA report said while a substantial decline in revenues was anticipated, the extent of the decline is much steeper than the commission had projected. The news comes as lawmakers are putting together an annual spending plan as the spring legislative sessi...
May 12, 2023•24 min•Ep. 241
