(SPRINGFIELD) A former Governor is pushing for a state constitutional amendment requiring Illinois millionaires to pay a 3% surcharge on their income tax returns. Pat Quinn, who launched the campaign yesterday, says the tax would go to support a $4.5 billion property tax relief fund.
(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois truckers are applauding a federal rule and hope the state enforces a pause on non-resident commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) It was late September that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered states to pause the issuance of CDLs to drivers on temporary visas. While the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has not officially confirmed such action, media reports, based on emails obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, indicate the State of Illinois has quietly stopped issuing CDLs to those in Illinois illegally.
(SPRINGFIELD) Starting today, Illinois residents can add their Illinois-issued driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet and present their ID using their iPhone and Apple Watch. The Secretary of State’s Office says that for now, statewide residents must continue to carry their physical ID. Illinois joins 12 other states by offering driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging public awareness of appropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals during this U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. The IDPH is recognizing nearly 90 statewide hospitals that have taken extra measures to prevent antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria and other germs can develop a resistance to the drugs that were designed to fight them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the United States with more than 35,000 people losing their lives as a result each year.