(SPRINGFIELD) State lawmakers are signaling that insurance regulation may be a priority for the General Assembly when it reconvenes later this month in Springfield. From homeowners insurance to auto insurance and everything in between, the affordability issue will be at the forefront of discussions. The Secretary of State’s Office has proposed banning auto insurers from using age, credit scores, or zip codes to determine rates. While national insurance rates are up 15% from two years ago, premiums around Illinois jumped 18% in 2024 alone.
(SPRINGFIELD) The State Department of Public Health says flu activity is very high in Illinois. In fact, in the most severe of five respiratory illness activity levels, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois reported its first influenza death in a child this season after reporting twelve pediatric deaths from influenza all of last year. The IDPH says the current COVID-19 rates have climbed now to moderate levels. Learn more at dph.illinois.gov.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity announced this week that $24 million in taxpayer-funded grants are available to set up 6 new Manufacturing Training Academies at community colleges outside of Cook and other Chicago-area counties. While qualified entities can apply for grants ranging from $3 to $6 million, applications are accepted until April 30th, 2026, at 5:00 that evening, or until all the funds are exhausted.
(CHICAGO) Peoples Gas, which serves mostly customers in Chicago and Cook County, has filed for a rate increase that the utility says would raise residential gas bills by $10 to $11 per month. The Citizens Utility Board promised it would urge state regulators to reject every penny of the proposed increase that Peoples could not justify, saying the utility received the biggest rate hike in state history in 2023. The Illinois Commerce Commission will decide in late 2026.