ILLINOIS STATE NEWS BRIEF (11/13/2024)

(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois General Assembly began its fall legislative veto session in Springfield yesterday. It was the first day of six, both three this week and three more next week, starting next Tuesday. The lawmakers, especially downstate Republicans, have advocated for action on a number of items that were left unfinished earlier this spring, including ethics reform, public safety measures, educational funding, and ongoing public transit issues. Statewide residents can view the proceedings at the ilga.gov website.

(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois will receive a $40 million share of a $1.4 billion bipartisan national settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis. Also under the agreement, Kroger will require its pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions. The settlement money will go to the state’s Opioid Remediation Trust Fund, to be used by communities to abate the opioid crisis on the local level & to fund State Department of Public Health abatement programs.

(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Attorney General’s Office has announced an $11.25 million settlement with DoorDash, which if approved by a judge, will resolve allegations that the company violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud & Deceptive Business Practices Act by misrepresenting to customers that tipping would increase drivers’ pay. Officials say DoorDash instead used tips to reduce the amount the company paid their employees. The proposed settlement includes relief for over 79,000 workers who made deliveries in Illinois while the DoorDash scheme occurred between July 2017 & September 2019.

(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois State Fair is already booking musical acts for next year’s event. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Def Leppard, have agreed to perform at the 2025 State Fair on Saturday night, August 16th. Since launching their catalog on streaming platforms in 2018, the band has gained 5.5 billion streams and continues to expand its global fanbase. Tickets for Def Leppard go on sale this Saturday morning at 10:00 on the ticketmaster.com website.