(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois House Gaming Committee has advanced legislation in Springfield to ban Illinois home rule cities from regulating the sports betting industry. House Bill 4171 was filed after the City of Chicago enacted a city licensing requirement and imposed a 10.25 percent tax on all sports wagers. Illinois Gaming Board data shows that legal betting has declined now for three consecutive months after the state imposed a per-wager tax last year.
(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says the state should put students above politics and opt in to the national education tax credit scholarship program. In a recent Chicago op ed, Mendoza said Illinois should not leave federal incentives unused when they can benefit statewide residents, the students of Illinois and their education should be the top priority.
(CHICAGO) The Liberty Justice Center has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Illinois Supreme Court justices for what the LJC says was the unconstitutional removal of Judge James R. Brown. The retired judge was recalled to Cook County Circuit Court in December 2025 to help fill judicial vacancies. Brown was removed six weeks later, after the Cook County Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers objected to an opinion column and podcast appearance by Brown before he returned to the bench. The lawsuit seeks to restore Brown to his recall position and to obtain damages for economic and reputational harm.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved the Illinois Power Agency’s 2026 plan to guide procurement of new renewable generation over the next two years. The IPA’s plan urges investment in both utility-scale and community solar, utility-scale wind, hydropower, and other projects. A report issued last December by the IPA, the ICC, and the Illinois EPA said the state would have an energy shortage in four years if it continued on its current path.