(SPRINGFIELD) The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an interim final rule barring race-and-sex-based contracting requirements from federal grants. In a statement, the federal agency singled out the Chicago Transit Authority with two projects put under review totaling $2.1 billion. The DOT says the review will ensure no federal dollars go toward discriminatory, illegal, and/or wasteful contracting practices within Illinois.
(SPRINGFIELD) Hearings continued late last week into sweeping energy legislation that could come up at the Illinois Statehouse later this month in the Fall Veto session. The Illinois House Executive Committee met for a second time last Thursday to discuss a House amendment to Senate Bill 25, legislation that would modify the state’s energy policy with a focus on renewables. There are still a lot of questions that lawmakers have about the issue.
(CHICAGO) Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan must report to prison October 13th, on Monday, a week from today, after a federal appeals court denied his last of several requests to have his prison term cleared. Madigan, who also served as the Chairman of the state’s Democratic Party, was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in February for corruption.
(SPRINGFIELD) The fourth annual “Makers on the Move” statewide bus tour has kicked off. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center will jointly make visits in the coming weeks to facilities, educational institutions, and community centers throughout Illinois to highlight the manufacturing industry.