Meetings & Agendas- Chicago
- Springfield
The Cook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to limit single-use plastics in the district on Tuesday.
The resolution (24-0209) declares a climate emergency within the county and directs the district to “limit the procurement of single-use plastics” except in health emergencies or for disability needs and include new “green purchasing guidelines” in the district’s procurement manual. The resolution also declares an intention to formally limit single-use plastics via ordinance by the end of the year.
The Cook County Finance Committee unanimously approved a proposed resolution modifying the allocation of the county’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund on Wednesday. The resolution (24-2103) authorizes $70 million to be repurposed for food service and other costs for new migrant arrivals throughout the year, fulfilling the county’s share of a three-government deal to close a gap in funding.
In February, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Gov. JB Pritzker announced joint funding plans to assist the ongoing influx of thousands of migrants including asylum seekers arriving from Texas and close a $321 million gap in funding. The governor is seeking $182 million in funding for fiscal year 2025, and the county board president requested the board of commissioners reallocate previously approved funding for migrants.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability held a forum with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) Supt. Larry Snelling on April 8. The meeting included a public comment portion for community members to provide Snelling and the commission with feedback and ask questions.
Snelling provided a brief introduction to start the forum, mentioning his roots in Englewood. After growing up in the neighborhood, he became an officer before serving as a lieutenant, eventually becoming district commander.
The chairs of the City Council’s budget and finance committees deferred final votes on new spending for migrant care and a massive bond authorization to fund housing, economic and cultural development programs citywide until a special council meeting scheduled for Friday.
During a news conference Wednesday, the mayor said the delay of the items by allies on the council was a “parliamentary tactic” to ensure alderpeople get all their questions answered before anything is approved and not a signal that he lacked the votes to pass the measures.
The mayor’s pick to lead the reconstituted Department of Technology and Innovation and an order to keep gunshot detection technology in individual wards were both deferred during the City Council meeting Wednesday, delaying votes to Friday at the earliest.
The City Council Committee on Finance reconvened its recessed meeting Wednesday morning and voted to recommend approval of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion economic development and housing bond proposal, which was then deferred by the City Council later that day, postponing a final vote on the proposal until a special council meeting on Friday.
The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards approved the appointment of a new buildings department commissioner Tuesday without asking any questions about her role overseeing a demolition that went wrong.
The City Council will consider giving final approval to the mayor’s request for $70 million in additional funds to shelter, feed and care for migrants, multiple cabinet appointments, a Democratic National Convention (DNC) security measure, new regulations for scooter share businesses, a measure to track migrant evictions and an ordinance that could keep ShotSpotter in some wards on an individual basis.
The council could also hold a vote on the mayor’s housing and economic development bond proposal depending on the outcome of a potential finance committee vote.
The House passed 71 bills on Wednesday as they move toward their Friday deadline to pass legislation to the Senate, including a bill cracking down on “ghost networks” referenced by Gov. JB Pritzker in his State of the State address.
The Senate is set to take up a bill that would ban certain food additives. And thousands rallied at the Illinois Capitol in opposition to abortion at the annual Illinois March for Life, including Republican lawmakers who condemned Democrats’ recent pro-abortion policies.
The 2024 primary season was marked by expensive races to unseat incumbents along with several big-spending candidates who fell short of their bids to be their party’s nominees.
How much did candidates in top races for the General Assembly spend per vote in the first three months of 2024 and was it enough to win over voters on the March 19 primary?
The House continued moving toward their Friday deadline to pass House bills to the Senate, moving 63 bills on Tuesday with more than 400 bills that could possibly be passed by the end of the week.
The Illinois Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to pass a bill that would prevent credit reporting agencies from using medical debt in credit reports. The bill’s passage comes as Gov. JB Pritzker prioritizes a plan in his Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal to eliminate medical debt for thousands of Illinoisians.
The Senate voted to advance a pair of key measures on Friday ahead of the chamber’s deadline to pass Senate bills on to the House, including bills requiring insurance to cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) and establishing a new state department for childhood issues.
Officials told a House committee that it’s challenging to calculate the cost of a bill that would raise the threshold for the estate tax. And the Senate passed a bill giving the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) new rule-making powers.
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$39/month
Annual Membership
$395
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Group Annual Membership
$650
(up to 5 members)
67% Savings
