(SPRINGFIELD) State House Republicans filed a new lawsuit with the Illinois Supreme Court yesterday, alleging the current State House map fails to meet state constitutional requirements that districts be compact and allow elections to be “free and equal.” With new data and a new key expert witness, Illinois Republicans want the state’s high court to invalidate the current maps and appoint a special master to draw new district boundaries.
(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois lawmakers have already filed over 1,800 bills over the past three weeks, although many may never see the light of day. While one new proposal would allow people convicted of crimes to serve their sentences in “community-based settings” instead of in prison, another would provide free tuition to attend a community college in areas with high rates of violence & economic disinvestment by using money collected from mariuana taxes. Another proposal would allow qualified adult patients to request a prescription of “aid-in-dying” medication to end a life peacefully. The General Assembly’s spring session is set to end May 31st, with over 50 days in session between now and then.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board has announced that $6.5 million is available in competitive funding for the state’s Officer Recruitment & Rentention Grant program. The grant aims to increase the quantity and quality of police officer recruitment programs across the state, while also offering incentives to support officer retention. Units of government, public institutions of higher education, qualified nonprofit entities, and others may apply for the funding in their search for new officers.