Illinois Legislature

It took more than a week longer than expected, but Illinois lawmakers wrapped up their spring legislative session early Saturday with a budget and hundreds of measures that passed. The spending plan and bills now go to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The 2023 spring legislative session came to an end in the early hours of Saturday morning after the Illinois House gave its approval to a $50.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The state’s law is the strictest in the nation.

At the end of the Illinois Legislature's veto session, lawmakers passed an amendment to the SAFE-T Act on Thursday.

In the past, residents needed to submit an application for a mail-in ballot for each individual election, but now they avoid that by filing an application for permanent vote-by-mail status with their local election authority.

The special session of the General Assembly in the coming weeks to focus on legislation to strengthen women’s access to abortion and other reproductive health services in Illinois.

A nearly identical bill unanimously passed the Illinois House and Senate last year, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed it. Now environmental groups are starting the whole process over.

Illinois lawmakers recently passed the Youth Health and Safety Act — a bill that will repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Now it heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk for final approval.

Missouri and Illinois are approaching redistricting differently, with Missouri delaying the bulk of the process until 2022 and Illinois creating maps before the census data was even released.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Thursday that will expand access to feminine hygiene products for impoverished and homeless women and college students.