* Tribune…

Facing mounting criticism from Republicans over a rise in violent crime, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed spending $20 million on a long-neglected witness protection program for people whose lives are put in danger by helping law enforcement.

The program was created under a nearly decade-old state law that requires law enforcement to pay for moving and relocation expenses for witnesses and victims who fear retaliation for testifying against those accused of violent crimes.

But the program has not been funded under Pritzker or his predecessors. While law enforcement authorities say retaliation against witnesses is rare, and relocation is not often necessary, the move to fund the state program has backing from members of both parties.

“The fact that we did not fund the program was a dangerous miscalculation on our part as budget people in the state of Illinois because there are so many people in Illinois, especially Chicago, that are willing to help solve these crimes but they are afraid because there’s no protection for them,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat.

* Daily Herald…

An environmental bill that would require the removal of pollutants near the shores of Lake Michigan is advancing in the General Assembly, despite objections from opponents who argue the legislation singles out one company unfairly.

Midwest Generation, a branch of New Jersey-based power company NRG, plans to close its coal-fired power plant in Waukegan in June. The company made the announcement in June 2021, citing financial issues and a “transition from coal” as the reasons for closing.

At the time, legislators in Springfield were debating a clean energy bill and setting a date for the closure of coal plants in Illinois.

The plant has been in operation since the 1920s and was owned by ComEd prior to Midwestern Generation purchasing the site 20 years ago, Dave Shrader, NRG senior manager, said in a statement.

* Press release…

State Senators Sara Feigenholtz and Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) are spearheading a measure to restore vehicle emissions testing sites within the city of Chicago limits after they were removed over five years ago.

“The city of Chicago has a population of 2.8 million people,” Feigenholtz said. “Removing every last testing station within the city was an ill-conceived scheme and another post-mortem blunder of the Rauner administration.”

Senate Bill 1234 would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to submit a plan to open testing sites in Chicago, outlining potential locations, implementation plans and timelines.

“The closure of these stations in 2016 created a burden for our residents, and I’m glad that we are going to create a plan that will make emissions testing more convenient for the residents of Chicago and the near suburbs,” Martwick said.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency made a unilateral decision to close four vehicle emissions testing sites in Chicago in 2016, leaving drivers in a lurch and forcing them to spend hours traveling to the suburbs.

“Our office receives emails and calls from constituents who have to drive long distances and wait in long lines,” Feigenholtz said.

In response to countless constituent calls to restore closer sites, Feigenholtz is responding despite some pushback from the IEPA.

Senate Bill 1234 passed the Senate with a vote of 52-0 and will be heard in the House Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee Wednesday.

* Shaw Newspapers…

A law that allows McHenry County voters to eliminate their local townships could be repealed under legislation considered during a hearing Thursday.

The repeal was requested by McHenry County Board late last year, and McHenry Board Chairman Mike Buehler and Deputy County Administrator Scott Hartman spoke in favor of the repeal during Thursday’s committee hearing.

“Years ago, one of our townships was embroiled in controversy,” Buehler said. “But without crucial local support, this current law has a multitude of issues.”

No township in the county has been successfully dissolved since the law was passed two years ago, which county officials have argued shows the law is not necessary. They also questioned why it applies only to McHenry County and said it offers almost no guidance for how our county government would handle the assets, responsibilities, contracts and employees of an eliminated township.

* Bond Buyer…

Illinois lawmakers could soon cast a final vote on $1 billion of additional borrowing to extend existing pension buyout programs as they eye action on two of the state’s fiscal sore spots — pensions and the rainy day fund.

The Senate Pensions Committee advanced the legislation laid out in HB4292 in a bipartisan vote Wednesday, setting the stage for a floor vote later this month, according to committee Chairman Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago. The measure passed the House Feb. 24 and has Gov. J.P. Pritzker’s support.

“What this bill does is simply authorize the administration to issue another billion of bonds and extend this buyout program in an attempt to capture further savings,” Martwick said. “By using bonds to pay for the buyouts we are leveraging those returns even further because we are getting low cost bonds and we are leaving assets in the pension system.”

* Capitol News Illinois…

wo bills pending in the General Assembly would rein in the ability of tech giants like Apple and Google to dictate how transactions are conducted, and how much of a cut they receive from those transactions, when consumers make certain kinds of purchases using smartphone apps.

The bill would make Illinois the first state to regulate that segment of the e-commerce industry, but a broader bill is also pending in Congress where it appears to have bipartisan support.

Currently, app developers pay Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store an annual fee to distribute their apps on those platforms. In addition, however, Apple and Google take a commission percentage on what are known as “digital-only” transactions like dating services, journalism or digital music — those that do not involve the purchase of physical goods or services.

Those commissions amount to 15% of the transaction on the first $1 million of sales, and 30% of all transactions above that.

* Center Square…

A housing bill that passed the Illinois House last spring is strongly opposed by Illinois landlords.

House Bill 2775 requires landlords who prefer not to participate in the Section 8 subsidized rent program to accept Section 8 tenants and sign a contract that would subject them to the rules and requirements of the local housing authority. Among the bill’s advocates are members of disability rights groups, who say they need more housing options.

Landlord organizations say the measure is one-sided, and would take away landlord rights.

Paul Arena, director of legislative affairs for the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, said the bill requires landlords who do not want to sign Section 8 contracts to do so.

* And, finally today, HB4821 passed the House unanimously and is awaiting Senate action when the lords return next week from their latest break…

State snake. The reptile Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, commonly known as the “Eastern Milksnake”, is designated the official State snake of the State of Illinois.

Why do I get the feeling that this bill will be shelled out and used as a vehicle for something important? The Senate Dems have been rather mischievous with that practice. “CEMETERY OVERSIGHT-SUNSET” was the official big board title of the bill they shelled and replaced with the first legislative redistricting maps, for example.

Somebody most definitely has a weird sense of humor over there. And “STATE DESIGNATIONS-STATE SNAKE” could be a hilarious title for all sorts of things.