* Daily Herald…

Long-sought state funding for Kane County’s Longmeadow Parkway will help push the 5.6-mile corridor to completion. But it won’t eliminate the toll — yet.

State lawmakers included $17.5 million for the project in a marathon state budget session last weekend. After the bipartisan Longmeadow funding passed, some state lawmakers, such as state Rep. Suzanne Ness, issued statements saying the money “eliminated” the need for a toll on the parkway.

But the money in the state’s 2023 budget is only about half of what county officials sought to eliminate the toll.

The toll became a necessary to help fund the Longmeadow Parkway bridge over the Fox River when, unlike the Stearns Road bridge, not enough federal and state money came through to pay for the project at the northern border of Kane County. County officials sold bonds to pay for the construction and ongoing maintenance.

* Reform for Illinois…

We have some terrific news. Last week the Illinois legislature passed bills with two of Reform for Illinois’ top priorities: making voting more accessible for people with disabilities, and advancing a serious discussion about public campaign financing in Illinois.

Accessible Voting

We asked you to show your support for SB 829, a bill we’ve been fighting for with our partners Equip for Equality, Access Living, the Illinois Council of the Blind, and others. The bill takes an important step towards enabling Illinois voters with certain types of disabilities to cast a private ballot without assistance, a right many of us take for granted.

You contacted your representatives and submitted hundreds of witness slips, and we’re thrilled to report that SB 829 passed the legislature and is on its way to the governor’s desk! […]

Task Force on Public Financing of Judicial Campaigns

Reform for Illinois is a fervent advocate of public campaign financing as a way to fight corruption and diversify candidates and political donors. So we are pleased that the General Assembly passed a measure that, if signed by the governor, will establish a task force to explore public financing for judicial elections.

While we support public financing for many offices, the judiciary is a good place to start. Special interests and big donors shouldn’t be able to put their thumbs on the scales of justice. An optional public financing program would offer judicial candidates the opportunity to fund their campaigns without threatening their independence and impartiality.

HB 716 was sponsored by Senate President Don Harmon and Representative Jay Hoffman. Although we have expressed concerns about other provisions of the bill, we enthusiastically support the creation of the task force and look forward to its work.

* Gov. Pritzker…

Celebrating the passage of a FY23 budget that prioritizes responsible spending, Gov. JB Pritzker joined students, lawmakers, and advocates at Gately Park Indoor Track in Chicago to highlight programs designed to foster the success of young people throughout the state. […]

Under the state’s FY23 budget, new investments in youth programs will provide young people with opportunities to learn, work, and grow in a safe environment. These efforts include:

• Additional Early Childhood Education funding of $54.4M to cover services for an additional estimated 7,131 children
• Funding for $300M Strengthen and Grow Childcare grants while continuing investments in rate increases for childcare providers July 1, 2022, and December 1, 2022
• An extra $460M for K-12 schools and programs to provide quality classrooms, qualified and well-compensated educators, and the textbooks and supplies necessary for a good education
• $122M increase in need-based Monetary Assistance Program scholarships for college students to a total of $600M to help over 155,000 students receive awards while also increasing the maximum grant award
• Increase of $12M for the Regional Offices of Education to address truancy and chronic absenteeism issues coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic
• $7M funding increase to support targeted summer youth services in the areas of Teen REACH, Community Youth Services and Youth Employment.
• Additional $16M for Homeless Prevention and Homeless Youth services, in addition to continued authority to maintain rental assistance programming into FY23
• Additional $8M investment in Redeploy Illinois to reduce juvenile incarcerations and prevent crime
• Increase of $87 million to bolster the DCFS provider network
• Increase of $15.5 million to hire an additional 360 DCFS staff
• New funding of $25 million to rebuild residential capacity for vulnerable youth in care.
• Includes $56M for new Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grants at IDNR to provide for parks for children to explore, the largest and most accessible round in the state’s history for distressed communities.
• Includes funding to fully implement the Pathways to Success Program for children with serious mental illnesses approximately $150M. Pathways to Success is a program for Medicaid enrolled children under the age of 21 in Illinois who have complex behavioral health needs and require intensive services and support
• Expands the Earned Income Credit for working families from 18% of the federal credit to 20%, while expanding the number of households covered
• Provides families with a “Back to School” sales tax holiday on clothing and school supplies for a week this August
These programs serve as major components of a state budget that prioritizes building a financially strong and responsible state that can be passed down to the next generation of leaders.

* Center Square…

Plastic forks may soon be a thing of the past in Illinois’ state parks after the legislature passed a bill that could soon be sent to the governor’s desk.

If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs it, Senate Bill 1915 will require state agencies to contract with suppliers only providing compostable or recyclable foodware in state parks and natural areas.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, who said the goal is simple: to reduce waste.

Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said it shouldn’t cost the state much either.

* More stuff…

* Measure aimed at ending workplace bias over hairstyles on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk

* CAPITOL RECAP: Budget passes after all-night session