* WCIA…

A bill to lower the cost of a lifesaving medication is headed to the governor’s desk.

The proposal, which passed the General Assembly, would cap the cost of a twin pack of EpiPens at $60.

Families who need them say it would make a huge difference.

“You shouldn’t have to go, ‘Am I going to pay a bill or am I going to make sure that my child has this medication,’” Tiffany Mathis, the CEO and executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois, said.

* Shaw Local…

The community solar farm in Meadows Park will be moving forward following legislation by state Rep. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon.

House Bill 2963 amends the contract the Dixon Park District entered into with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in 1992. The contract restricts development on land given by the department in Meadows Park, where the district partnered with a company to build a solar farm. […]

Other recently passed Fritts’ legislation, HB 2582, removes a duplicate test in place for motorcycle license applicants younger than 18. Both tests are identical and incur a fee.

“Both of these bills are local initiatives brought to me by my constituents,” Fritts said in a news release. “I am in Springfield to be a voice for the people of my district and to advocate for legislation that will have a positive impact on their lives. I am proud to say that both of these bills accomplish that, and I am thankful that I was able to make a difference in my own community.”

* Vermilion County First…

State Representative Mike Marron (R-Fithian) has seen his legislation dealing with county auditors approved in the Illinois Senate. HB1153, amends the Officers and Employees Article of the Counties Code. The bill decreases the minimum number of inhabitants that must reside in a county for the county to be required to create the office of county auditor from 75,000 inhabitants to 70,000 inhabitants.

The measure was an initiative of the County Auditors Association and Vermilion County as Vermilion County’s population has dropped below 75,000, as determined by census, and they wanted to maintain an Auditor.

Marron said it was important to get the bill passed and keep an independent watch-dog for the taxpayers of Vermilion County.

The measure was approved in the Senate on a 56-0 vote after being unanimously approved in the House. The legislation now heads to the governor’s desk.

* Capitol News Illinois…

[A] bipartisan bill designed to make transferring to a public university in Illinois from a community college an easier and more cost-effective path will soon be sent to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.

Democrats in the Illinois Senate last week approved a measure that would require employers to list a pay scale and expected benefits for any position listed on a job posting. It would also create a regulatory structure for the Department of Labor to investigate violations of the proposed law. […]

Pacione-Zayas said the bill would prompt employers to interrogate potential “unjustified disparities” between employees’ pay based on things like race, ethnicity, gender or language.

House Bill 3129 passed with a 35-19 vote. Because it was amended in the Senate, it now goes back to the House for consideration.