Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2025

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

An Illinois bill that would prohibit Dave & Busters customers from wagering in the company’s app passed a Senate committee this week.

According to State Sen. Bill Cunningham, House Bill 2724 passed out of the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, marking a step toward prohibiting the company from offering wagering services in its arcades. In a press release, he described the practice as “unregulated gambling” and said that arcades shouldn’t offer the option to wager on games.

“We have been extremely careful with how we regulate gambling in Illinois, whether that is on sports, table games or video poker,” Cunningham said in a statement. “Arcades marketed as family fun shouldn’t be in the business of exposing minors to gambling.”

The bill would prohibit other companies from introducing similar games, according to the General Assembly’s website.

Dave & Busters unveiled the option for customers last year, allowing them to wager on various arcade games like Hot Shots basketball and Skee-Ball. The functionality is available through the company’s app, according to CNBC.

* Sen. Laura Fine…

To further mitigate the harmful environmental impact and potential health risks from disposable food packaging, State Senator Laura Fine is leading a measure to prohibit the sale or distribution of food containers containing polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam.

“When you take food to go, you may dispose of the containers in several minutes. However, if the disposable container is made of polystyrene, it can remain in our environment for many years. Styrene food packaging contains harmful chemicals that can leach into food, especially if the food is hot or acidic,” said Fine (D-Glenview).

“Polystyrene food containers do not break down naturally in the environment, and pieces of these containers are often found in our waterways and aquatic life.”

In 2023, Fine passed the Degradable Plastic Act to ban state agencies and universities from purchasing or using polystyrene by Jan. 1, 2025. Building on these efforts, Senate Bill 1531 would prohibit the sale or distribution of polystyrene foam food containers across Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2030.

Polystyrene foam contains styrene, a chemical that has been classified as a carcinogen and is linked to vision and hearing loss, poor memory and concentration, cancer, as well as nervous system damage.

“Pollution from polystyrene food containers is one of the leading forms of litter in beach cleanups across Lake Michigan,” said Fine. “I look forward to moving Illinois closer to our clean water and environmental safety goals.”

Senate Bill 1531 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association on SB1531…

“This proposal would have a direct impact on jobs, as polystyrene food service container manufacturers and suppliers employ more than 1,000 workers throughout Illinois. This isn’t a hypothetical, as production facilities have shut down in other states that have passed similar bans,” said Donovan Griffith, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Lawmakers are risking jobs on the false promise that this legislation will curb plastic use. Polystyrene is 100% recyclable and is being collected in Illinois and turned into other products. Banning it will simply encourage a shift to other plastics that require more raw materials and more energy to produce.”

* WCIA…

An Illinois State Senator is proposing a new bill that’ll require specific facilities to have an AED on site.

Senator Doris Turner is hoping to get the lifesaving machines into nursing homes, assisted living centers, shared housing and other places. There’s a nursing home in Savoy that doesn’t have any AEDs, however the nursing director at Clark-Lindsey in Urbana said they have more than 10.

One patient who lives at the Urbana nursing home said that’s what sparked his interest in staying there. […]

Current state law says physical fitness centers, police departments, public schools and a few other places are required to have AEDs inside their buildings.

Sen. Turner’s HB1287 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the bill now heads to the Senate floor.

* Sun-Times…

[An Acupuncture] treatment, known as the “five-needle protocol” or auricular acupuncture, is used to help curb cravings for people dealing with substance abuse. The Black Panthers and Young Lords political organizations adopted the practice decades ago, and advocates now are calling for its expanded use as a tool for community groups. […]

The question over who should be allowed to perform the treatment was at the center of a recent bill in the General Assembly. The measure would have allowed people who aren’t licensed acupuncturists to apply the therapy. These people would undergo training to do auricular acupuncture, though they still would be prohibited from doing acupuncture in other parts of the body.

The Illinois Society of Acupuncturists, which opposed the bill, in a statement said the training that would have allowed people to perform the five-needle protocol isn’t equivalent to the level of training from a specialist. […]

Jiménez says the bill won’t advance during this legislative session, but she is requesting a hearing and will push to bring the bill back during the next session. She is working with a coalition of workers in the mental health and harm reduction fields.

* Center Square…

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, leaves little doubt about where he stands on a measure now being debated in Springfield that seeks to raise the age a child can be arrested in Illinois for perpetrating a crime from 10 to 12 years old.

Introduced by state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, Senate Bill 1784 would also establish that arrests involving such minors can only be carried out as a last resort, in such instances where probable cause that they committed a crime is apparent, or if they have repeatedly failed to appear at scheduled hearings on the matter.

“If a juvenile does something at the age of 10, I think we definitely need to have parental involvement as the priority,” Ford told The Center Square. “And if there’s going to be charges made, I think that parents should be involved from day one, almost as if they’re being charged with the crime.” […]

After passing the Senate by a 33-17 vote, the measure now heads to the House for debate.

* Sen. Laura Murphy…

State Senator Laura Murphy is championing a measure to crack down on unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.

“In our current financial landscape, consumer protection is more important than ever,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Unlicensed car sellers pose significant risks to consumers, not just financially but also by putting the lives of unsuspecting customers in danger with cars that are of questionable quality.”

The goal is to make the already illegal practice of “curbstoning” — a scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without a license — more difficult. The cars are sold for more money than they are worth and typically have significant issues such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvaged titles — which are only issued if the car has sustained enough damage to be declared a total loss.

Under the measure, vehicle dealers would not be able to park and advertise cars on public streets or highways, public parking lots or public property. Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to authorize towing services to remove a car if it is displayed for sale with a damaged, destroyed, removed, covered or altered vehicle identification number.

In addition, the legislation would create the Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to review unlicensed car dealership enforcement in the state. The task force would recommend ways to extend additional protections to customers, investigate online sellers, and explore enhanced penalties and enforcement mechanisms. […]

House Bill 2751 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

* WAND…

State lawmakers hope to pass a bill in the final month of session to create an evidence-based funding model for Illinois public colleges and universities. Although, the idea has been met with intense criticism from the University of Illinois and some Senate Democratic leaders.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) and Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) are leading the effort to shake up the funding process for the state’s 12 public universities, as they argue funding should be based on the needs of each college rather than a flat method of distribution. […]

Advocates suggested investing at least $135 million in public universities over the next decade could help shift the burden of college costs away from students and families. Some argue an evidence-based funding model could also lead to 15,000 more college graduates each year. […]

Lightford ended Wednesday night’s intense subject matter hearing by criticizing the University of Illinois for sharing what she called misinformation about the bill. She said millions of dollars of financial aid and student support would not be at risk under her legislation.

* Sen. Lakesia Collins…

To help address health care deserts and ensure mothers get the care they need, State Senator Lakesia Collins is moving legislation to give certified nurse midwives more independence and greater flexibility in care they provide.

“This legislation will give certified nurse midwives more opportunities to collaborate, lead and deliver care families can trust,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “By modernizing outdated rules, we are making health care more accessible across Illinois.”

Currently, certified nurse midwives often have to collaborate formally with a physician to practice at full scope, but this can pose a challenge as more than one-third of Illinois counties lack maternity care. Under Collins’ legislation, House Bill 2688, CNMs would be allowed to provide out-of-hospital birth services at licensed birth centers without the need for a formal collaboration agreement, as long as they have permission from the birth center’s clinical director.

The legislation would also allow physicians who do not provide home birthing services the ability to collaborate with a CNM who does, which could assist in rural areas where there are limited birth care options for thousands of women. Further, the measure would protect access to this care by ensuring collaborative agreements do not prohibit a CNM from providing home birthing services. […]

House Bill 2688 passed the Senate Licensed Activities Committee on Wednesday.

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Illinois Medicaid: Working Together To Support The Health Of Our Families, Communities, And State

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

‘You showed up in my life at the perfect time’

On any given day, nearly 26,000 Illinois residents experience homelessness.

Last summer, “Trinity,” a 33-year-old mom from central Illinois, was one of them.

Trinity and her children had moved into an emergency shelter, which partners with a Medicaid health plan to host mobile clinic events at their facility.

When Trinity showed up at an event, the scope of her family’s medical needs became clear. The family had visited emergency rooms twice in the past week. All of her children were overdue for well-child exams. And Trinity was 16 weeks pregnant—without any prenatal
care.

Practitioners acted swiftly, checking up on the kids and performing prenatal assessments on Trinity. She was prescribed medication for extremely high blood pressure and monitored at three subsequent clinic events.

In November, Trinity delivered a healthy baby boy. And she brought him home to long-term housing she secured near the shelter—with assistance from her health plan.

“You showed up in my life at the perfect time,” Trinity says. “You have helped me so much, and I don’t feel alone.”

Paid for by the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans

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Open thread

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* And now for something a little different. From Vietnam, here’s Suboi…

Why throwing stones at people who are happy?

What up by you?

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Mautino ready to “come back home” after 30+ years in Springfield. Starved Rock…

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

* The governor will be at the Illinois State Library at 11 am to deliver remarks at the 40th Annual Police Officers’ Memorial Ceremony. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WBEZ | Chicago hasn’t seen an April with fewer murders since 1962: The city’s 115 murders through this year’s first four months mark the lowest January-through-April tally since 2014. Even if the city’s violence intensifies during summer, as it traditionally does, Chicago appears on pace to hit Mayor Brandon Johnson’s goal for 2025 to have fewer than 500 murders, making it the quietest year in a decade.

* Crain’s | With Trump cuts looming, Johnson hits Springfield to plead for cash: The visit comes roughly a month before state legislators will vote on a budget, and Johnson defended himself against criticism his demands are coming in too late to be accommodated. Back in Chicago, the mayor’s budget team has been briefing members of the City Council on the need for more revenue from the state, the city’s first-quarter revenue, and how the budget will be affected as President Donald Trump cuts federal spending and dramatically downsizes federal programs.

* STLPR | More states are moving to scrap sales tax at the grocery store: In Kansas and Oklahoma, shoppers stopped having to pay a state sales tax on groceries in January and August, respectively. Now fewer and fewer U.S. states continue to charge the tax, including Missouri and South Dakota, and several states have proposed legislation to do away with it. Some worry about the lost state revenue without the taxes. But supporters on both sides of the political spectrum say the cuts are needed – especially as shoppers face expensive prices at the grocery store.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Stratton’s top priority in Senate campaign: Fighting back against Trump: “What people want, and need, is a stable leader in D.C.,” Stratton said. “Right now, with Donald Trump, we don’t have that. We don’t have someone who is focused on global issues overall and the impact.” Blocking Trump’s agenda must be the first priority, Stratton said, to allow congressional Democrats to move forward on proposals that address voters’ concerns. She said she didn’t know yet what her first bill would be should she win the seat.

* Capitol News Illinois | With 1 month left in session, lawmakers near deal on public transit reform: Villivalam, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said he and his colleagues are “continuing discussions” about the bill. “As we head into the remaining weeks of our spring legislative session, I look forward to working toward a solution that provides safe, reliable, accessible, and integrated public transit to the northeastern Illinois region,” Villivalam said in a statement.

* Illinois Times | Illinois Republicans need diversity of views, a bigger tent: In previous conversations with political experts like UIS emeritus professor Kent Redfield and Illinois Republicans like former leader Don Tracy, there is a consensus that the gerrymandered legislative district lines within the state heavily contribute to the uneven distribution of political power. However, in the case of politics, power begets power. When an incumbent is in control, it makes it easier to remain in power, according to Redfield. “If I were Democrat, I would never agree to [independent map drawing] unless it’s on a national basis,” said Tracy. “What the Democrats have done to us in Illinois, we Republicans are doing to Democrats in other states where we have control. I’ve heard the Democrats make that argument, calling it unilateral disarmament, and I’m sympathetic to that.”

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Trump AmeriCorps cuts include grant terminations for $12 million in Illinois programs: Illinois nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations have seen $12 million in AmeriCorps grants terminated amid the Trump administration’s dismantling of the venerated federal agency for volunteer service. That includes grants administered to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago and the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, whose AmeriCorps members were told by the federal government on Monday to stop all grant activities and to stop reporting for service, according to a state of Illinois email obtained by the Sun-Times.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Thousands expected to march, rally in downtown Chicago: Tens of thousands are expected to hit the streets for a May Day rally commemorating workers’ rights, but organizers say issues like immigration, education and healthcare will also be issues at the core of the message demonstrators want to send home. […] Leaders said the march will be part of hundreds taking place nationally, bringing people together impacted by the Trump Administration.

* Crain’s | Civic heavyweights push CPD to rethink community policing strategy: Several civic groups are offering the Chicago Police Department some lessons on how to implement community policing: a key part of the six-year-old federal consent decree that requires the city to reform some of the ways it fights crime. The groups hired a consulting firm, which interviewed 17 police departments nationwide about their approaches to community policing, as Superintendent Larry Snelling prepares to finalize CPD’s community policing strategy. It is among four reports CPD released today on feedback about community policing. The keys to success include making community policing the department’s core strategy, rather than a tactic; having a strong commitment from the top; and providing resources to the rank and file to make it a reality.

* Sun-Times | Snap curfew proposal on hold after objections at marathon City Council hearing: Hopkins blinked after his powerful co-sponsors — Budget Chair Jason Ervin (28th) and Finance Chair Pat Dowell (3rd) — asked for more time to iron out the legal kinks. “I want to make sure that what we’re doing is constitutionally sound — and I believe that it is,” Ervin said. “This is much better than where we started. Might there be some smaller thing that can be done? Maybe.”

* Sun-Times | Lincoln Square road closure offers glimpse of car-free streets: ‘A nice little breather’: “[The closure has] actually increased our business,” said Sean Herron, general manager of Gearhead Outfitters, 4724 N. Lincoln Ave., which has placed a sales rack full of merchandise on the sidewalk since the road closed. “From a personal perspective, living here in Lincoln Square, I think it’s a fabulous idea and I love seeing people out here,” Herron said. “But from a business side, we’ve got to do more studies.”

* Tribune | American Airlines to launch service to 7 new destinations from O’Hare next winter: American Airlines will begin flying to seven new destinations from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport later this year, many of them warm-weather tourism spots. Nonstop service to Curacao; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and San José, Costa Rica, will launch in November and December. The Guatemala City flight will operate year-round, while the others will be seasonal winter flights.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Two measles cases confirmed in Cook County: One case was discovered in a suburban Cook County resident who went to a local hospital for medical care on April 28, according to a joint press release from the Cook County, Chicago and Illinois Departments of Public Health. The individual was isolated after being evaluated, and their vaccination status is unknown. The other case was found in an adult Chicago resident who first noticed a rash on April 25 and has been isolated at home since being diagnosed. This individual had one prior dose of MMR vaccine.

* Evanston Now | New council heavy with homeowners: Although U.S. Census survey data indicates 43% percent of Evanston households are renters, the 10 policymakers for the city — the nine council members and mayor — include eight homeowners and only two renters, Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd) and Ald. Bobby Burns (5th). That’s down from three renters on the last council, with the departure of Ald. Devon Reid (8th).

* Daily Herald | ‘This is totally different’: Itasca hotel offers rappelling experience: On Wednesday, Trujillo was among the first to experience the new “Altitude Zone” at the Westin Chicago Northwest. Launched in partnership with Meet Chicago Northwest and Over The Edge, Altitude Zone allows participants to rappel down the 12-story hotel with panoramic views of nearby lakes, neighborhoods and planes landing at O’Hare International Airport.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Trump’s AmeriCorps cuts kill legal help program at McLean County’s courthouse: Illinois JusticeCorps placed fellows and other helpers at courthouses in 17 locations around Illinois, including the Law and Justice Center in Bloomington for the past 12 years. JusticeCorps members helped self-represented litigants find and fill out the right forms and get procedural guidance. Divorce and family cases were about half of the work, one JusticeCorps official said. That all ended this week. Illinois JusticeCorps was shut down Monday after losing its federal funding, as part of the Trump administration’s broader unraveling of AmeriCorps. The agency canceled almost $400 million in grants on Friday. Illinois and other states have sued to stop it.

* Sun-Times | Former Jan. 6 defendant found guilty of reckless homicide – not first-degree murder – over fatal 2022 crash: That jury found Shane Jason Woods, a man once convicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, guilty of reckless homicide for driving his GMC Sierra the wrong way onto Interstate 55 near Lake Springfield on Nov. 8, 2022, killing Lauren Wegner of Skokie. But the jury rejected a more serious charge of first-degree murder, as Woods’ defense attorneys had urged them to do.

* WCIA | Impact Life supports Chatham with blood donations after hospitals ask for extra help: After the tragedy, two hospitals they supply asked for some extra units — 30 bags of “O” positive and “O” negative blood, 13 plasma and three platelets,. “So grateful for the volunteer donors that come in to help provide those blood products in advance of an emergency,” Account Manager Sara Palacio said. “And we invite everyone to find a time at a mobile blood drive or donor center where they can give.”

*** National ***

* Axios | Trump on possible toy shortage: “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30″: His comments came amid growing concern that that the 2025 holiday shopping season will be significantly disrupted. Toy Association CEO Greg Ahearn told the New York Times this week that the industry is facing “a frozen supply chain that is putting Christmas at risk.”

* WaPo | RFK Jr. will require shift in how new vaccines are tested, HHS says: All new vaccines will undergo safety testing in placebo-controlled trials prior to licensure — a radical departure from past practices,” an HHS spokesperson told The Washington Post in response to questions about Kennedy’s comments on the measles vaccines and general vaccine policy. Vaccines for new pathogens are often tested this way. But for well-researched diseases, such as measles and polio, public health experts say it makes little sense to do that and can be unethical, because the placebo group would not receive a known effective intervention.

* Daily Herald | Ready or not, REAL ID enforcement begins next week at airports: It’s not a drill — the federal government will begin enforcing REAL ID at airports on May 7, U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials reminded travelers Wednesday. But there is some wiggle room, authorities noted during a briefing at O’Hare International Airport. Adults will be required to show REAL ID driver’s licenses or cards to board a domestic flight, although certain alternates like passports also are acceptable. The rule also applies to some federal buildings.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and some other stuff (Updated)

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Thursday, May 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

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