* House Republican Leader Tony McCombie and Senate Republican Leader John Curran…

(Springfield) Today Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) and Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (Downers Grove) filed identical legislation to keep violent criminals from continuing to commit violent offenses while on pre-trial release and ankle monitoring.

“Let’s be clear: this law is not working the way it was promised,” said House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. “No law should prioritize process over protection. If loopholes exist, they must be closed. If policies fall short, they must be fixed. Preventable harm is unacceptable and that is why we are bringing this serious legislative solution forward.”

In response to the recent murder and critical injury of two Chicago Police Officers, the Republican leaders filed Senate Bill 4195 and House Bill 5757. This legislation makes a commonsense amendment to the Pre Trial Fairness Act that requires that anyone arrested for a felony while on pretrial release and ankle monitoring to be detained until the charges are resolved.

Current law is permissive and allows for pretrial release to be revoked but does not require it, potentially leading to violent offenders being let out again and again.

“Any society where killing law enforcement is not taken seriously is not a functioning, safe, democratic society,” said Senate Republican Leader John Curran. “This simple change will not only help prevent future victims, it will also help prevent offenders from committing more crimes while on release and will instead give them a chance to deal with their current charges and, hopefully, get the rehabilitation they need.”

The Illinois Network For Pretrial Justice…

“For a third election cycle in a row, Illinois Republicans are attempting to gin up fear through lies about pretrial reforms in an effort to distract from their party’s historic minorities in the General Assembly. While we join those mourning the loss of Officer John Bartholomew, spreading misinformation about the causes of this tragedy will only make it harder for stakeholders to work together to improve public safety.

The reality is that this is one case and one decision, which reporters have already revealed to be based on a variety of unique factors specific to this individual case. The opportunistic attempts to make this case representative of the entire law is simply dishonest. As we have said before, there was absolutely nothing in the law that prohibited the detention of Alphanso Talley while he was awaiting trial.

Since the Pretrial Fairness Act went into effect, 94% of the more than 150,000 people released pretrial in Cook County have not been charged with new offenses against a person. While the law has been in effect, communities across the state have experienced historical lows in both violent and property crime. […]

For the last several years, Republicans have claimed that judges do not have enough discretion to detain people under the Pretrial Fairness Act—but now they’ve introduced a bill that would eliminate judicial discretion. The bill filed today by Republican leaders would limit judges’ ability to review the facts and circumstances in individual cases where someone has been rearrested while on pretrial release. The GOP proposal flies in the face of the foundational principles of due process: each person is entitled to an individualized hearing and decision. Mandating detention based only on the low standard of probable cause ignores the importance of reviewing the government’s evidence before one’s liberty is taken away.

We all want safe communities, but Republicans are being dishonest about what is possible under any pretrial system. There is no change to our criminal court system that will prevent all instances of violence and harm. If Republicans were serious about protecting public safety, they would stop opposing gun reform measures and investments in mental health and substance use treatment and focus on increasing support and services for survivors of domestic violence and gun violence.

* Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid…

On Thursday, April 30, state Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, will join community witnesses and experts at an Illinois House subject matter hearing on HB2723, which would repeal Illinois’ anti-boycott law that shields Israel from accountability. A press conference will follow at 1:00 p.m. The hearing will be streamed live and is open to the media. Interviews with the sponsor and witnesses are available upon request.
WHO
- Rep. Rashid - Chief House sponsor of HB2723
- Martin Levine - Jewish Voice for Peace
- Richard Goldwasser - Former J-Street National Board Member; Former J-Street Chicago Chair
- Ken Kriz - Municipal Finance Expert
WHAT
Illinois House subject matter hearing on HB2723, followed by a press conference.

WHERE
- Hearing: Michael A. Bilandic Building, 6th floor hearing room
- Press Conference: Daley Plaza, Chicago
WHEN
- Hearing: Thursday, April 30, 2026 — 10:00 a.m. CT
- Press Conference: Thursday, April 30, 2026 — 1:00 p.m. CT

BACKGROUND

HB2723 would end Illinois’s role as the national template for state laws that direct public pension systems to blacklist companies based on political speech. Enacted in 2015 and copied since by more than 35 states, the current law empowers an unelected seven-member board — expressly exempted by statute from any legal duty to the approximately 895,000 Illinois public employees, retirees, and beneficiaries whose retirement security it controls — to designate companies for forced divestment with no published criteria, no appeals process, and no independent audit.

The 2015 statute (40 ILCS 5/1-110.16) requires the Illinois Investment Policy Board (IIPB) to maintain a list of companies it determines have engaged in “politically motivated” boycotts of Israel or of “territories controlled by” Israel — a key term the statute leaves undefined. The law was drafted by Richard Goldberg, then a senior advisor to Governor Bruce Rauner and now at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who has publicly described the Illinois statute as the model for similar legislation since enacted in more than 35 states. A frequently cited safeguard in the law — directing the Board to consider the legislature’s intent that it not apply to U.S. companies — was disavowed in writing by the bill’s own chief Senate sponsor in December 2018 correspondence obtained through a public records request. The Board’s most consequential enforcement action came in December 2021, when it voted unanimously to add Unilever PLC to the prohibited list following a Ben & Jerry’s subsidiary decision regarding sales in occupied Palestinian territory. The forced divestment that followed — conducted at a cyclical price low, with no fiduciary analysis required or performed — forced Illinois pension funds to sell an estimated $150–200 million in Unilever holdings. Parallel divestments in other states pushed the cumulative national impact toward $1 billion.

The bill’s chief Senate sponsor, Sen. Porfirio, is carrying the identical companion measure, SB2462.

* Sen. Laura Ellman…

In Illinois, more than 1.9 million residents rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the majority of those benefits going to households with children, underscoring the critical need for consistent access to food both at home and at school. With nearly half of students already depending on free school meals, State Senator Laura Ellman is calling for stronger state investment in student nutrition.

“Funding free school lunches can fill the gaps that are opening for schools as SNAP benefits are increasingly cut at an alarming rate,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “Funding school lunch could be a way to stretch state dollars while feeding kids in need.”

Senate Bill 1419 would appropriate $67 million to the Illinois State Board of Education to support the Healthy School Meals for All Program, a law Ellman previously supported to expand access to free meals for students across the state.

The proposed funding would help fully support schools participating in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, which allows high-need schools to offer free meals to all students. Currently, about one-third of Illinois students attend schools eligible for this program, but not all schools receive enough funding to cover every student. […]

Senate Bill 1419 was heard in a subject matter hearing on Tuesday in the Senate Appropriations–Education Committee and awaits further consideration.

* WAND…

Illinois Senate Democrats passed a bill Wednesday to ensure people have the right to wear medical masks and respirators in public. […]

“It’s not a mask mandate,” [Sen. Graciela Guzmán] said. “It does not require anyone to wear a mask or any protective equipment. It protects the right of people who choose, need, or use protective medical equipment to do so without punishment or discrimination.” […]

However, Republicans are concerned the plan could have unintended consequences in the workplace.

“Specifically, I was confused why the Human Rights Commission would be hearing complaints on a business mandate or a disagreement with an employee who wants to wear a mask with whatever they have written on it expressing their views,” said Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “Employers would have to go through the process with the Human Rights Commission, which we know businesses usually don’t win those cases.”

Senate Bill 3340 passed out of the Senate on a partisan 37-18 vote. It now moves to the House for further consideration.

* Sen. Chris Belt…

State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would prohibit retailers from refusing cash payments up to $500.

“Cash is still a reality for millions of families, seniors and small-business owners,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “No one should feel excluded from participating in routine transactions simply because they choose to pay with cash.”

Belt’s measure would prohibit retailers from refusing cash payments up to $500 or posting signage that cash is not accepted. The measure includes reasonable exceptions, including retailers with self-service checkout but at least one staffed cash register, late-night sales after 10 p.m. and retailers offering prepaid card systems that allow cash conversion.

The measure would focus on retail transactions and would not affect local government payments. The legislation reflects a growing recognition that, while digital payments are convenient, access to cash remains essential for many households across Illinois.

House Bill 4592 passed the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

* CEO of the Community Access National Network Jen Laws…

Illinois policymakers considering House Bill 2371 should stop and ask a critical question: Why are we expanding a program that’s allowing hospitals to funnel billions of dollars away from patients, and even away from our country, into offshore accounts?

Hospitals claim the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program is critical to keeping their doors open. But many of the largest hospitals pushing for 340B expansion are not struggling to survive. In fact, financial data show that Illinois 340B hospitals are quietly sitting on enormous cash stockpiles held overseas, far from the patients 340B is designed to help. […]

Instead, it has become a profit center. Hospitals buy discounted drugs, charge patients and insurers full price and pocket the difference. There is no requirement that patients ever see a discount, no meaningful transparency showing how the profits are used and participation is not meaningfully tied to providing charity care. […]

HB2371 would not only make this broken system worse, but it would also protect these predatory practices. It offers hospitals expanded power with no transparency, no patient‑level discounts, and no requirement that profits actually fund charity care.

* Capitol City Now…

State Sen. Mattie Hunter (pictured) (D-Chicago) is proposing a ban on PFAS – “forever chemicals” – in beauty products. [HB3409] “would make it illegal to knowingly manufacture or sell a cosmetic product that contains any of the eleven specifically named PFAS substances.”

“PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals widely used in manufacturing that do not break down in the environment or the human body,” Hunter said at a statehouse news conference.

“Despite growing scientific consensus and the dangers of these substances,” said Hunter, “they remain legal ingredients in our lipsticks, the lotions, the mascara sitting on our shelves right now. And you know what? This is unacceptable.”

The chemicals have been linked to cancer and weakened immune systems.

* More…

* Press release | Jones Passes Bill to Keep Drivers in Control of Auto Insurance Claims for Glass Repairs: Jones’ House Bill 4373 empowers auto insurance policyholders and holds auto repair shops accountable by prohibiting drivers from signing over control of their insurance claims to a repair shop. Currently, some shops enter into benefit transfer agreements with policyholders that allow them to handle claims on the customer’s behalf. While repair shops may claim this provides peace of mind, it can create problems if an insurer does not fully cover the bill.

* Press release | Villanueva measure to advance Illinois’ environmental justice protections one step closer to law: Senate Bill 3772 would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate environmental justice factors when reviewing certain air pollution construction permit applications. The proposal would require the IEPA to evaluate whether a proposed facility is located in an area of environmental justice concern and determine whether additional safeguards may be needed.

* Fox 32 | What’s in the six-month gas tax proposal?: Illinois House Republicans want to pause the state’s gas tax to give drivers some short term relief. Oil prices are still soaring amid the war in Iran. Rep. Ryan Spain’s bill would halt the sales tax for six months. But, there’s a payoff. Ralph Matire, the executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability joins us.