
The Latest
While legislation aimed at amending the state’s pension law to “fix” tier 2 pensions to quell any issues with federal “safe harbor” laws didn’t advance, a provision did make it into the Budget Implementation, or BIMP, bill in the final hours of the legislative session.
DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick has had the GOP race for Governor in 2026 to himself since March, but he may be getting company soon.
How are Chicago area mass transit agencies preparing for the future after the legislature failed to pass governance reform and a plan to help close a $770 million “fiscal cliff” for 2026?

The News
While legislation aimed at amending the state’s pension law to “fix” tier 2 pensions to quell any issues with federal “safe harbor” laws didn’t advance, a provision did make it into the Budget Implementation, or BIMP, bill in the final hours of the legislative session.
DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick has had the GOP race for Governor in 2026 to himself since March, but he may be getting company soon.
How are Chicago area mass transit agencies preparing for the future after the legislature failed to pass governance reform and a plan to help close a $770 million “fiscal cliff” for 2026?
Democrats admitted the challenges in passing a budget was a challenge and clearly attempted to make President Donald Trump the “bad guy” in the state’s financial situation.
After the Senate passed a controversial Chicago-area mass transit funding bill late Saturday night, one House source texted “it’s doomed over here, not sure why they would even send it.”
Around 10pm Friday night, Democrats were brewing with confidence about the chances of passing a state budget without the overnight drama that nearly derailed their budget plan a year ago.

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Opinion
As Republicans in Illinois, we too often fall victim to a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat. We get caught in a cycle of pessimism, quoting old losses instead of building new victories.
I was not paying any attention to Governor Pritzker’s COVID press briefings that had become a daily occurrence in mid-March of 2020.
One Illinois Democrat who didn’t peacock for the cameras after President Trump’s not-a-SOTU was Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield).
So many of us on any side of the political spectrum, found ourselves in shock at your announcement Monday. If you're someone who believes in the power of prayer, and I believe you are, you should know just how many people are standing beside you right now.
No matter your political persuasion, Governor JB Pritzker’s FY26 budget proposal, introduced Wednesday, is a mixed bag.
