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.

Notes from Friday night’s House budget hearing and Saturday morning’s Senate budget hearing.

The House and Senate have each dropped a budget as the two chambers work toward final passage Saturday.

House Democratic caucus is massively in favor of a budget deal presented to them in caucus Friday afternoon, multiple sources said.

“Crash and burn,” is the way one top insider described Thursday’s flameout of a Senate plan to restructure and fund mass transit in the Chicago region.