Ben Szalinski
SJ-R Breaking News
Springfield, IL, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
Legislative inspector general wants more from ethics reform bill
Carol Pope believes the bill restricts her ability to open investigations → Read More
Gov. Pritzker signs new legislative, Supreme Court maps
Governor says maps will help ensure communities that have been left behind will have fair representation → Read More
U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis puts pressure on Gov. JB Pritzker to veto legislative maps
Republicans argue carving up communities like Springfield only makes government worse. → Read More
Illinois Sen. Doris Turner addresses township bill failure, compares it to slavery
Turner's bill failed to receive enough votes to pass the House after Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, pleaded with lawmakers not to vote for the bill. → Read More
Here's a breakdown of 5 bills that are headed to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to be signed
Illinois Gov. JB Prizker could sign bills requiring free menstrual products in school bathrooms & payment of college athletes for use of likeness. → Read More
Illinois lawmakers move primary date, expand voting access
The state's 2022 primary would be in June instead of March and the November election would be a state holiday. → Read More
House passes bill requiring fingerprints for FOID cards, but Senate may make changes
The bill may be changed in the Senate to get bipartisan support to address the state's FOID backlog. → Read More
Democrats introduce, pass legislative maps as Republicans take their plea to Gov. Pritzker
Republicans want Gov. JB Pritzker to veto the redrawn maps based on his past comments that he would veto a partisan map. → Read More
Wait for Census data, witnesses say at second redistricting hearing
Second day of hearings on new legislative maps brought calls for lawmakers to wait for the Census data before redrawing legislative boundaries → Read More
Proposed maps slammed by GOP, community groups; Democrats provide few answers
Thirteen witnesses testified in the hearing lasting about four hours. → Read More
Illinois Democrats propose new Supreme Court maps
It's the first time the Supreme Court districts have been redrawn since the 1970 Constitutional Convention. → Read More
Durbin, Illinois Democrats pushing to eliminate lead water in low income communities
Lawmakers say lead in water for low income families is a major problem. → Read More
After spirited debate, House passes bill expanding access to tampons in schools
The bill requires schools to make menstrual products available in all bathrooms for grades 4 through 12. → Read More
No excuses for closed Illinois Department of Employment Security offices, Republicans say
Lawmakers say there is no good reason for the offices to remain closed. → Read More
Bill adding elected positions to Capital Township set for final vote
The bill would add more elected positions to the township board. → Read More
Lawmakers propose reducing Illinois trailer fee after increasing it two years ago
The fee was increased by $100 in 2019 to support infrastructure projects around the state. However, it may have led to a drop in trailer registration. → Read More
Bill to make Juneteenth a state holiday in Illinois set for final vote
The bill would make June 19 a state holiday in Illinois. → Read More
Springfield gas prices rising ahead of summer travel
Gas prices are increasing as summer approaches and the pandemic improves. → Read More
How are you counted? Fight over data at center of census redistricting debate
With the Census data delayed until the end of the summer, some lawmakers are considering using American Community Survey data for redistricting. → Read More
Bipartisan budget talks begin three weeks ahead of deadline; revenue better than expected
Lawmakers have until May 31 to pass a budget and have begun discussing what the state's financial situation for next year looks like. → Read More