(SPRINGFIELD) The State Senate has approved a measure to enable the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to do “all things necessary, incidental, or appropriate for the implementation” of the IEMA Act. Opponents of Senate Bill 3434 say Illinois’ emergency authority continues under the Pritzker administration, giving more power while also lacking proper oversight. The bill not only grants extraordinary power to IEMA’s authority for rulemaking, but it also bypasses the General Assembly. The bill now goes to the House.
(SPRINGFIELD) The State Senate has also approved a measure to consolidate initiatives in three separate state agencies into one new state agency to be entitled the Department of Early Childhood. In the first year of the transition, it’s expected to cost taxpayers at least $13 million. The bill now goes to the State House for consideration there. While the House was in session yesterday, both the House and Senate are in session today. This coming Friday is the deadline for House measures to pass on third reading in Springfield.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois State Police welcomed nine new State Troopers late last week from Cadet Class 146 at a graduation ceremony at the ISP Academy in Springfield. The new Troopers reported this past Sunday to three different Troops throughout the state, which included Champaign, Peoria, and Chicago. Since 2019, 512 Troopers have joined the ISP.
(CHICAGO) Forbes is out with its annual billionaires list. With a net worth of $28 billion, Walmart heir Lukas Walton, the grandson of founder Sam Walton, is once again the richest person in Illinois. Then Patrick Ryan, the founder of the brokerage firm Ryan Specialty Group, is Illinois’ 2nd-richest person at $10.7 billion. Several Pritzker family members, heirs to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, made the list, including our Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.