Illinois State Senate

Illinois Senate: Cancer Treatment Centers Don't Have To Hire Smokers

Posted 03.31.2012

Read More: Illinois Not Hiring Smokers, Video, Anti-Smoker Legislation, Sen. Dan Duffy, Smoker Hiring Ban, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Smokefree Illinois, Hiring Smokers, Illinois State Senate, Cancer Treatment Centers of America Smokers, Anti-Smoking Legislation, Chicago News

A bill passed almost unanimously in the Illinois State Senate Wednesday would allow the Cancer Treatment Centers of America to discriminate against pe...

Read Whole Story

Corruption Allegations Fly In Illinois Senate Race

HuffingtonPost.com | Joseph Erbentraut | Posted 03.17.2012

Read More: Patricia Watkins, Patricia Watkins Annazette Collins, Video, Illinois Primary 2012, Illinois State Senate, Annazette Collins Scholarships, Annazette Collins Patricia Watkins, Annazette Collins, Illinois Politics, Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, Jesse White, Chicago News

CHICAGO -- In a district that covers much of Chicago's West Side, two Democrats are embroiled in a nasty battle for an Illinois Senate seat that has a...

Read Whole Story

Did Sears Betray Illinois Lawmakers?

Posted 12.29.2011

Read More: Sears Store Closures, Corporate Welfare, Illinois Tax Cut Package, Illinois Senate, Cme Illinois, Video, Pat Quinn, Sears Tax Cut, Ira Silverstein, Illinois State Senate, Illinois Business, Sears Illinois, Corporate Tax Incentives, Sears Tax Break, Illinois Tax Relief, CME Tax Cut, Chicago News

Updated story Just weeks after signing a bill that gave Sears millions of dollars in tax incentives to stay in Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn reacted...

Read Whole Story

Illinois Senate Approves Corporate, Individual Tax Breaks

AP | Posted 12.14.2011

Read More: Corporate Welfare, Illinois Tax Cut Package, Illinois Senate, Cme Illinois, Pat Quinn, Sears Tax Cut, Illinois State Senate, Illinois Business, Chicago News, Sears Illinois, Illinois Tax Relief, CME Tax Cut, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois lawmakers have approved a $330 million package of tax relief to businesses and individuals. The state Senate approved t...

Read Whole Story

Tax Relief Bill Could Keep Businesses In State, Help Struggling Families

AP | CHRISTOPHER WILLS and DAVID MERCER | Posted 02.12.2012

Read More: Corporate Welfare, Illinois Tax Cut Package, Pat Quinn, Illinois State Senate, Cme Illinois, Sears Tax Cut, Illinois Business, Illinois Senate, Sears Illinois, Illinois Tax Relief, CME Tax Cut, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Under the threat of losing thousands of jobs to other states, Illinois officials are on the verge of approving a tax-relief ...

Read Whole Story

State Senator Reportedly Bit Husband In Second Domestic Incident In Six Weeks

Posted 11.27.2011

Read More: Suzanne Schmidt, Suzi Schmidt Domestic Incident, Lake Villa Illinois, Illinois State Senate, Lake County Illinois, Suzi Schmidt, Domestic Battery, Domestic Abuse, Robert Schmidt, Chicago News

First-year Republican Illinois State Senator Suzanne "Suzi" Schmidt was involved in her second domestic dispute call in just over a month at the Lake ...

Read Whole Story

Redistricting Redux: Winners, Losers And Power Players In New Maps

Posted 07.23.2011

Read More: Illinois State House, Illinois, Redistricting, 2010 Redistricting, Illinois Redistricting, Chicago, Illinois State Senate, Chicago News

Illinois lawmakers are expected to vote this week on one of the most contentious parts of their job: the decennial process of redrawing legislative ma...

Read Whole Story

Bill Protecting Microbrewers Passes State Senate

Guys Drinking Beer | Posted 07.03.2011

Read More: Craft Brewing, Chicago, Illinois State Senate, Argus Brewery, Save the Craft, Illinois, Sb 754, Craft Breweries, Craft Beer, Chicago News

The IL Senate just voted 48-1-3 to pass Senate Bill 754, which helps define a craft brewer and a brewpub as well as retaining self distribution rights...

Read Whole Story

First Rahm, Now This: State Senator Faces Residency Questions

My FOX Chicago | Posted 06.13.2011

Read More: Illinois, Rickey Hendon, Annazette Collins, Collins Residency, Illinois State Senate, Annazette Collins Hyde Park, Annazette Collins Residency, Chicago, Chicago News

One way or another, new State Senator Annazette Collins has a problem. FOX Chicago News has found that Collins is claiming a homeowner's exemption ...

Read Whole Story

Anti-Gay Adoption Bill Voted Down In Senate Committee

HuffingtonPost.com | Jen Sabella | Posted 06.13.2011

Read More: Catholics, Catholic Church, David Koehler, Gay Adoption Bill, Illinois State Senate, LGBT Rights, Chicago News, William Haine, Sb 1993, LGBT Adoption, Illinois Politics, Civil Unions, Sb 1123, Gay Adoption, Chicago News

A bill that would have allowed religious organizations to deny gay couples adoption and foster care services was voted down in Senate committee Wednes...

Read Whole Story

Bill That Would Allow Religious Institutions To Prevent Gays From Adopting Still Alive In Illinois Senate

HuffingtonPost.com | Jen Sabella | Posted 06.12.2011

Read More: Catholic Church, Catholics, David Koehler, Gay Adoption Bill, Illinois State Senate, LGBT Rights, William Haine, Sb 1993, LGBT Adoption, Illinois Politics, Sb 1123, Civil Unions, Gay Adoption, Chicago News

In January, many Illinoisans rejoiced as Governor Pat Quinn signed historic legislation legalizing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, making Il...

Read Whole Story

Mayoral Candidate Snubbed Again, As House Seat Is Given To Insider

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Patricia Watkins, Rickey Hendon, Illinois State Senate, Chicago, Illinois State House, Illinois, Annazette Collins, Patricia Watkins Snubbed, Chicago News

The cascading vacancies caused by the abrupt retirement of Senator Rickey Hendon have finally dried up, and Dr. Patricia Watkins has officially reaped...

Read Whole Story

Illinois Republican Senate Budget Cuts Are Deep, Smart Political Move?

Kyle Hillman | Posted 06.10.2011

Read More: Christine Radogno, Budget Cuts, Budget, Republicans, Illinois, Illinois State Senate, Chicago News

Do Illinois Senate Republicans understand they just wrote their opponents' 2012 campaign flyers?

Read Post

WATCH: Sen. Rickey 'Hollywood' Hendon's AWESOME Civil Unions Speech

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lgbt, Ron Stephens, Rickey Hendon Speech, Pat Quinn, Rickey Hendon Civil Unions, Gay Rights, Illinois State Senate, Civil Rights, Civil Unions Illinois, Rickey Hollywood Hendon, Illinois House of Representatives, Rickey Hendon, Ricky Hendon, Civil Unions, Illinois Civil Unions, Video, Chicago News

Many Illinois representatives and senators stood up in recent days to voice either their support or opposition to the state's recently passed civil un...

Read Whole Story

Back To Work: Cullerton, Senate Debate Massive Borrowing Package

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Pat Quinn, Illinois State Senate, John Cullerton, Illinois Borrowing, Chicago, Illinois Budget, Illinois, Illinois Budget Crisis, Chicago News

In an election season where Republicans won control of 19 state legislatures across the country, Democrats in Springfield were able to avoid getting c...

Read Whole Story

Which Barack Obama Will Show Up for the Next Two Years?

Peter Roskam | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Republican House, 2010 Midterm Elections, Death Penalty, Federal Budget Deficit, Illinois State Senate, Elections 2010, Chicago News

I served with the president in the Illinois Senate. The Obama I knew then was able to drop the partisan wall separating him from a common-sense solution. I've seen less of that Obama in the last two years.

Read Post

Voting Guide: Big Down-Ticket Races In Logan Square, Portage Park, Suburbs

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Brian Doherty, Illinois State Senate, Forrest Claypool, Cook County Assessor, Chicago, Illinois State House, Illinois, Green Party, Joe Berrios, John Mulroe, Chicago News

Illinois is in a unique position this year to have a major say in the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. With five contested House races and a nec...

Read Whole Story

Tea Party Candidate For Illinois Senate Says Black Men Prefer Drug Dealing To Education

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mike Frerichs, Illinois Tea Party, Illinois State Senate, Al Reynolds Racist Comments, Tea Party, Al Reynolds Tea Party, Al Reynolds Illinois, Al Reynolds, Video, Chicago News

Republican Party leaders in central Illinois are calling on their own candidate for state senate to step down following racist remarks he made at a ca...

Read Whole Story

A Republican State Senator From Chicago? Doherty Hopes So

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Brian Doherty, Mulroe Doherty, Illinois, John Mulroe, Illinois State Senate, Chicago City Council, Chicago, Chicago News

Chicago's delegation to the state legislature is usually a pretty diverse group, with Irish, Polish, Hispanic and African American legislators winning...

Read Whole Story

Senate Rejects Bill To Limit Free Rides For Seniors

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Christine Radogno, Illinois State Senate, Chicago Transit Authority, CTA Free Rides for Seniors, John Cullerton, Chicago, Cta, Illinois, Rickey Hendon, CTA Free Rides, Chicago News

Regardless of their income, senior citizens can continue riding Chicago-area mass transit for free after the state Senate Wednesday preserved what a G...

Read Whole Story

Illinois Senate Meets In Secret

Chicago Tribune | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Senate, Illinois, Illinois State Senate, Illinois Senate Secret, Joint Caucus, Chicago, Chicago News

The Illinois Senate plans to meet behind closed doors this morning to hear a presentation by experts about state budgets and the national economy, a m...

Read Whole Story

Blagojevich: Obama Should Fire Rahm Emanuel (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post | Stuart Whatley | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: John McCain, Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, Blagojevich, Rod Blagojevich, Bob Menendez, Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, Blagojevich Scandal, Blagojevich Indictment, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, Blagojevich Corruption, Blagojevich Impeachment, Illinois State Senate, Video, Politics News

In his hour-long closing statement before the Illinois State Senate today, Governor Rod Blagojevich continued to traipse across the plane of outlandis...

Read Whole Story

Blagojevich, Rachel Maddow Interview: "I'm The Anti-Nixon" (UPDATED WITH FULL VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Nicholas Graham | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Rachel Maddow Interviews Rod Blagojevich, Blagojevich Rachel Maddow Show, Rod Blagojevich, Rachel Maddow, Illinois State Senate, Media News

***UPDATED WITH FULL VIDEO, SCROLL DOWN*** Embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich defended himself against corruption charges on the Rachel Ma...

Read Whole Story

A New President for Urban America

Lincoln Mitchell | Posted 05.25.2011

The Obama presidency is an opportunity for our political leadership, of both parties, to stop denigrating big cities, and ignoring the positive role they play in our political life.

Read Post

Senate Democrats Consider Tax Increase

STLtoday.com | Kurt Erickson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Budget, Illinois Senate, Donne Trotter, Dan Hynes, Rod Blagojevich, James Clayborne, Illinois State Senate, Illinois Tax Increase, Illinois Taxes, Illinois Budget Problems, Illinois Senate Democrats, Chicago News

Democrats who control the Illinois Senate hinted Thursday that some kind of tax increase may be on the horizon. With the state's backlog of unpaid bi...

Read Whole Story