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Governor Bruce Rauner held his third State of the State address Wednesday in Springfield. He highlighted many of Illinois' accomplishments, while also discussing many of the things that have to change moving forward.
The Latest on a legislative session on Illinois' budget as the state enters a third straight year without a spending plan : The Illinois Senate has adjourned without taking action on House-approved legislation to break the nation's longest budget standoff since the Great Depression. Chicago Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has scheduled a meeting of the four legislative leaders for the same time.
Illinois' Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed big, permanent increases in income tax rates and a $36 billion fiscal 2018 spending plan on Sunday with the help of some Republican votes as the cash-strapped state scrambled to stave off a bond rating downgrade to junk. The $5 billion tax package, which passed in a 72-45 vote and drew an immediate veto threat from Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, would boost the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent and the corporate rate to 7 percent from 5.25 percent.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, asked New York bond rating agencies on Friday to hold off on downgrading the state's credit rating to junk status as budget negotiations continued. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, asked New York bond rating agencies on Friday to hold off on downgrading the state's credit rating to junk status as budget negotiations continued.
Hundreds of people gathered at the University of Illinois to show support for a Chinese scholar who disappeared three weeks ago. This undated photo provided by the University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang.
The gunman, identified as Dr. Henry Bello who used to work at the hospital, returned... . Police gather outside Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York after a gunman opened fire and then took his own life there on Friday, June 30, 2017.
Madigan said more work needs t... . House Majority Leader Barbara Fynn Currie, D-Chicago, smiles as the House votes 90-25 to adopt a spending bill amendment to Senate Bill Six in Springfield, Ill., on Friday, June 30, 2017.
That prompted Republicans backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner to accuse Democrats of refusing to "show their cards" on a tax increase, saying without details it's impossible to tell if Madigan's blueprint was balanced. With a Friday deadline looming to strike an agreement before Illinois government enters a third-straight year without a budget, both political parties appear to be locked in a high-stakes game of chicken.
Authorities are searching for a young Chinese scholar who vanished from the University of Illinois three weeks ago as she headed to sign an apartment lease. The family of Philando Castile has reached a $3 million settlement over his shooting death by a police officer during a traffic stop.
June 23 - Senate Democrats passed a tax hike bill out of their chamber without GOP votes, but they now are pushing for Republicans to get on board in an effort to end the nearly two-year budget impasse and bailout the state's poor finances. Republicans want assurances on reforms to grow the economy and provide property tax relief.
June 21, 2017 - The legislative road in Illinois has certainly had its ups and downs in the last General Assembly, and our fight to reinstate the Graphics Arts Sales Tax Exemption and the Manufacturers Purchase Credit continues. The Great Lakes Graphics Association along with the Illinois Press Association and the Illinois Manufacturers Association are building a solid case to bring back these critical tax incentives that the printing industry once had in Illinois.
Children played and slept surrounded by pounds of cocaine at a Los Angeles day care center that a man used as a drug trafficking hub, authorities said. Children played and slept surrounded by pounds of cocaine at a Los Angeles day care center that a man used as a drug trafficking hub, authorities said.
Illinois is poised to enter a third year without a spending plan as the feud between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats controlling the Legislature drags on. Jury deliberations are entering a second day in the trial of a former Milwaukee police officer charged in a fatal shooting that led to riots in the majority African-American neighborhood where it happened last year.
Islamic leaders are questioning Virginia detectives' insistence that the beating death of a teenage Muslim girl appears to have been a case of road rage, saying the attack looks all too much like a hate crime. Islamic leaders are questioning Virginia detectives' insistence that the beating death of a teenage Muslim girl appears to have been a case of road rage, saying the attack looks all too much like a hate crime.
A brightly hued rainfall map provide the background as Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Lee Smithson, warns of a serious threat of flooding along the Gulf Coast from heavy rain bands predicted to f... . Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Lee Smithson, warns of a serious threat of flooding along the Gulf Coast from heavy rain bands predicted to fall out from Tropical Storm Cindy, Tuesday afternoon, J... .
Already holding the title for longest state budget stalemate, Illinois is poised to enter a third year without a spending plan as the feud between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats controlling the Legislature drags on. Lawmakers blew past a budget deadline last month, triggering a requirement that any new budget vote be by three-fifths instead of a majority.
Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., describes for reporters on Capitol Hill the scene during a shooting at a congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Va., on June 14, 2017. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., describes for reporters on Capitol Hill the scene during a shooting at a congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Va., on June 14, 2017.
In this June 14, 2017, photo, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Illinois, responds to a reporter's question during an interview in here office about the state budget in Chicago. As Illinois nears its third year without a state budget, Ms.
The acquittal of an officer in the death of a Minnesota motorist who volunteered that he had a gun during a traffic stop adds to the worries of African-American gun owners. The acquittal of an officer in the death of a Minnesota motorist who volunteered that he had a gun during a traffic stop adds to the worries of African-American gun owners.