WATCH: Tax increase talk at Statehouse; Bost’s election lawsuit against Illinois wins standing
January 15, 2026/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square’s Greg Bishop discusses the status of Illinois’ budget, and shares comments from Gov. J.B. Pritzker about the impacts to state spending if federal taxpayer funds are frozen. Legislators discuss the prospect of tax increases with a proposal being floated to have a surcharge on millionaires.
Bishop also discusses the status of mail-in voting in Illinois. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Illinois Congressman Mike Bost has standing to sue the Illinois State Board of Elections over the state’s policy of counting mail-in ballots up to two weeks after election day.
Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
⚠️ Hydrologic Outlook issued June 8 at 12:44PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
Today Jun 7
70°
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
Latest News Stories
The future of American troops in Europe; Iran lead Rubio’s meeting with NATO
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Defense spending, troop placement and Iran took center stage during a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NATO leaders on Friday in Sweden....
Tennessee congressman files articles of impeachment against Roberts
By Kim JarrettThe Center Square U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, filed six articles of impeachment against U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, saying Roberts's leadership is marked by "arbitrary, unexplained,...
Illinois Quick Hits: Chicagoland chamber opposes ditigal ad tax
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is urging the Illinois legislature to reject a proposed new tax on...
Board suspends Camp Mystic co-owner’s nursing license
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Texas Board of Nursing has suspended the nursing license of Mary Liz Eastland, a co-owner of Camp Mystic, the flooded all-girls camp in Hunt,...
Illinois bill banning ‘easily convertible’ handguns could pass this session
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois measure to prohibit the sale and manufacture of handguns some legislators say are “easily convertible”...
Deadline approaches for $1 million school choice award
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The June 1 deadline for a $1 million Yass Prize school choice award is approaching, and education providers nationwide are encouraged to apply. The Yass...
Biometrics privacy law’s territorial reach limited, appeals court says
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Amazon has turned aside another attempt to use Illinois' stringent biometrics privacy law to extract a potentially big payout from the company,...
Watchdog says Biden Education Department defied court order on Title IX enforcement
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Education still has not released a final investigative report about allegations that the Biden administration ignored federal court orders on Title...
Congress skips town without passing $72B immigration enforcement bill
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square In an epic breakdown of negotiations, Congress is leaving town without voting on Republicans’ roughly $72 billion budget reconciliation bill. Senate Republicans ultimately deadlocked Thursday...
EPA slashes regulations on refrigerants finalized during Biden-era
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square The Environmental Protection Agency is slashing some regulations on refrigerants finalized in the Biden-era in an effort it says will reduce grocery costs for Americans...
Illinois Quick Hits: State unemployment rate still more than 5%
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state’s unemployment rate was unchanged last month at 5.1%,...
Mace amendment would spare Democrats she targeted
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a constitutional amendment requiring natural-born citizenship for members of Congress and federal judges, sparing the Democrats she targeted while potentially...
Illinois to require hidden ‘junk fees’ included in advertised price
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In most cases when a person makes a purchase, such as on hotels, concert tickets and more,...
