Meetings & Agendas- Chicago
- Springfield
The City Council’s budget committee voted 20-8 Monday to allocate $70 million in city funds for additional migrant care costs on Monday, sending the final decision to the City Council this Wednesday.
Alds. Emma Mitts (37), Marty Quinn (13), Raymond Lopez (15), Bill Conway (34), Chris Taliaferro (29), David Moore (17), Felix Cardona (31) and Nick Sposato (38) voted no.
The allocation would come from the city’s assigned and unassigned fund balance reserves from 2022. The funding would be added to the previously allocated $150 million for migrant care costs passed in the 2024 budget.
The City Council Committee on Finance postponed a vote on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond proposal after more than a dozen alderpeople expressed interest in significantly reducing the bond authorization amount and lowering the threshold to require aldermanic approval for bond-financed projects.
The finance committee was recessed until 9:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, and Ald. Pat Dowell (3), the finance chair, said a vote on the bond ordinance could happen if committee members come to an agreement.
Officials are planning to designate some space within the security footprint of the Democratic National Convention for planned protests, and though permits from several groups seeking to protest near the convention have not been approved, law enforcement told a City Council panel that peaceful protests will be allowed regardless.
The City Council Committee on Finance on Thursday held its second subject matter hearing in several weeks on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion proposed bond issuance to bolster existing housing, cultural and economic development programs citywide.
In response to questions and concerns raised during and after a March 22 finance committee hearing, a substitute bond ordinance (SO2024-0007838) was put forth that incorporates a number of new provisions related to transparency, fiscal responsibility and council authority over spending of the proposed bond proceeds.
The City Council's license committee on Wednesday approved new regulations for scooter share businesses, including a new fee structure, allowance for overnight rides and new character-, equity- and conduct-based requirements for business license renewal.
But alderpeople on the committee were particularly concerned with cutting down on unsafe behavior from scooter riders — most notably riding on sidewalks.
The City Council Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation voted to approve Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to lead the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Wednesday, sending final confirmation to the City Council next week.
While some alderpeople gave acting DCASE Comm. Clinée Hedspeth a glowing recommendation, others said they wanted more information from the mayor’s office about why her predecessor, former Comm. Erin Harkey, was fired in February.
Alderpeople on Thursday will hold a subject matter hearing to explore the possibility of lowering the city’s default speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 mph to encourage slower driving.
While Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) said the hearing will be a preliminary discussion and there isn’t an ordinance ready to be introduced yet, he told The Daily Line similar actions have significantly reduced traffic fatalities in neighboring Evanston.
The City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety will hold the hearing in council chambers at noon on Thursday, during which no votes on the issue will be taken.
The City Council Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development on Tuesday approved the appointment of Nick Lucius as the city’s chief information officer. Lucius has served as the city’s chief technology officer since 2022 and before that served as the chief data officer.
The Illinois Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to pass a bill that would prevent credit reporting agencies from using medical debt in credit reports. The bill’s passage comes as Gov. JB Pritzker prioritizes a plan in his Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal to eliminate medical debt for thousands of Illinoisians.
The Senate voted to advance a pair of key measures on Friday ahead of the chamber’s deadline to pass Senate bills on to the House, including bills requiring insurance to cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) and establishing a new state department for childhood issues.
Officials told a House committee that it’s challenging to calculate the cost of a bill that would raise the threshold for the estate tax. And the Senate passed a bill giving the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) new rule-making powers.
The Senate advanced long-awaited reform to the state’s biometric privacy law that has cost many businesses hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars in massive lawsuits. But despite having some concerns addressed, business groups are still opposed.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers and top cannabis business groups are pushing to create new regulations for hemp while also banning Delta-8 products until more research is conducted and regulations are implemented.
House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) has a new message for his caucus this year: play the infinite game.
Welch gives his caucus a new book each session that is designed to impart a theme for members to follow for the spring. The books are often on leadership topics and this year it’s “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek.
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) told a business leader gathering what his message was to Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. And Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) told business leaders they need to be more active to counter pushes by organized labor.
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(up to 5 members)
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