Illinois news in brief for Monday, May 10, 2021
Deadline for ethics package extended
The deadline for the Illinois Senate to take up a package of ethics reforms and send it to the House has been extended another few weeks.
Senate bills had a deadline to pass the legislature weeks ago, but lawmakers have extended the deadline for Senate Bill 4 three times now.
The omnibus measure regulating lobbying, lawmaker disclosures and more now has a May 21 deadline for Senators to pass to the House.
The deadline to pass bills to the governor with simple majorities is May 31.
Strip clubs look forward look toward recovery as vaccination rollout continues
From the Lucky Horseshoe in Chicago to Déjà Vu in Springfield, cabaret and strip clubs alike are getting back to business in Illinois.
Larry Troche, the owner of Springfield’s Déjà Vu says he’s not ready to require dancers, staff, or patrons to show proof of vaccination, but masks are required.
While some industries are having problems finding staff, Troche said he’s not experienced that.
Illinois bettors rank near the top nationally on NCAA basketball tournament wagers
The NCAA basketball tournament proved to be a cash cow for Illinois gambling operations.
According to figures released by the PlayUSA Network, the country wagered $1.5 billion on the event, with Illinois bettors accounting for nearly $177 million of the total.
Illinois ranked third in the country in the amount wagered on the tournament, just behind Nevada and New Jersey despite Illinoisans not allowed to wager on the state’s college teams.
State lawmakers lay out priorities
State lawmakers are laying out some of their priorities.
On Thursday, Democrats highlighted measures to incorporate race-based history lessons, a commission to review statues and a plan to change the state constitution to enshrine unionization.
Republicans on Friday said the legislature is failing to address things like transparent redistricting, the state’s high property taxes, ethics reforms, COVID-19 oversight, and pension debt.
On Friday, the House was in session for less than ten minutes. Both chambers return Tuesday.
Pritzker promises tax incentives to Lion Electric with incentive programs on chopping block
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues to eye nearly $1 billion in state revenue by closing or limiting tax incentive programs he calls “corporate loopholes,” he is promising a business nearly $8 million.
On Friday, the governor announced Lion Electric will set up a manufacturing operation in Joliet.
The move comes with $7.9 million in tax credits with the promise the company will invest $70 million and create 700 jobs in the first three years of the project.
University gets federal funding to study long-range severe weather forecasts
A professor at Northern Illinois University has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue his research into severe weather forecasts.
Victor Gensini believes his model could forecast tornado and hail-producing storms at least two weeks in advance.
This article was originally posted on Illinois news in brief for Monday, May 10, 2021