Legislative Agenda

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Civic Federation Supports Passage of Forest Preserve District of Cook County Property Tax Referendum

In a position statement released yesterday, the Civic Federation announced it supports passage of…

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Correcting Misinformation about Illinois Pretrial Reforms: What the Pretrial Fairness Act Does and Does Not Do

With the increasingly polarized political environment and the November 2022 mid-term election approaching, the debate about pretrial reforms in Illinois has been at the forefront in the news media and on social media. The pretrial reforms…

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Chicago Referendum Campaign Launched to Increase Real Estate Transfer Tax on Multimillion Dollar Properties

Bring Chicago Home, a grassroots coalition dedicated to securing an earmarked revenue stream to combat homelessness, has launched a campaign to put a referendum on the City of…

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Chicago Chooses a Casino Site

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has selected Bally’s Corporation to develop a mega casino in the River West neighborhood at the site of the Chicago Tribune’s current printing plant at Chicago and Halsted Avenues. In addition to the casino,…

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Cook County Board to Consider Increase to Elected Officials’ Salaries

Update (May 24, 2022): The Cook County Finance Committee held a special meeting on the elected officials’ salary ordinance and approved the salary increases laid out in…

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Chicago's Sports Wagering Ordinance

On December 15, 2021, the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance (SO2021-3243) to regulate sports wagering in the…

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Chicago City Council Approves New Police Contract

The Chicago City Council approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) on September 14, 2021. The FOP is…

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Equity-Based Commission to Develop New Model for Public University Funding in Illinois

On August 24, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed legislation

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What is the State of Illinois’ Cannabis Social Equity Program and How Will New Legislation Reform It?

The Illinois General Assembly recently passed major revisions to its initial 2019 adult-use cannabis law. The revisions target an important provision of the original law that was meant to ensure access by disadvantaged communities to the…

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Pretrial Reform Efforts in Illinois and Outcomes from Other States

Recently, Cook County, the State of Illinois and other jurisdictions across the U.S. have begun to implement policy changes to reduce reliance on monetary bail and release more individuals while awaiting trial. These changes come amid a…