While we continue to wait for the last of election results to roll in — the race for Cook County state’s attorney is tight — we’re turning our attention to new bills and other developments in the Illinois General Assembly.
Have your credit and Ventra cards on your phone? Illinois residents might soon be able to add digital driver’s licenses or state IDs as early as next year under a bill backed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The electronic ID wouldn’t replace the physical card but would be a companion.
Illinoisans over age 18 who are terminally ill with less than six months to live could ask for life-ending medication under the End of Life Options Act. A doctor would have to determine if a patient is medically capable of making that decision, and the patient also would have to seek out a second opinion. If passed, Illinois would join 10 other states in legalizing medically assisted deaths.
Customers shop at a Jewel in Chicago Feb. 13. (Scott Olson / Getty)
In his budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker said he wants to end the state’s 1% tax on groceries, but some municipalities don’t. That’s because the money from the tax is transferred to local governments. Chicago could lose up to $80 million and nearby suburbs like Joliet and Orland Park could be short a few million dollars, WTTW reported. Pritzker says municipalities should be able to impose their own sales tax on groceries.
State lawmakers finally decided earlier this month on 10 districts for Chicago’s first partially elected school board. With elections in November, candidates started collecting signatures this week to get on the ballot. Mayor Brandon Johnson will appoint the other 11 members. By 2026, Chicagoans will elect the entire school board.
