The new Illinois Department of Early Childhood officially launched full operations on Wednesday as the state began a new fiscal year.

Welch's demand comes five months after he kicked Benton out of the Democratic caucus and stripped him of his committee assignments with no public explanation.

The money is part of the Illinois Secretary of State's Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants, Security and Construction Grants and School Library Grants.

Flock Safety has increasingly come under scrutiny nationwide due to its facial recognition technology and data collection.

The proclamation covers Kankakee, McLean, Stephenson and Winnebago counties for severe weather events that took place in March and April; and Coles, Cook, Effingham, Jefferson, LaSalle, Warren and Woodford counties for storm events over the past month.

The law, which takes effect January 1, will prohibit landlords from levying fees or fines for a lease modification or renewal, an eviction notice, after-hours maintenance requests and routine maintenance, among other common scenarios.

The General Assembly passed the measure with bipartisan support in 2024 which calls for consolidating a variety of early childhood services that are spread across multiple state agencies under one roof.

Senate Bill 2201 takes effect on July 1st, requiring the department to annually report data about what contraband is found, where it was discovered, how it got into the facility, and any disciplinary action that was taken as a result

The law, sponsored by Turner, will require licensed pharmacies in Illinois to post a clear and conspicuous sign near their pharmacy counter and drive-up window that includes a QR code informing patients of the ability to sign up for medication recalls via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website.

The data shows Illinois made errors on 14.7% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments in federal fiscal year 2025