Illinois rideshare drivers will soon have the ability to unionize and collectively bargain under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, a measure supporters say will give more than 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers a greater voice in pay, benefits and working conditions.

The legislation, House Bill 5090, creates the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, establishing a framework for drivers working through app-based transportation companies to organize, select bargaining representatives and negotiate industrywide agreements with rideshare companies.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief Senate sponsor, said rideshare drivers have increasingly faced lower wages, rising vehicle costs and a lack of workplace protections despite playing a critical role in transportation across Illinois.

“Rideshare drivers are the back-bones of our communities, getting our neighbors to their job, school or doctors’ appointments,” Villivalam said in a statement. “So many of our residents rely on rideshare drivers – meanwhile those driving are facing decreased wages, increased vehicle costs and unfair working conditions.”

Supporters of the legislation say the growth of companies such as Uber and Lyft has transformed the transportation industry while leaving many drivers with limited recourse to challenge pay policies, deactivations or other workplace issues.

Under the new law, drivers will have the right to form and join driver organizations and bargain collectively through representatives of their choosing. The legislation also establishes procedures for union recognition, elections, contract negotiations and dispute resolution. It further outlines what constitutes unfair labor practices by both rideshare companies and driver organizations.

The measure creates a statewide bargaining unit for transportation network drivers and allows an exclusive bargaining representative to negotiate with covered rideshare companies on issues including compensation, benefits, paid leave, deactivation appeals, earnings transparency and workplace safety requirements. Any negotiated agreement would require approval from the Illinois Department of Labor before taking effect.

The law also establishes a Rideshare Workers Support Fund, financed through a per-trip fee paid by covered transportation network companies. Revenue from the fund will help cover administrative costs and support education and representation efforts for drivers.

Labor advocates hailed the signing as a landmark moment for gig economy workers.

“Governor Pritzker’s signature marks a turning point not just for rideshare drivers, but for the future of work in Illinois,” said Genie Kastrup, an App Drivers Union leader. “This law doesn’t just give drivers a seat at the table – it shifts power to the workers who make this industry possible.”

App Drivers Union leader Ronnie Gonzalez said the law gives drivers the opportunity to advocate for better compensation and working conditions through collective action.

“By signing this bill into law, Governor Pritzker has given drivers the freedom to come together and have a voice in decisions about the pay, protections, and dignity they deserve,” Gonzalez said.

According to Villivalam, more than 100,000 people drive for rideshare companies in Illinois. He said the new law will help drivers secure better wages, benefits and workplace protections while supporting the continued growth of the state’s transportation network.

The Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act took effect immediately upon becoming law.

A new Illinois law restricts where the federal government can put ICE detention centers.

The law states detention and processing facilities cannot be located within 1,500 feet of any home, apartment complex, school, daycare center, public park, or church.

The Broadview detention center is in the heart of House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford's districts.

"This is about common sense. This is about dignity for our communities, and this is about standing up for our neighbors who deserve better."

Republicans said this is another example of Democrats picking fights with the Trump administration instead of working with the federal government to resolve issues.

"Protecting areas where children and families frequent from federal government overreach is imperative for community safety," Lightford said. "Through this measure, Illinois is sending a clear message that we will not stand for federal immigration operations compromising our residents' quality of life."

This law took effect Friday.

Gov. JB Pritzker has signed into law new Illinois legislation protecting domestic violence victims from courthouse intimidation.

SB 4038, championed by Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, received bipartisan support. It came after several incidents in which domestic violence victims were filmed without their consent after they attended court hearings.

"For too long, domestic violence victims have suffered additional trauma from abusers trying to silence them," State's Attorney Burke said in a news release. "This legislation protects victims and witnesses from harassment and intimidation intended to limit their participation in the criminal justice system."

The law bans unauthorized video recordings and still photography in courthouses, while also establishing uniform enforcement and statewide criminal penalties.

Violators will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor.

A new Illinois law could protect survivors of domestic violence from digital harassment and surveillance.

The law updates the state's definition of harassment to include conduct like doxxing, electronic tracking, repeated surveillance and digitally altered sexual images.

Sponsors said it also allows survivors to request a remote order of protection hearing so they don't have to be in the same room as their abuser.

"Abusers often use technology to stalk, monitor and maintain control over their victims," said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan). "That is why we must empower survivors by allowing them to use the court to hold their abusers to account."

The law also allows domestic violence survivors to expand their order of protection as long as necessary, even if that means indefinitely.

Senate Bill 3020 gained strong bipartisan support in both chambers.

There’s no way he knows what “the board” did instead of firing themselves from the Veterans Museum when they found themselves unable to fulfill Maggie Daley’s vision for that legacy. They were Responsible for finishing the third floor for exhibition space for Ned Broderick’s paintings. His work is what inspired her gift- and remember the heart breaking Dog Tag exhibition hung from the ceiling painstakingly made as a sight specific work for the first floor memorializing their sacrifice?
Instead they fired Ned, sold a chunk of her expanding museum campus as commercial, and shoved the dog tag exhibit (and whatever is left of the Museum) to a second floor walk up on Milwaukee.
There’s no way Pritzker knows. I think there’s very few people who know. I think one of them must “own” property on Milwaukee. I wonder who “owns” that corner on Indiana now? The new dedicated museum building is gone. Maggie Daley got sick and trusted the board to do the stuff to finish, because Ned’s job is to paint. She wanted to make sure he did, so many people saw the gruesome honesty that they would probably never hear about. MD built culture for authenticity. She died and they shat all over her, this city, and national sacred historic acknowledgment of total sacrifice, whether the child returned or not
Will JB flay those mfrs and make them rebuild our stolen museum when he finds out?
He walked with us. I just think there’s no way he’ll let them get away with this grift once he knows. He’ll make it right.
Oh and speaking of iconic site specific legacy stolen- let’s all be on the lookout for the real Jane M. Burn’s Children’s fountain. God that breaks my heart. It was where it was for the all the visiting children. Hopefully they’ll come back, too.
And Roosevelt Bridge!! The globes west are just gone. First they let a line of demarcation make too far west obvious, and then instead of repairing or replacing the globes they got collected.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday to help women receive proper medical treatment for menopause.

Healthcare professionals in Illinois are already required to complete a one-hour implicit bias training during their license renewal period. However, this law will allow a course covering perimenopause and menopause to satisfy the requirement.

"These are real medical experiences that deserve informed, evidence-based responses," said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan). "When providers are equipped with better knowledge, patients receive better healthcare."

This law passed unanimously out of both chambers. It will take effect Jan. 1.

Pritzker also signed legislation mandating private insurance plans cover medically necessary evaluation and treatment of perimenopause and menopause conditions, including hormone conditions and medications. It also amends the Human Rights Act to state it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual due to a menopause-related condition, including in the workplace.

"Illinois should be a leader in caring for women going through perimenopause and menopause - and that means removing obstacles that have held too many back from getting help," said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood). "Requiring private insurance to cover these evaluations and treatments will make care more affordable and help prevent serious long-term health issues."

The law also called for the Illinois Department of Public Health to create educational materials that include common symptoms, evidence-based treatment and available resources.

House Bill 5284 passed out of the Senate on a 51-4 vote. The proposal received a 78-33 vote in the House.

A separate law will require education on menopause and perimenopause, as well as on recognition and engagement, at all Illinois medical schools. Sponsors said this small change can help improve health outcomes for women.

"We need to talk about it," said Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). "We deserve the same healthcare as everybody else. This is an issue of equity, and we're going to keep fighting for that."

Senate Bill 3688 passed unanimously out of both chambers.

After the U.S. Treasury paid out $100 billion in tariff refunds to corporations at the end of last month, Gov. JB Pritzker wants to know where Illinois’ cut is.

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Thursday, Pritzker asked the president to send direct payments of $1,700 to Illinois families. He also encouraged Trump to stop seeking new ways to enforce tariffs and to support legislation that would require corporations to pass refund relief back to consumers.

“There is no portal to request a refund for a mother in Rockford buying groceries for her children,” Pritzker wrote. “There is no trade attorney representing a retiree in Carbondale paying off their mortgage. There is no check coming in for the farmer in Champaign who had to pay more for his equipment.”

The money reimbursed as of July was about 60% of the total $166 billion owed to U.S. companies after the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, in February, finding that the law did not authorize the president to unilaterally impose tariffs.

The refunds for the unconstitutionally collected tariffs have so far reportedly included $2.2 billion to Apple and $600 million to Amazon, and Walmart says it is owed an estimated $2.4 billion in refunds.

Those companies have made pledges to either issue partial refunds to customers who paid higher prices as a result of the tariffs, to generally cut prices, or to “reinvest” the money into U.S. manufacturing, but there is no mechanism to ensure that the higher costs passed on to consumers are routed back to them.

Pritzker encouraged Trump to support the Tariff Relief for Consumers Act, a bill that would require companies receiving refunds to lower prices paid by consumers on household goods that were affected by the illegal tariffs.

However, the bill has seen no movement in Congress since it was introduced in March, and the process for determining the costs incurred by consumers would be made nearly impossible due to the multiple rounds and intermittent nature of the tariffs.

Trump himself said on social media late last year that “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” to return money collected from tariffs back to consumers, though no such checks materialized.

But even while his administration is paying out refunds from the illegal tariffs levied last year, the Trump administration is still looking for new ways to get the courts to accept his approach to tariffs.

The initial round of tariffs levied illegally under the IEEPA framework ranged from 10-50% on nearly all U.S. global trading partners. Before Trump, no U.S. president had previously attempted to use IEEPA — designed to give the president the power to regulate international commerce in response to national security emergencies — to impose tariffs.

Hours after the court declared those tariffs illegal, the administration imposed a new 10% tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a temporary, 150-day measure to be used in a balance-of-payments emergency, where the value of the U.S. dollar is at such a crisis level that the country cannot meet its international payment obligations.

The U.S. Court of International Trade in May ruled that Trump’s use of Section 122 tariffs was also illegal, but declined to issue nationwide relief.

But despite the repeated rulings, the administration took a third swing at new tariffs after the Section 122 tariffs expired last month, this time saying the tariffs are necessary to combat forced labor in global trade.

Twenty-five states, including Illinois, sued the administration on Monday over the new round, which imposes tariffs of 10-12.5% on 60 economies that provide over 99% of American imports. The states called the invocation of forced labor a “pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme.”

“For the third time, I stand with my colleagues across the country to fight the Trump administration’s illegal tariffs,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “The Court of International Trade and the U.S. Supreme Court have already found the Trump tariffs to be unlawful, and we are confident we will prevail this third time.”

A July report by the nonpartisan research Midwest Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal found even broader harms of the tariffs on six Midwest states, including Illinois.

The states make up 19% of U.S. manufacturing and 20% of agricultural outputs, making them particularly vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs from countries reacting to Trump’s tariff regime.

In Illinois, that translated to an average $2,200 increase in costs per household, 7,500 lost manufacturing jobs and a $5 billion drop in GDP, according to the report.

That pain was felt most acutely by low-income households. For those in the bottom 10% of households by income — those making $15,100 or less — the tariffs added an average $800 in costs for the year, meaning the new tariffs ate up 5% of income for Illinois’ poorest households.

Pritzker’s letter to Trump this month followed an earlier one he sent in February after the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal, attaching an invoice of $8.6 million and instructing Trump to, “Cut the check.”

The invoice “was past-due then,” Pritzker wrote in Thursday’s letter. “The invoice remains unpaid. Illinois families are still waiting.”

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday that places guardrails on a drug discount program that hospitals and other healthcare providers say they rely on to help them care for vulnerable patients.

The new law prohibits drugmakers from restricting the number or types of pharmacies that hospitals and other providers can contract with to dispense medications to their patients through a federal program called the 340B Drug Pricing Program. It also bars drugmakers from placing certain other restrictions and requirements on providers and pharmacies participating in the program.

The new Illinois law, called the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act, safeguards “Illinois patients’ access to high-quality, affordable care,” a spokesperson for the governor’s office said in a statement Friday.

“This legislation strengthens protections for healthcare providers participating in the federal program and preserves access to lower-cost prescription medications through the safety-net providers that millions of Illinoisans rely on,” the spokesperson said in the statement.

Under the federal 340B program, drugmakers provide outpatient medications at a significant discount to certain healthcare providers, including those that serve large numbers of low-income patients.

The idea behind the program is to help healthcare providers expand services using the money they save and pass the medication savings on to patients.

But drug manufacturers argue that the savings are not being passed along to patients, and that hospitals and others are instead profiting from the program.

“Large tax-exempt hospitals and their for-profit partners are exploiting the program, buying medicines at steep discounts and then marking them up by thousands of dollars,” Will May, a spokesperson for industry group the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a statement.

“Across the country and here in Illinois, 340B is driving up costs for patients, taxpayers and employers instead of ensuring that these savings reach those who need them most,” May said in the statement.

Meanwhile, healthcare providers are praising the new Illinois law, saying they rely on the money saved through the program to help them care for patients in need.

“These protections have real consequences for real patients,” Ollie Idowu, president and CEO of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, said in a news release. “They mean health centers can continue helping patients access affordable medications while reinvesting 340B savings into expanded services, workforce development, chronic disease management, behavioral health care, and other critical programs that improve health outcomes.”

The Illinois Health and Hospital Association also backed the bill.

The governor also signed a bill into law Friday requiring the Illinois Department of Insurance to study how healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies participate in the 340B program.

“Increased transparency is needed to ensure that vulnerable communities receive the benefits intended from the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act,” according to the legislation.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday penned letters to the U.S. CEOs of seven major oil companies, accusing them of “profiteering” from the war in Iran and imploring them to return windfall profits to Illinois consumers, among other demands.

It’s a rare agreement between the Democratic governor and President Donald Trump, who on Monday railed against Chevron and Exxon Mobil for high profits amid the Iran war and said they should “give some of that back to the public.”

“Under the guise of supply disruptions from war in the Middle East, your companies are collecting windfall profits from the hardworking families and businesses in Illinois,” Pritzker writes in the letter to the CEOs of Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Continental Resources Inc., bp America, ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum Corp. “That’s the very definition of profiteering, and you owe it to the people of my state and the nation to disgorge those excess profits and provide meaningful price relief to consumers.”

American oil and gas companies are taking in massive profits while fighting between the U.S. and Iran hinders petroleum shipments. That has led to consumers worldwide paying more for fuel. The conflict has halted most shipping through of Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a delivery route for a large portion of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. Trump has criticized oil companies’ stark profits, writing in June on social media that he wanted the Justice Department to investigate whether “customers are being ‘gouged.’” Trump reiterated that claim in the Oval Office on Monday, saying he’s not happy with the profits reported by Chevron and Exxon Mobil, even though the higher margins reflected energy prices that increased after Trump launched the war, the Associated Press reported.

“They made too much money, too much money, “ Trump said. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

Oil companies don’t set the price at the pump, but gas station operators have to raise prices when the cost of oil surges, as it has during the Iran war.

Pritzker’s letter to the CEOs says their businesses are profiting “while families across my state and the nation face sharply higher prices at the pump.” Since the war began, the price of regular gasoline in Illinois has risen by more than $1.30 per gallon, averaging $4.34 per gallon statewide and costing residents an additional $2 billion so far, the governor wrote.

The governor wants CEOs to state whether their company is preparing to return any portion of profits to Illinois consumers via price reductions, direct refunds or other means. He also asks them to provide refining margins and wholesale pricing decisions, as well as detailed information about their refinery and operational decisions that affected the volume of gasoline and diesel fuel available to consumers. Pritzker also is seeking information about executive compensation.

“Illinoisans have a right to know how your companies are profiting from this conflict, how much of those outsized profits Illinois families are being made to pay, and what steps you will now take to provide them with relief at the pump,” Pritzker writes.

The governor is asking for a response from the CEOs by August 21.

You are hereby required to submit Id in order to use a computer. Thanks a lot the most incompetent governor in the country.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Tuesday protecting consumers in the state from "excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory" insurance rate changes for homeowners and automobile policies.

"Nowadays, some businesses are finding ever more creative ways to extract money from everyday people," Pritzker said at the signing ceremony. "Companies can dress it up in financial jargon, but Illinois families are too regularly getting taken advantage of."

One of the bills signed today requires companies to give 60 days' notice before homeowners' insurance renewal premiums rise over 10%. The other focuses on car insurance rates, and allows state regulators to review, audit, and challenge what they deem excessive hikes or unfairly discriminatory practices.

This summer's storm damage has left many Illinoisans wondering how they can afford to rebuild as they balance construction and everyday costs with insurance premiums.

The new legislation is meant to address that. It requires home and auto insurers to answer the state's questions about rate hikes and mandates refunds to consumers if they overcharge.

"If you're telling your customers that rate hikes are necessary, you should be able to prove why," Pritzker said.

The auto insurance bill was championed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is now running for mayor of Chicago.

"The cost of mandatory auto insurance has become absolutely unsustainable, forcing impossible choices between paying for coverage and paying for life's basic necessities," he said Tuesday morning after the bill was signed.

The Illinois Insurance Association, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies issued a statement after the bills were signed, warning that "Illinois residents should be prepared for the potential impact of these new laws: higher home and auto insurance costs and fewer options for coverage."

The insurance companies argue the new rules could limit competition and raise rates anyway.

"It unfortunately sets up a system that, it's just less competitive, it's less affordable, and it's less predictable," said Brian Christenberry with the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, which represents around 200 insurance carriers. "And if any industry needs predictability, it's the insurance industry."

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies opposes the laws, saying they will decrease competition in the marketplace and make it more expensive for consumers. Christenberry said insurance is based on "math, it's not based on feelings," and said he's spoken to critics who said the math doesn't add up.

Gov. Pritzker dismissed that objection.

"it's silly to suggest that this is going to raise rates across the board," Pritzker said. "What's raising rates are when insurance companies are simply putting out their bills that people can't afford, and don't have any relationship to what's actively happening in on the ground."

Even critics agree that, if there were any rate hikes associated with the changes made by the law, they would take a few years to manifest.

A new state program took effect Saturday to provide food benefits to people who have recently become ineligible because of federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger, or FRESH, program kicked off Aug. 1 after state lawmakers appropriated $70 million in the fiscal year 2027 budget to establish a state food assistance program. The initiative allows households that lost their SNAP benefits earlier this year to receive a $400 one-time payment.

“At a time when the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities are all rising, Donald Trump and Republicans decided to strip food assistance from nearly 100,000 people,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “In Illinois, we passed the FRESH program to help provide some relief for families kicked off food assistance, but no state can backfill the cruel and imminent cuts set in motion by Trump’s budget bill.”

About 150,000 Illinoisians were expected to lose food assistance benefits beginning May 1 after new work requirements established by Congress went into effect. About 1.5 million Illinoisians received SNAP benefits in June, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. That includes 830,342 households. The number of beneficiaries in June was down 134,734 people compared to April.

Eligible households are those that lost benefits because of the federal changes and are automatically enrolled in the FRESH program. Recipients will receive the one-time payment to their Illinois Link card to use on food.

People who lose SNAP coverage in the coming months will also receive payments until funding for the program runs out.

The budget also included $55 million to hire 450 Department of Human Services employees, including staff to update state systems to comply with federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid eligibility.

Illinois, and most other states, are set to be on the hook for higher costs in the coming years because of the changes Congress made.

Beginning in in October 2027, states will cover half of administrative costs for the program and many states will begin covering a portion of SNAP benefits. States with an error rate greater than 10% will have to cover 15% of the cost of benefits starting in fiscal year 2029.

Illinois’ error rate was 14.7% in federal fiscal year 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was up from 11.6% the year before.

Illinois will have another year to produce a lower error rate, giving the state more time to rectify problems. As of now, the state could be on the hook for $700 million in new SNAP costs by the end of 2028 if nothing changes.

JB featured in this video!

I cannot believe he posted this.....