News Coverage: Illinois General Assembly

The state Senate today unanimously passed a bill requiring energy companies employing the controversial 'fracking' process to drill for natural gas to disclose the chemicals they use and test the integrity of well casings that protect groundwater.

But the bill, which now moves to the House, is already being criticized as worthless by some activists downstate, where drilling activity is picking up.  Read more...

Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno says the state's controversial legislative scholarship program is still alive because Democrats won't kill it.

Radogno says Senate Democrats won't let the bills doing away with the program to come up for a vote and are stalling them, according to CBS-2.  Read more...

Sun-Times/

As murder skyrockets in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling on the Illinois General Assembly to pass a law to target gang members with federal-style racketeering cases. A bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-Riverside) passed the House with bipartisan support in March 2011.

Chicago Tribune/

The Illinois Senate passed legislation Wednesday requiring online dating sites to say whether they perform criminal background checks on prospective members.

Rockford Register Star/

Gov. Pat Quinn is renewing his call for the state Senate to end the legislative scholarship program. “Where we really need to have the resources put is into those who are needy and deserving. They may not have political connections, but those are the students we should focus on,” Quinn said at the Springfield Hilton. “I hope the Senate president calls that bill that passed the House. It has in the past passed the House. It’s time for the Senate to act.”