Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

Spread the love

(The Center Square) – A bill offering career technical education classes as an alternative to Illinois’ foreign language mandate is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 3070 on Sunday.

The measure provides that high school students can still take two years of foreign language but will now have the option to take CTE classes starting in 2028.

NONPROFIT INVESTMENT BILL PASSED

The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation allowing the state treasurer’s office to set up an investment pool for nonprofit organizations.

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said Senate Bill 2968 is intended to help nonprofits strengthen their financial stability and maximize resources that help communities.

Frerichs told The Center Square last fall he would keep working on the legislation that was vetoed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer.

COOK COUNTY ANNOUNCES MINIMUM WAGE HIKE

Minimum wages will be going up in Cook County on July 1.

The county’s Commission on Human Rights issued a notice on Monday that the minimum wage for non-tipped workers over the age of 18 will increase from $15 to $15.40 and the minimum for tipped employees will rise from $9 to $9.25.

Cook County’s minimum wage is based on the greatest rate among the federal minimum wage, Illinois minimum wage, or on the county’s calculation using the Consumer Price Index.

CHICAGO ANNOUNCES BUDGET ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

Chicago officials have announced a series of five budget engagement roundtable events, starting Wednesday at Malcolm X College. T

he events are open to the public and will be livestreamed on social media platforms. More information is available at the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget engagement website.

The city’s $16.7 billion budget passed in December includes higher taxes on cloud computing, liquor and plastic bags, along with rideshare surcharges and a roughly $1 billion sweep of tax-increment financing funds to Chicago Public Schools.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Trump addresses nation on Iran strikes; signals conflict nearing end

Trump addresses nation on Iran strikes; signals conflict nearing end

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Just over a month after Operation Epic Fury began, President Donald Trump Wednesday proclaimed U.S. strikes on Iran are nearing completion, while telling allies to...
IL biometrics privacy reforms apply to past cases, too: Appeals court

IL biometrics privacy reforms apply to past cases, too: Appeals court

By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Pending class action lawsuits under Illinois' stringent biometrics privacy law may have become significantly less lucrative, after a federal appeals court declared...
Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972

Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last...
Pro-life org to Trump: Taxpayers should not be forced to fund killing of unborn children

Pro-life org to Trump: Taxpayers should not be forced to fund killing of unborn children

By Tate MillerThe Center Square The Trump administration’s decision to send tax dollars to the abortion industry by continuing former President Joe Biden’s Title X grant awards to Planned Parenthood...
Birthright citizenship advocates confident in SCOTUS hearing

Birthright citizenship advocates confident in SCOTUS hearing

By Emily RodriguezThe Center Square Advocates cheered after the Supreme Court heard a case to determine the constitutional validity of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. Dozens...
College funding bill draws dissent from big Illinois universities

College funding bill draws dissent from big Illinois universities

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Lawmakers questioned Illinois university leaders about a contentious bill that adjusts how new money is allocated to...
Illinois quick hits: Chicago announces $300 million housing spend; Rockford men faces cocaine trafficking charges; State to honor troopers killed in the ling of duty

Illinois quick hits: Chicago announces $300 million housing spend; Rockford men faces cocaine trafficking charges; State to honor troopers killed in the ling of duty

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Chicago announces $300 million housing spend Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Housing say they will invest more than...
Pentagon commits to tripling Patriot missile production at $4 million per

Pentagon commits to tripling Patriot missile production at $4 million per

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Boeing is partnering with the Department of War to triple its production of seekers for Patriot missiles, according to a joint announcement Wednesday. The U.S....
Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump's birthright citizenship order

Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump’s birthright citizenship order

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday scrutinized President Donald Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, raising skeptical questions in a pivotal hearing. The justices heard...
Advocates urge stable tariff policy, protections against China

Advocates urge stable tariff policy, protections against China

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Advocates sparred Wednesday over the Trump administration’s trade and national security policy, particularly with concerns over China. Advocates and experts gathered at the American Institute...
Illinois senators scrutinize diversity commission's high salaries, poor performance

Illinois senators scrutinize diversity commission’s high salaries, poor performance

By Jared Strong | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) -- An Illinois state senator, responding to an investigation by The Center Square, suggested Wednesday that the state's...
Trump demands second 'big beautiful bill' on his desk by June 1

Trump demands second ‘big beautiful bill’ on his desk by June 1

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Seven weeks into the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, President Donald Trump is working with Republican congressional leaders to craft a party-line budget reconciliation bill...
Screenshot 2026-05-05 at 1.39.16 PM

JJC Board Approves Fall 2026 Course Fees Amid Debate Over Student Costs

Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | March 11, 2026 Article Summary: The Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees approved a series of course fee increases for the Fall 2026...
ALEC: State regulations drive up electricity prices

ALEC: State regulations drive up electricity prices

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square Electricity prices and other measures of consumer energy affordability are highest in states with the most extensive policy mandates, compliance requirements, and the most rigid...
Chicago mayor announces homelessness plan with unclear funding sources

Chicago mayor announces homelessness plan with unclear funding sources

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago officials unveiled a plan they say would effectively end homelessness in the city, even as questions...