New Illinois bill leads the nation in climate equality
Illinois has thrown a stake in the ground on climate change and equality and established a path towards a 100 percent clean energy future by 2050 with a new law. The bill, SB2408, received bipartisan support in both the Illinois House and Senate and takes on mitigating climate change, creating Read More...
Illinois high schools equip students with media literacy skills
Misinformation in media isn’t a new problem—but it used to be much more contained. With the rise of the internet and social media platforms, misinformation has gained even more power. In the past couple of years, misinformation ran rampant, wreaking havoc on a population largely unprepared for Read More...
How an 11-year-old from Illinois helped create a bill to protect pollinators
After learning that bees in her neighborhood were being wiped out by mosquito pesticides, 11-year-old Illinois resident Scarlett Harper didn’t hesitate to take action by launching a campaign to save them. Not afraid of bees or asking lawmakers to support a bill protecting the vital pollinators, Read More...
Illinois is first state to mandate Asian American history curriculum in schools
We’ve written frequently about Illinois’ progressive criminal justice policies, and today we bring you another new bill, this time focused on education. The state is now the first in the US to mandate that Asian American history be part of its public school curriculum. The legislation was Read More...
Illinois bill bans police from lying to underage suspects
In an effort to improve the criminal justice system, Illinois became the first state this week to ban policy from giving youth false information during interrogations. This practice has been linked to higher rates of wrongful convictions and false confessions, especially among juvenile Read More...
Illinois directs marijuana sales revenue to areas harmed by war on drugs
One argument for the legalization of marijuana is the opportunity to fund critical community projects and organizations with the tax revenue from legal sales. The state of Illinois is doing just this and they are being very precise with where this money goes. The state is distributing $31.5 million Read More...
Finally! Illinois becomes first state to end cash bail system
In a huge win for racial justice, the state of Illinois is on the verge of becoming the first state to end wealth-based pre-trial detention. For those being accused of a crime in the US, the general rule is that you are innocent until proven guilty. Despite this, courtrooms across the US operate Read More...
How this city in Illinois plans to stop homelessness by the end of the year
Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000 person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. By the end of the year, the city expects that number will have shrunk to essentially zero—making it the first community in the U.S. to end Read More...