Sen. Kwame Raoul has built on the advances made in the sealing and expungement legislation of the past several years by introducing SB3488. more

If you’ve seen the documentary “Gasland”, or read articles about the mining of sandstone next to Illinois’ Starved Rock State Park, or heard about the potential cause of the Youngstown, OH earthquakes, then you’ve probably come across the word “fracking” a fair bit these past few months. more

The General Assembly’s 2011 legislative year finally ended on December 13, 2011 after it passed two significant bills—one to give some tax relief to low-income, working families who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the other to grant highly-profitable corporations tax breaks. more

“What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” With Micah 6:8 as the framework, Walter Boyd, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives, provides a summary of several criminal justice bills that have brought some positive changes for persons in the criminal justice system. more

It appears likely that some funding will be restored to several of the human service programs and facilities cut in the 2012 state budget. Whether it’s a supplemental appropriation, as some say, or a budget reallocation, as other prefer to call it, this restored funding represents good news for some of the most vulnerable people of Illinois. more

You’d think the irony of an income tax increase that’s generating new revenue for Illinois while it’s being derided in the press and hated by the public would be enough. But no, when it comes to Illinois politics, there are more ironies to be found at the 2011 Veto Session of the General Assembly. more

Everybody loves to hate a tax increase. The 2011 Illinois income tax increase is no exception. It has attracted negative news articles and disgruntled constituents all across Illinois. Businesses have lined up to demand a reduction in the corporate tax or “we’ll go somewhere else.” The irony, of course, is that the income tax increase is working. It’s contributing to a better Illinois. more

We hope that you have already read our October 10 Faith-In-Action Alert and signed our faith petition to President Obama, asking him to deny the Keystone XL Pipeline construction permit. If not, we’re asking you to sign it now! more

A little over a year ago, I wrote an article called “Coming Clean” about our work with the Clean Power Coalition to shut-down or clean-up two coal-fired power plants in Chicago. more

On August 16, 2011 the Illinois Department of Revenue (DOR) issued denials on tax-exemption applications for new construction at three major not-for-profit hospitals in Illinois—Northwestern Memorial’ s Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, Edward Hospital in Naperville, and Decatur Memorial Hospital in down-state Decatur. This is an important step in the quest for fair charity care in Illinois. more