FENTANYL
House passes McCombie bill to combat fentanyl epidemic. Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation sponsored by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie to combat Illinois’ fentanyl epidemic and save lives.

McCombie’s bill, HB 3203, allows pharmacists and retail stores to sell potentially life-saving fentanyl test strips over the counter. Currently, test strips are classified as drug paraphernalia, which has made it impossible to make progress on identifying fentanyl in other drugs. The test strips will be able to identify if fentanyl is present in any drug, which is essential considering only a small dose (only 2 milligrams) of fentanyl can have fatal consequences. 

In the last week of Women’s History Month, we are concluding our series, The Women Who Shaped Illinois, with the final installment: The Women Who Wrote Illinois. This week we are telling the stories of three women who achieved remarkable success as authors, editors, and poets. 

Earlier this month, we began The Women Who Shaped Illinois series. Last week, we highlighted the incredible female architects who built our state in The Women Who Constructed Illinois.

In this week’s installment of the series, we are highlighting four incredible women who made history in politics and government. These trailblazers set the stage for decades of women who have served in elected offices in both Illinois state government and the federal United States government. 

ECONOMY
House Republicans Call for Business Reforms to Attract Manufacturing and Keep Jobs in Illinois. House Republican members held a Capitol news conference this week to call for reforms to Illinois’ business climate following the shuttering of the Stellantis Jeep Assembly Plant in Belvidere and Stellantis’ previously announced $150 million investment in Indiana.

Representatives Joe Sosnowski, Dan Ugaste, and John Cabello called for reforms to Illinois’ tax code and business regulatory environment, while pointing out that major manufacturers are passing over Illinois to invest in states with friendlier business environments. 

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are highlighting trailblazing women in the Women Who Shaped Illinois Series. This four-part series began last week with the Women Who Taught Illinois, which details the work of influential female educators in the state of Illinois.

In this week’s installment, The Women Who Constructed Illinois, we will dive into the female architects who laid the groundwork for generations of women who would build the state we know today.  

Budget

Economic Forecast for FY24. In sharing this forecast with the House Revenue Committee, the Commission also updated its FY23 Revenue Estimate, the estimate covering the now-more-than-half-completed fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Although numbers are still coming on for FY23, the State now has an improved picture of how the revenues for this year are likely to end up.  

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, making it federal law that individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination. Since that passage, accommodations for students with learning disabilities in Illinois have increased dramatically.

To ensure every child has access to quality education, the State of Illinois has implemented a strong statewide program with robust accommodations for various learning disabilities. With the variety of resources and accommodations available to students and parents, it is important to stay informed. This article details the types of accommodations available in the State of Illinois, as well as resources and information for parents.

Women’s History Month is an important time to highlight and honor the women who worked hard to shape our state. This month, the caucus blog will be highlighting trailblazing women in multiple different fields through a series titled The Women Who Shaped Illinois. This is the first installation of this series, The Women Who Taught Illinois, focusing on women who worked in the field of education.

FIRST RESPONDERS
Illinois House pays tribute to fallen Chicago police officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso. Slain in the line of duty, Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso was a five-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. Responding to a report that a woman was being chased down the street by a man with a gun on Chicago’s southwest side, Officer Vasquez-Lasso exchanged fire with the suspect at close range. Officer Vasquez-Lasso was shot multiple times and later died at Mt. Sinai Hospital. The 18-year-old suspect was shot in his head and is in critical condition. Officer Vasquez-Lasso’s family and fellow officers honored his heroism and mourned his death. End of Watch: March 1, 2023.