At a press conference held today, State Representatives Tom Weber, Nicole La Ha, and Steve Reick called for urgent reforms to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Findings from the Illinois Auditor General’s July 2025 compliance report revealed 34 violations at DCFS, 29 of which were repeat failures. Also, the death of 18-year-old Mackenzi Felmlee in a foster home in Fairview Heights has raised serious concerns about accountability within the Department of Children and Family Services.

Rep. Weber, who chairs the House Republican working group on Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids, said, “This isn’t about funding. It’s about a culture of mismanagement that continues to put children at risk.”

Illinois farmers are no strangers to hard work, long days, and generational commitment. But when it comes to passing on the family farm, they’re facing a tax burden that threatens everything they’ve built. Despite bipartisan calls for reform, Democrats in Springfield have failed to act.

Illinois is one of just 16 states that still levy an estate tax, and its exemption threshold, currently set at $4 million, hasn’t been adjusted for inflation since 2013. That might sound like a lot, but for farmers whose value is tied up in land and equipment, it’s alarmingly easy to cross that line. The result? Families are forced to sell off acreage or assets just to pay the tax bill.

Each summer, the Office of the House Republican Leader sponsors a summer internship program for aspiring high school and college students. Unlike many other summer internships, the House Republican internship includes an education program designed to expose interns to different career opportunities in the General Assembly and government service.

While interns may be assigned to a State Representative’s District Office or a division within the House Republican Caucus, the education program allows them to participate in weekly activities that include presentations and exercises hosted by experts on the House Republican staff. 

The 2025 Illinois State Fair is only one week away, and this year promises plenty of adventure and excitement at the state fairgrounds in Springfield.

This year’s event features a showcase of Illinois agriculture and products, as well as plenty of carnival rides, attractions, concerts and (of course) good food!

The event kicks off on Thursday August 7 with the annual State Fair Twilight Parade through Springfield and into the fairgrounds.

Legislation introduced in the spring session of the General Assembly would overhaul the funding formula for state universities in Illinois.

It would do so to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and would lower grade point average standards.

If passed, Illinois would be the first state to implement a diversity-based funding formula like this one. 

With August just around the corner, almost 2 million students are preparing to move from their homes to a college dorm or apartment, marking a key turning point in their transition to adulthood. With the transition to higher education comes higher costs. Between tuition, living expenses, books and supplies, and the cost of activities, college remains a huge expense for many families and students.

According to a study conducted by College Pulse and GradGuard, 67% of students are covering the cost of college fully on their own, including anything outside of tuition costs. Affordability remains the top barrier for students, and with the majority paying for higher education themselves, budgeting tips for students are essential to cut costs where possible. 

State Representative Nicole La Ha is leading the charge in how communities think about accessibility. Her work is rooted in lived experience as a parent, a neighbor, and someone who’s seen firsthand how hard it can be to navigate public spaces when mobility is limited.

Rep. La Ha’s advocacy is lived. Her daughter was born with cerebral palsy, and that experience reshaped how Rep. La Ha sees the world. She’s navigated the health care system, fought for better equipment, and watched her child face barriers that most families never have to think about.

CORRUPTION
Judge hands 2 years in prison to ex-ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain, calls bribery scheme with Speaker Madigan a ‘criminal alliance’. Michael McClain, a longtime lobbyist for utility giant Commonwealth Edison who was also a close confidante of then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, has always insisted that what federal prosecutors claimed was an elaborate scheme to bribe the powerful speaker was nothing more than relationship-building. 

Each year nearly 200,000 servicemen and women leave the United States military and transition back into civilian life. Of those transitioning, 55% of veterans cite employment as one of their most significant hurdles during their transition, according to a study conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Politicians of every party in every state in the union are fond of using some form of the phrase, “budgets are about priorities.”

Where and how we spend our money reflects what is truly important to us.

For more than two centuries, the Illinois state budget has been no different – a reflection of the priorities of a majority of the members of the General Assembly and the Governor.

Improving public safety for everyone in Illinois is a top priority for House Republicans. Unfortunately, the majority party continues to back legislation that puts innocent people at risk while blocking any attempts at needed reforms. In recent years, laws such as the SAFE-T Act and its Pre-Trial Fairness Act provision, which abolished cash bail in Illinois, have allowed dangerous criminals who should have been detained back out on the streets.

Vehicle theft remains a serious concern across the United States, though recent data shows a promising decline. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), 850,708 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide in 2024, marking a 17% decrease from the record-setting 1.02 million thefts in 2023. Despite this progress, the financial toll remains steep, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimating that vehicle theft costs Americans more than $8 billion annually.

Illinois House Republicans continue to lead efforts to combat diaper insecurity through community-based donation drives that support families with young children. In 2025, State Representatives Jennifer Sanalitro (R–Hanover Park) and Ryan Spain (R–Peoria) each hosted their respective annual diaper drives, building on years of outreach and growing public awareness of this critical issue.

CORRUPTION
John Hooker, first of ‘ComEd Four’ to be sentenced, gets 1½ years in prison. A former executive for electric utility Commonwealth Edison has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in bribing ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan for jobs and contracts for the Democratic power broker’s political allies.

Shark Week returns here in 2025 with a wave of excitement, education, and conservation, marking the thirty-seventh year of the Discovery Channel's beloved summer programming tradition. Scheduled to run from Sunday, July 20 through Saturday, July 26, Shark Week continues to captivate viewers with its blend of thrilling storytelling, scientific exploration, and eye-opening insights into one of the ocean’s most iconic predators. This year’s theme carries even more cultural weight as it coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the blockbuster film "Jaws," which first debuted in 1975 and has since become a cornerstone in shaping American perceptions of sharks. Shark Week offers something for everyone, especially for Illinois residents who want to dive deeper into shark-themed activities close to home.

Illinois Democrats love to talk about local control—but their actions tell a very different story. In Springfield, they continue to pass down expensive mandates to cities, towns, and school districts, all while starving them of the resources needed to meet those demands.

Whether it’s the unfunded requirements stemming from the SAFE‑T Act, costly zoning preemptions, or education mandates on school districts — the pattern is clear: the state piles on the requirements, then walks away from the bill.

Illinois is more than just the crossroads of America—it is a cornerstone of our nation’s food supply. With more than 2,600 food manufacturers operating throughout the state, Illinois leads the nation in processed food sales, bringing in $180 billion each year. From the rolling fields of grains to the bustling production lines in Chicago, our state transforms raw agricultural goods into the foods families rely on each and every day.

Illinois politics is no stranger to corruption. Considering our state’s history, the past few years have brought an unfortunately unsurprising wave of scandal that shook public trust and exposed blatant abuses of power. From the Capitol Dome to Chicago City Hall, a multitude of indictments and convictions have made one thing clear: Illinois has an ethics problem, and the time for action is now.

Illinois is known for many great things, but one that may not be well known is Illinois’ rank in the wine industry. Illinois is home to two officially recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), which are areas known for their wine producing, called wine regions.

A wine region is just as it sounds, an area where the produce used to make wine grows, most notably grapes. Grapes, however, are not versatile and need different geographical and environmental factors to thrive. This is called terroir and contributes to the different taste of the grapes, which then make different tasting wines. For example, a dry wine will require grapes to be picked off the vines early to create a more bitter taste, whereas a sweeter wine will need grapes that are harvested late to achieve sweetness.

PUBLIC CORRUPTION
Federal prosecutors seek nearly 6 years in prison for Madigan confidant Michael McClain. The feds say a man who once had an “unbreakable” bond with former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan should be sentenced to nearly six years in prison, partly for serving as Madigan’s “agent, messenger” and “henchman” in a lengthy conspiracy involving ComEd.

When you think of big-time sporting events, there’s a lot to offer in Illinois. There’s Cardinals/Cubs on a summer weekend at Wrigley Field, Packers/Bears on a crisp fall night at Soldier Field, Cubs/White Sox cross-town rivalry, and Illinois/Michigan or Illinois/Northwestern football in late fall…and the list goes on and on.

Legislation that would impose a $1.50 delivery tax on Illinois businesses did not pass both Chambers from the latest Spring Session. However, the tax hike proposal did pass in the Senate as part of HB 3438. This incredibly burdensome bill contained a LOT of costly proposals, as Democrats searched high and low for ideas to bail out Chicago’s transit funding woes.

Families maintain and grow a number of fruits and vegetables in their own gardens in Illinois, and in many cases they produce more food than what they can consume. Once the harvest is complete, instead of letting this excess food go to waste, families can consider donating their fresh food to a local food pantry.

There are a number of organizations in Illinois that accept food donations, including churches, local food pantries, larger food banks and the Salvation Army. Residents can use search engine tools online to look up donation centers near them, or consult your local health department. Ampleharvest.org is a non-profit organization that makes it easy for gardeners and farmers to find local food pantries to donate their surplus of fresh produce.

One of the great aspects of life in Illinois are the unique County Fairs that are held from June through October all over the state. 

There are over 100 County Fairs in Illinois, all offering wholesome fun for the whole family. The vast majority of county fairs in Illinois are held in the summer months of June, July and August.

Independence Day, observed annually on July 4th, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a turning point that laid the foundation for the United States of America.

By the mid-18th century, the thirteen colonies in North America were flourishing under British rule. But as tensions rose over taxation, trade restrictions, and lack of representation in Parliament, many colonists began to call for greater autonomy. Events like the Stamp Act (1765), the Boston Massacre (1770), and the Boston Tea Party (1773) deepened the divide between Britain and its American colonies.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
New Illinois Laws Take Effect July 1, Starting July 1, 2025, Illinois will usher in several new laws ranging from education requirements to a ban on small single-use plastic bottles in hotels. The State will also implement several new tax increases as part of the record $55.2 billion Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget, passed by Democrats this spring.

As a general rule, consumer fireworks are not legal in Illinois. The Pyrotechnic Use Act, passed in 1942, bans the sale, possession and use of all consumer fireworks. While legal to buy in most other states,

firecrackers, bottle rockets and roman candles are not legal in Illinois. 

Violations of this law can result in large fines or even jail time, especially in cases where the fireworks are bought in from another state and transported across state lines. Illinois is one of only three states to ban all or most consumer fireworks.

Planning a trip with your furry friend? Whether you're flying across the country or hitting the open road, traveling with pets requires careful preparation to ensure their comfort and safety. Here are some essential tips to make your journey smoother for both you and your pet.

Starting Today, Illinois will usher in several new laws ranging from education requirements to a ban on small single-use plastic bottles in hotels. The state will also implement several new tax increases as part of the record $55.2 billion Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget, passed by Democrats this spring.

New Taxes Taking Effect

Sports Betting Tax Increase

A per-wager tax of $0.25 for the first 20 million bets, doubling to $0.50 after that. DraftKings and FanDuel have already responded by raising costs for users.