Rep. Brad Halbrook

Today is the deadline for passing Senate Bills out of House committees. Session begins at 9:30 AM today and we'll be live blogging the highlights here so be sure to check back.

How a bill becomes a law in Illinois.

With tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in new revenue at stake, a group of House Republicans today called for a House vote on a bi-partisan fracking agreement currently stuck in the Rules Committee.

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly referred to as fracking, is the extraction of natural gas and oil from the earth through horizontal drilling. The extraction technique involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into rock to release the natural gas.

More than a year of negotiations involving both energy and environmental organizations resulted in a bi-partisan agreement that permits high volume fracking while enforcing some of the nation’s strictest water and air protections. House Bill 2615 establishes the permit process, property owner notification, defines prevention standards and public input timelines. With widespread agreement and more than 50 bi-partisan House sponsors, Republican Representatives today called for the measure to be released from the Rules Committee for prompt consideration by the full House.

Rep. Halbrook pics from Lawrence Co

Flooding continues to impact Illinois residents, businesses and farmers in a big way.

We will keep you posted with updates from IEMA and the Governor's office as we receive them.

Some resources for the cleanup and recovery:

Find your local American Red Cross chapter: www.redcross.org

Ready Illinois: www.ready.illinois.gov

Find your local Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyusa.org

Get the latest road closing information from IDOT: http://www.dot.il.gov/road/roadClosures.htm

The latest river stages in Illinois from the National Weather Service: 

Lawrence County IL

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=ilx