Sponsors of a new bill to make voter registration automatic with issuance of Illinois driver’s licenses say it fulfills federal standards for proving voter eligibility and protects against fraud.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the state's first attempt at automatic voter registration (AVR) over questions about fraud and federal compliance.

But the chief co-sponsor of the new legislation, state Rep. Mike Fortner, R-West Chicago, wrote in an op-ed that his bill "requires the applicant to attest to their eligibility to vote, as is required by the National Voter Registration Act and used by all other states that have (automatic voter registration)."

With automatic voter registration gaining momentum in recent years, we decided to look into Fortner’s claim to see whether states that have authorized AVR do in fact require applicants to attest to their eligibility to vote. Read more from PolitiFact 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.

Tune in at 11:45 today to a live-blog of press conference announcing an agreement on Fracking in Illinois:

Representative Mike Fortner

Special thanks to State Representative Mike Fortner for "guest hosting" this week's version of 'In the Know Illinois'.

You can keep up with Mike Fortner via his caucus site here and check out his district using his district map.  He's based in West Chicago and represents the 49th District.

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