GENERAL ASSEMBLY
DEMOCRATS PRIORITIZE BANNING KANGAROOS, HOP OUT OF TOWN. After a legislative session day was abruptly canceled in the House of Representatives during a deadline week for legislation to pass out of committees, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement: 

It is happening in our communities. Often in our own backyards. Modern day slavery, also know as human trafficking, is occurring right under our noses.

Human Trafficking is a crime of exploitation. Traffickers profit at the expense of their victims by forcing them to commit illegal acts, perform free labor, and/or engage in commercial sex. Victims can be of any age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, immigration status, cultural background, religion, socio-economic class, and education attainment level.

Illinois Democrats are pushing a taxpayer-funded proposal that would create a state-based guaranteed income program. Senate Bill 3462, introduced by Sen. Ram Villivalam, would establish the Illinois Guaranteed Income Law. 

Some local and state governments have implemented guaranteed income programs on an experimental basis. Guaranteed income programs provide regular monthly payments to targeted individuals, usually for a defined length of time. These programs can promote government dependency and a reliance on handouts while decreasing incentives to work, all while costing taxpayers millions of dollars. 

For some, the beginning of spring signifies the arrival of new foliage, the start of baseball season, or even just warmer weather. However, for many adventurous Illinoisans, the final days of winter mean that morel hunting season is just around the corner.

Morel mushrooms are a type of fungus best known for their nutty flavor and meaty texture. These mushrooms, which can be found growing on the floors of Illinois’ many wooded forests, are regarded as a delicacy thanks not only to their taste but also their elusive nature. Unlike many other species of fungi in Illinois, morels are a sensitive variety of mushrooms that grow only during the spring months and only under the right conditions, meaning they are as scarce as they are delicious.

On April 8th, Illinoisans will get to experience one of astronomy's greatest marvels: a total solar eclipse. While typically only visible from the same place every three or four centuries, April’s total solar eclipse will be the second time in just seven years that the celestial phenomenon can be seen in the state. Local and out-of-town stargazers who want to experience this rare event can expect to see a total eclipse across southern Illinois at some point between 1:57 PM and 2:08 PM.

Time is running out to file your state and federal income tax returns. The filing deadline for Illinois taxpayers is Monday, April 15. Taxpayers can ask for a six-month extension, but if you believe you will owe money, that figure must be estimated and paid along with the extension form by the April 15 deadline to avoid penalties. 

While millions of taxpayers use a fee-based service to assist with filing their state and federal tax returns, there are an estimated 100 million people who are eligible to utilize several services to file their returns for free. These services can have income and age restrictions; and include VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Preparation), which is provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

Though it may be April Fools Day, Illinois’ comedy history is no joke. The state’s prominence in the world of comedy began in December of 1959 with the opening of Chicago’s most well-known comedy club, The Second City. Located in the young and vibrant Lincoln Park neighborhood, the Windy City’s first prominent comedy club helped usher in a new form of entertainment that combined elements of other art forms such as vaudeville and commedia dell’arte. Improvisational comedy, both short-form and Chicago’s long-form, gained widespread popularity across the country during the 1960s. As The Second City and improv continued to grow, so did the careers of some of the club’s alumni, including Joan Rivers, Roger Bowen, and Jack Burns. Whereas many comedy clubs at the time were nothing more than small theaters, The Second City focused on the development of those who entertained its patrons. The club found itself to be so adept at bringing the humor out of comedy hopefuls that they began to offer comic workshops in the 1980s.