illinois

Gov. Pritzker Confirms Illinois will Enter Bridge Phase of Reopening Plan on May 14th (Chicago, IL) - Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed today the entire state will move into the Bridge Phase of the Restore Illinois reopening plan tomorrow, Friday, May 14th. The Bridge Phase is the final step before the full reopening of Phase 5.

“Time for Me to Drive” Campaign Kicks Off Summer Tourism (Springfield, IL) - House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch joined Governor JB Pritzker this week to kick off the “Time for Me to Drive” campaign to promote the return of tourism and travel to Illinois. After more than a year of hardship since the onset of the coronavirus, it is now time to get out and safely enjoy what Illinois has to offer.

Barickman: 'There is an opportunity for the governor to uphold the promise he made to voters' (Springfield, IL) - Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman is calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to be the man he said he would be on fair maps when he was campaigning.

Bennett: 'State government must do better' to protect vets' health (Springfield, IL) - Veteran state Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Pontiac) says the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home that left 36 individuals dead and more than 200 sick seems all too common.

Welch: ‘Marital equality, increased minimum wage' passed under Madigan (Springfield, IL) - Newly-elected House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Westchester) looks back on the scandal-plagued Mike Madigan era as progressive for women's and voters' rights.

Stoller pushing to pass S.A.L.T. bill 'on behalf of Illinois small businesses' - Sen. Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) is working to pass Senate Bill 2531 through the Illinois General Assembly to help small businesses with a State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction.

Barickman: Emergency housing assistance bill does not prioritize 'renters who have been impacted by COVID' - As House Bill 2877, the COVID-19 Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act, is headed to Gov. Pritzker's desk, many Republicans, including Sen. Jason Barickman, expressed objections that it won't really benefit the right people needing help.

Speaker Welch Announces New Appointment to House Democratic Leadership Team (Springfield, IL) – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch today announced Representative Frances Ann Hurley as the new whip of the Democratic Moderate Caucus (Mod Caucus), a relatively new caucus of like-minded members who advocate for a balanced, steady approach to lawmaking.

Bennett remarks on Illinois population loss: 'People go where the opportunities are' - The 2020 U.S. Census brought unfortunate news for Illinois: the Prairie State experienced a population loss for the first time in 200 years. The state will lose a seat in Congress as a result, and many lawmakers are frustrated with the factors that they feel are driving the population loss.

Guest: Former State Rep. Robert Terzich - The George Brassea Podcast is brought to you by Brassea Global Strategies LLC, a leading political consulting, public policy, government affairs and research firm.