Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

Spread the love

(The Center Square) – A bill offering career technical education classes as an alternative to Illinois’ foreign language mandate is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 3070 on Sunday.

The measure provides that high school students can still take two years of foreign language but will now have the option to take CTE classes starting in 2028.

NONPROFIT INVESTMENT BILL PASSED

The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation allowing the state treasurer’s office to set up an investment pool for nonprofit organizations.

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said Senate Bill 2968 is intended to help nonprofits strengthen their financial stability and maximize resources that help communities.

Frerichs told The Center Square last fall he would keep working on the legislation that was vetoed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer.

COOK COUNTY ANNOUNCES MINIMUM WAGE HIKE

Minimum wages will be going up in Cook County on July 1.

The county’s Commission on Human Rights issued a notice on Monday that the minimum wage for non-tipped workers over the age of 18 will increase from $15 to $15.40 and the minimum for tipped employees will rise from $9 to $9.25.

Cook County’s minimum wage is based on the greatest rate among the federal minimum wage, Illinois minimum wage, or on the county’s calculation using the Consumer Price Index.

CHICAGO ANNOUNCES BUDGET ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

Chicago officials have announced a series of five budget engagement roundtable events, starting Wednesday at Malcolm X College. T

he events are open to the public and will be livestreamed on social media platforms. More information is available at the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget engagement website.

The city’s $16.7 billion budget passed in December includes higher taxes on cloud computing, liquor and plastic bags, along with rideshare surcharges and a roughly $1 billion sweep of tax-increment financing funds to Chicago Public Schools.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Envelopes with white powder sent to two Texas ICE offices, no public threat

Envelopes with white powder sent to two Texas ICE offices, no public threat

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas remains ground zero for targeted attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In the past few months, ICE facilities in Texas have been...
Georgia GOP thanks Greene; Trump says she 'went bad'

Georgia GOP thanks Greene; Trump says she ‘went bad’

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square Less than 24 hours after the surprise resignation of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican received thanks from the state Republican Party and...
Texas governor, members of Congress lead effort to ban Sharia law in US

Texas governor, members of Congress lead effort to ban Sharia law in US

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square An anti-Sharia law movement is being led by Texas Republicans, including Texas’ governor and members of Congress. Gov. Greg Abbott this week issued three directives...
California loses one taxpayer per minute, Florida gains

California loses one taxpayer per minute, Florida gains

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Florida welcomes a new taxpayer about every two minutes while California loses one about every minute, according to new data. An analysis of data from...
Screenshot 2025-11-21 at 1.05.10 PM

Manhattan Appoints Rosemaria DiBenedetto as New Village Administrator

Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 18, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Village Board on Tuesday appointed Rosemaria DiBenedetto, a public administrator with over 30 years of municipal government experience,...
Meeting Briefs

Manhattan School Board Honors Top Student-Athletes and Academic Achievers

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education celebrated student excellence by recognizing three cross country state qualifiers and three...
Meeting Briefs

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Executive Committee for November 13, 2025

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | November 13, 2025 The Will County Board’s Executive Committee met on Thursday, November 13, 2025, with its agenda dominated by a lengthy series...
SCOTUS issues stay in Texas redistricting case

SCOTUS issues stay in Texas redistricting case

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting it to stay a federal district court ruling in a...
Marjorie Taylor Greene leaving Congress in January

Marjorie Taylor Greene leaving Congress in January

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Friday evening she is resigning from Congress effective Jan. 5, 2026, citing personal attacks by President Donald Trump behind...

WATCH: Trump, Mamdani meeting cordial with leaders finding common ground

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square After pelting each other with political insults over the course of several months, President Donald Trump and New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appeared to have...
Study: K-12 public spending nears $1 trillion in U.S.

Study: K-12 public spending nears $1 trillion in U.S.

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square School districts across the country have significantly increased spending since 2020, even as they face steep declines in student enrollment and academic performance, according to...

WATCH: Power grid regulator says PNW in ‘crosshairs’ for potential winter blackouts

By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square The Pacific Northwest could be facing a challenging winter ahead when it comes to the demand for power and potential blackouts. The North American Electric...
Pritzker suggests he’s open to tweaking SAFE-T Act after train passenger fire

Pritzker suggests he’s open to tweaking SAFE-T Act after train passenger fire

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) - Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is suggesting he would be open to amending the state’s SAFE-T Act after...
Arizona attorney general to appeal 'fake electors' ruling

Arizona attorney general to appeal ‘fake electors’ ruling

By Dave MasonThe Center Square Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Friday she will appeal a ruling in the “fake electors” case. She is asking the Arizona Supreme Court to...
Illinois quick hits: Small business grants announced; new Naperville DMV

Illinois quick hits: Small business grants announced; new Naperville DMV

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Small business grants announced Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have announced nearly $10 million...