Sound of the State

State Senator Laura Murphy discusses her new law to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclist, and drivers alike on state roads in this edition of the Sound of the State podcast.

State Senators Celina Villanueva and Ram Villivalam discuss recent laws passed by the General Assembly regarding human rights in Illinois, in this edition of the Sound of the State podcast.

New laws regarding human trafficking prevention, protecting the identities of human trafficking survivors, improving educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities, and addressing debt relief scams targeting higher education students are highlighted in this edition of the News Brief.

New laws giving teachers and public school employees greater flexibility for parental leave, expanding eligibility requirements for the state's Rental Housing Support program, increasing access to pancreatic cancer screenings, and improving high-speed rail in Illinois are highlighted in this edition of the News Brief.

State Senator Ram Villivalam talks about the addition of Asian American History to our state’s education curriculum and what it means for the future, in this edition of the Sound of the State podcast.

New laws protecting immigrant communities in Illinois, providing additional mental health resources for college campuses, and giving students more flexibility with their 529 Plan funds are in the spotlight in this edition of the News Brief.

New laws from State Senators Dave Koehler, Christopher Belt, Melinda Bush, and Rachelle Crowe regarding gun safety, increased employment opportunities for women, minorities and people with disabilities, and other issues are highlighted in this edition of the News Brief.

This edition of the Majority Report from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus features State Senators Mattie Hunter, Ann Gillespie, Sara Feigenholtz, Laura Fine, and Robert Martwick.

New laws from State Senators Mattie Hunter, Ann Gillespie, Sara Feigenholtz, Michael Hastings, and Bill Cunningham, covering topics from affordable housing availability to utility payment assistance to special education guidelines are discussed in this edition of the News Brief.

New laws from State Senators Scott Bennett, Suzy Glowiak Hilton, and Laura Murphy regarding education in Illinois are highlighted in this edition of the Sound of the State podcast from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus.

New laws from State Senators Robert Peters, Laura Fine, Sara Feigenholtz, and Rachelle Crowe, covering subjects ranging from the decriminalization of HIV to expanded insurance coverage for infertility treatments to making certain document filings in our court system easier are highlighted in this edition of the News Brief podcast.

This edition of the News Brief from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus highlights bills from State Senators Linda Holmes, Laura Fine, and Meg Loughran Cappel that were recently signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.

This edition of the Majority Report from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus features State Senators Napoleon Harris, III, Robert Peters, Melinda Bush, and Doris Turner.

State Senators Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) discuss issues related to agriculture, as well as their experiences and memories growing up on farms, in this episode of the Sound of the State podcast series.

This edition of the Majority Report from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus features Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, as well as State Senators Robert Peters and Laura Ellman, along with State Senators Ram Villivalam, John Connor, Meg Loughran Cappel, and Patrick Joyce.

New laws recently signed by Gov JB Pritzker are highlighted in this edition of The News Brief from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus, including efforts to continue fighting the opioid epidemic, improve hiring processes involving AI, and improving access to housing for vulnerable residents of our state.

Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus react to the sentencing of the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd, and several new laws have been signed by Governor JB Pritzker, with reactions from State Senators Linda Holmes, Karina Villa, and Adriane Johnson.

State Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) gives an update on his legislation to create an elected school board for Chicago Public Schools, with the bill having passed the House.

This edition of the News Brief from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus features State Senators Kimberly Lightford, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, Ram Villivalam, Dave Koehler, and Robert Martwick on the establishment of Juneteenth as a state holiday, gun safety, efforts to fix the FOID card system, and reaction to the House passing a bill to bring an elected representative sc...

State Senator Robert Martwick discusses his legislation to change the board of Chicago Public Schools from an appointed to elected body. The bill passed the Senate on June 1st.

This edition of the News Brief from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus features State Senators Robert Martwick, Ann Gillespie, and Emil Jones III on efforts to bring an elected representative school board to Chicago Public Schools, expand Medicaid access, and give college athletes in Illinois a way to receive compensation for the use of their names, likenesses, and other traits.