Illinois will receive $43.5 million through a federal grant to be used in the fight against opioid abuse. About $29 million of that will go to increase the availability of addiction treatment and to help reduce overdose-related deaths through prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives.

Are you looking for a job in Illinois? Are you looking to move elsewhere in the state? WalletHub released a list of more than 120 Illinois cities, ranking them based on their labor-market health.

Low-income residents, seniors, and people with disabilities in needing winter heating assistance can begin applying for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Oct. 1.

Over the last four years, the ISBE has addressed teacher shortage issues through legislative and regulatory changes; still, some school districts continue to struggle to staff classrooms.

Gov. Bruce Rauner today declared a harvest emergency to help level the playing field between Illinois farmers and crop haulers and those in neighboring states.

For the first time, Illinois high school students will have access to information that shows how much they might earn if they graduate from colleges and universities located in the state.

Gov. Bruce Rauner joined Illinois State Police (ISP) officers today to dedicate a portion of Interstate 74 in memory of a state trooper who was killed in a car crash in the line of duty.

An effort to raise the legal purchasing age for tobacco and similar products to 21 from 18 was vetoed Aug. 24 by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

High school students will soon have another option to help prepare them for their future careers. Seeking to connect talented young people with good-paying jobs that don’t necessarily require a college degree, House Bill 5247 requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to adopt rules that would allow students ages 16 and older to participate in industry-based occupational apprenticeship programs.

A new law will ease weight-limit restrictions on state highways during harvest time, improving the competitive outlook for Illinois farmers and agricultural commodities haulers as a way to assist the state’s leading industry: agriculture.

Veterans with disabilities will now have their Disabled Veterans’ Standard Homestead Exemption follow them to a new residence, even if they move during the middle of the year, now that Senate Bill 2306 has been signed into law.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation creating a merit-based scholarship program for Illinois students and a task force to help share college and career interest data between high schools and higher education institutions. Both initiatives are products of the Higher Education Working Group focused on making the state’s colleges and universities more affordable and accessible for Illinois students.

Five new state laws take steps toward addressing the state’s ongoing opioid crisis and improving access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Hunters’ apparel selection will now include blaze pink under legislation recently signed into law.

Gov. Rauner today signed legislation that requires gas storage field owners to notify local communities if natural gas leaks threaten to expose residents and businesses to contaminated water. The new law also mandates annual storage field inspections by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

New state laws will streamline veteran identification services and make it easier for homeless veterans to access critical medical benefits they have earned. House Bill 4848 requires health care providers to provide one free, complete copy of a patient’s medical records if the patient is an indigent homeless veteran.

In response to the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, new laws intended to cut red tape for teachers and offer more teaching opportunities for military spouses, were recently signed into law.

A new law seeks to increase Illinois seniors’ access to high-speed Internet and provide more convenience with permanent identification cards.

A package of legislation was signed this week to benefit Illinois farmers and ag businesses. With more than 72,000 farmers and 2,400 food manufacturers in the state, Illinois leads the nation in food processing, and ag commodities businesses produce $19 billion annually—and billions more is stimulated by ag-related industry.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Rose that gives the state’s colleges and universities tools they need to attract in-state students with improved financial aid plans, a more liberal application of credit transfers, and increased student counseling supports.

Legislation built upon Urbana based Carle Hospital’s Healthy Beginnings program that seeks to provide workforce training and employment skills to those out of work, underemployed, or those at the lowest income levels was signed into law Aug. 10 by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center, a new patient-focused helpline with representatives who will identify personalized solutions to address insulin affordability, is now available to residents in the U.S. and all U.S. territories.

During the last 10 years, delays in getting individuals approved for nursing home care have led to a backlog of 15,000 cases, with some taking up to a year to resolve. The problems stemmed from a complicated bureaucratic process of rules and regulations at the Federal and State levels, an antiquated computer system, and a staffing shortage.

On July 31, the Governor signed legislation that encourages medical professionals’ participation in the initiative to equip police officers with epinephrine auto-injectors (also known as EpiPens) for allergy-related emergencies.

A new law recently signed by the Governor will boost protections for Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers, in the wake of a violent attack on a local DCFS worker last year that led to her death in February.