IL House Speaker Chris Welch discussed cash bail's ending, the recently passed Workers' Rights Amendment, the state budget, and more.

Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the Speaker of Illinois House of Representatives, talked with The 21st in the hour before Governor JB Pritzker's 2022 State of the State and budget address. He addressed everything from taxes to fighting crime.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is supporting legislation that would let college athletes get paid for endorsements.

Illinois is poised to become the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana after lawmakers approved a massive 610-page proposal that is touted as one of the most equitable in the country. 

With teachers devoting much of their time to preparing students for standardized tests, penmanship has disappeared from the curriculum in many schools. A new state law approved Wednesday will bring it back, to ensure elementary students get instruction in cursive writing — sometime between 2nd and 5th grade.