There's a lot happening in Illinois politics. To talk about criminal justice reform, public health, last week's budget address, and more, we were joined by State Representative Sonya Harper, joint chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.

Illinois lawmakers are moving to give judges more discretion in sentencing people convicted of certain crimes.

Health centers in Illinois are forming partnerships with local food banks to offer fresh fruits and vegetables to some patients. With an estimated 1.5 million residents in the state classified as food insecure by the U.S. census, could this be a key approach to improving food access?

Communities across Illinois lacking access to fresh food will soon be tracked. This initiative, which goes into effect mid-2018, will attempt to solve more than one issue in these affected areas.

Half-a-dozen Democratic state representatives have sued the Illinois comptroller for holding up their paychecks during the state budget mess. On her last day in office, Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger called the legislators "cowards." Democrat Susanna Mendoza takes over Monday and has pledged to continue withholding paychecks.