U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, has made up his mind on a 2020 re-election bid. He’s staying out.

Illinois Congressman John Shimkus voted against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) when it passed the U-S House on a vote of 263-158 Thursday. But the Collinsville Republican says he hopes negotiations in the Senate will produce a version he can support when it returns to his chamber.

Congressman John Shimkus says people with a state permit to carry a concealed weapon should be allowed to carry their guns in other states. 

Congressman Rodney Davis says President Donald Trump needs congressional approval for any larger-scale military action in Syria. But the 13th District Republican from Taylorville says he stands behind Trump’s decision last week to launch air strikes on a Syrian air base, without a vote in Congress.

With Democrats in firm control of the Illinois General Assembly, abortion rights might seem to be safe in the state. But what would happen if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion legal across the country in 1973? Abortion-rights supporters worry that an Illinois statute from 1975 could act as a “trigger law,” automatically banning abortions in the state.