Share Tweet Share Email
Tag: Washington D.C.
Photo of stock market ticker
In Washington, D.C. … Now that Congress and the president have agreed to a plan to reduce spending and the federal deficit, we are awaiting the details of which federal programs will be reduced and by how much. Congress is on a four-week recess, returning after Labor Day. THE MOST IMMEDIATE REACTION to the recent...
The White House
In Springfield … Gov. Pat Quinn today signed Senate Bill 2185, known as the Illinois DREAM Act (now Public Act 97-0233). This act is intended to make college more affordable for undocumented immigrants. It allows anyone with a Social Security number to enroll in a state-administered college savings program. It also establishes an Illinois DREAM Fund Commission...
Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield. Photo courtesy Illinois Board of Tourism.
In Springfield … Illinois House and Senate Republicans filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, July 20, seeking to invalidate the redistricting maps approved this Spring by the Illinois General Assembly on the grounds that the maps: Violate the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 because African-Americans and Latinos have not been provided a “fair...
In Springfield… Governor Pat Quinn, in the last hours of the state fiscal year, used his amendatory veto powers to cut $336 million from the FY 2012 appropriations sent to him by the General Assembly.  The majority of the cuts ($276 million) will be to Medicaid, with $90 million cut from the school bus program...
Map of Illinois
In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly convened for one day Wednesday, June 22, to handle some matters left over from the spring session, most notably the passage of the FY2012 capital bill (SB 2414). The Senate amendment added in the last days of session was removed, and the bill was sent Thursday, June 23, to Gov. Quinn....
In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly comes back in session today. The purpose of this session is to deal with some outstanding issues, most importantly, the capital bill. The Senate had added an amendment that included more than $400 million in additional funding, including $17 million for the Monetary Assistance Program. The House had refused to...
Photo of U.S. Capitol
The Senate and the House of Representatives have both taken a week of district time over the last several weeks, with both chambers scheduled back this week. The major issue facing Congress and the Obama administration is the need to increase the nation’s debt ceiling before the U.S. government begins to default on its borrowing,...
Gerald Blazey, a Distinguished Research Professor of Physics at Northern Illinois University and special advisor for science to NIU President John Peters, will lend his expertise in the coming years to another president: Barack Obama. Blazey has accepted a two-year post as a senior policy advisor for the physical sciences in the White House Office of...
Congress came back in session last week after several weeks of spring recess. The two main agenda items they have been dealing with are the issue of raising the debt ceiling and the FY2012 budget. I previously reported that the U.S. government will reach the limits of its authority to borrow any additional funds this month. However,...
Photo of U.S. Capitol
We are hearing details about the compromise Continuing Resolution (CR) that was approved last week that will fund the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011 (through Sept. 30, 2011). The final CR includes nearly $40 billion in reductions from FY 2010 levels. For higher education programs, there is good and bad news. The...
The White House
The current Continuing Resolution (CR) that has been keeping the federal government running is set to expire Friday, April 8. President Obama announced this week that he will not sign another stopgap bill without first reaching an agreement with Congress over the 2011 budget, even if it means a government shutdown when the current CR expires....
NIU communication professor Laura Vazquez this week will screen her award-winning documentary on homelessness, titled “on the edge,” before an audience that will include members of Congress. Vazquez spent four years working with Diane Nilan, a nationally known advocate for the homeless, to tell the stories of seven women and their children struggling to find...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7