Illinois General Assembly

President Barack Obama on Saturday endorsed an effort to make Illinois the tenth state to legalize gay marriage. ?President Barack Obama on Saturday endorsed an effort to make his home state of Illinois the tenth state to legalize gay marriage. ?While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect,? White House spokesman Shin Inouye told the Chicago Sun-Times. ?As he has said, his personal view is that it's wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so. Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally.? The announcement comes on the same day that Maine began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples following a voter referendum. (Related: First gay couples marry in Maine.) Illinois lawmakers, who legalized civil unio

11 lawmakers have asked a judge to dismiss a case challenging the constitutionality of Illinois' gay marriage ban. ?Eleven members of the Illinois General Assembly have asked a judge to dismiss a case challenging the constitutionality of the state's gay marriage ban. More than two dozen gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry in Illinois but are unable because state law defines marriage as a heterosexual union filed the lawsuit challenging the law in May. Nine couples are represented by the ACLU of Illinois, while Lambda Legal is representing sixteen couples. The Thomas More Society intervened in the case after elected officials refused to defend the law in court. The bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senators Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) and Bill Haine (D-Alton), last week filed a friend of the court brief in support of the state's law. In their brief, the legislators argue that only the General Assembly is ?empowered to make public policy? and that the ?marriage structure that hel

Nearly 5,000 gay and lesbian couples entered a civil union in the first year Illinois legalized the union. Nearly 5,000 gay and lesbian couples entered a civil union in the first year Illinois legalized the union. The law, signed by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, went into effect on June 1, 2011. The largest number of licenses issued were from Cook County, where 2,504 couples tied the knot. DuPage County came in second with 264 licenses issued, the BurrRidge Patch reported. The anniversary comes as activists launch a new push for equal marriage rights for gay couples. While a bill which would legalize marriage equality in Illinois has languished in the Illinois General Assembly, advocates this week filed two legal challenges to the state's ban. The ACLU of Illinois and Lambda Legal are representing more than two dozen gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry in Illinois but are unable because state law defines marriage as a heterosexual union. The legal challenges are supported by Ill

Representatives Greg Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy on Wednesday introduced a gay marriage bill in the Illinois General Assembly. ?Representatives Greg Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy on Wednesday introduced a gay marriage bill in the Illinois General Assembly, Chicago gay weekly Windy City Times reported. Harris was the primary sponsor of legislation last year that created civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. The move comes a day after a federal court ruled unconstitutional California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, and on the day the Washington House approved a gay marriage bill and sent it to Governor Chris Gregoire for her signature. Gregoire has said she looks forward to signing the bill into law. Citing increasing support for marriage equality, Harris told the AP that Illinois could become the next state to legalize marriage for gay couples. ?The numbers all tell the same story ? that in the last year, for the first time, the majority of Americans believe in full m

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The $6.3 billion budget unveiled by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel last month would trim the city's structural deficit through spending cuts and "targeted" revenue increases, according to an analysis released on Wednesday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two labor unions have dropped their opposition to reforms aimed at keeping existing shows and attracting new ones at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center, officials announced on Friday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn vowed on Monday to veto legislation to expand gambling in the state, calling on lawmakers to start over with a slimmed-down plan that includes more oversight.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Illinois Legislature will be back in a special session soon to deal with appropriations for construction projects, Governor Pat Quinn said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Illinois General Assembly sent Governor Pat Quinn legislation on Tuesday that is aimed at modernizing the state's electric grid.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - With a plan to sell $8.75 billion of bonds to pay bills stalled in the Illinois General Assembly, Governor Pat Quinn is pursuing a smaller, short-term borrowing for Medicaid-related debts.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois companies hit by an extended economic downturn say the state's proposed remedy to its own financial crisis -- a beefy tax increase -- will deplete investment in local businesses, trigger job losses and force companies to leave the state.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is urging lawmakers to legalize gay marriage. A day after the Illinois Legislature approved a bill that recognizes gay and lesbian couples with civil unions, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is urging the state to legalize gay marriage. House members approved openly gay state Representative Greg Harris' bill on Tuesday and senators agreed on Wednesday. The measure now heads to the desk of Governor Pat Quinn, who has previously pledged to sign it into law. Only one other state, New Jersey, currently offers the union, but Hawaii lawmakers are likely to revisit the issue early next year. ?Finally, they [state lawmakers] realized they should have the same rights under state law,? Daley told the Chicago Sun-Times. ?But eventually, [gay] marriage will take place. It has to ? We have to move faster.??These are great citizens,? he added. ?They're a tremendous resource for us in our great city. I'm very proud of the relationship that I had with them over many years. And i

Illinois lawmakers approve civil unions, putting state on verge of recognizing gay couples. Gay rights advocates celebrated Wednesday as the Illinois Legislature voted to legalize civil unions, although some wondered whether the measure that the governor is expected to sign will make it easier or harder to someday win approval of same-sex marriage.

Report: Owners of Chicago Cubs want state help in effort to renovate Wrigley Field. The owners of the Chicago Cubs want the help of the state of Illinois in their plans to renovate Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs franchise is eyeing $200 million or more of tax-exempt bonds to fix historic Wrigley Field, the team's owner said on Thursday.

Democratic Illinois Gov. Quinn earns chance to argue he has mandate after GOP's Brady concedes. Gov. Pat Quinn's quest to become the elected leader of Illinois was fulfilled Friday when his Republican challenger conceded the state's closest governor's race in decades, leaving Quinn to argue he has a mandate to push a tax increase in the face of one of the nation's worst state budget problems.

Illinois gay activists are alarmed by a 'New York Times' story predicting wins for Republicans Bill Brandy and Mark Kirk in the fall. Illinois gay activists are alarmed by a New York Times story predicting wins for Republicans Bill Brandy and Mark Kirk in the fall. Statistician Nate Silver is predicting an 87 percent chance that Illinois State Senator Brandy will defeat incumbent Governor Patrick J. Quinn to take the governor's mansion, and a 54 percent chance that Congressman Kirk will claim victory in the fall over his rival, Democrat Alexi Gianoulias, in the race to represent the people of Illinois in the U.S. Senate. ?Brady is no friend of the gay community,? Rick Garcia, public policy director for Equality Illinois, the state's largest gay rights advocate, told gay website ChicagoPride.com, which collaborated with On Top Magazine on this story. ?He is a hard right wing opponent of our basic rights.? Brady, a former real estate developer from downstate Bloomington, Illinois, oppose

Like herding cats: Plan to leash felines in Vt. city sparks hissing match among residents. A clause in a city law that requires cats to be on leashes has sparked a hissing match among fans of free-roaming felines.

Former chief of staff: Blagojevich said he made deal with state lawmaker for Obama Senate seat. A former Illinois government insider testified Thursday that then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich told him two years ago of an alleged deal under which a lawmaker would stop passage of an ethics bill if Blagojevich would appoint him to Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Ill. Democrats begin pushing forward state budget that delays pension money, trims spending. Democrats in the Illinois Legislature began pushing forward Thursday with a budget that would shortchange troubled pension systems and give the governor broad new power over spending.