Ben Szalinski
Ben joined CNI in November 2024 as a Statehouse reporter covering the General Assembly from Springfield and other events happening around state government. He previously covered Illinois government for The Daily Line following time in McHenry County with the Northwest Herald. Ben is also a graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield PAR program. He is a lifelong Illinois resident and is originally from Mundelein.
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Fiscal year 2026 budget allocates money to address Social Security compliance concerns -
Democrats monitoring Congress for actions that could force changes to budget -
Service cuts to begin in 2026 without financial help from state lawmakers -
General Assembly approved the partial ban at behest of retailers last year -
Measures passed in legislative session’s final hours -
Chicago Transit Authority and other agencies face $770 million annual funding gap -
Revenue projections have dropped below Pritzker’s proposed spending plan -
Leaders warn lawmakers have little room to expand state programs -
House also approves bill in response to deadly 2021 tornado that hit Illinois warehouse -
Concerns over federal funding and the direction of the economy make this an especially challenging year for lawmakers.
