Tom Butala

In response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s calls for tort reform, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) scheduled a meeting of the House Committee of the Whole for Tuesday to hear testimony from victims of medical malpractice.

While speaking during a Monday City Club of Chicago event, U.S. Congressman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) called for passage of bipartisan trade legislation giving the president greater authority to negotiate trade agreements.

Trade promotion authority bills before both the House and Senate would expedite the passage of trade agreements the U.S. is considering with Pacific and European countries by granting the president greater authority to negotiate trade agreements and giving members of Congress less power to alter the deals.

The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a decision from the Sangamon County Circuit Court declaring the state’s 2013 pension reform law unconstitutional. As a result of Friday’s decision, Gov.

Cook County officials during a Thursday City Club of Chicago event discussed ongoing efforts to reform the county’s criminal justice system.

Aldermen raised concerns about the Chicago Department of Transportation’s “People Plaza” plans during a Tuesday meeting of the City Council Budget Committee before unanimously approving expansion of the initiative. The program is designed to promote cultural activities and improve quality-of-life in neighborhoods throughout the city.