The Illinois State Police (ISP) have extended the application period for the next Cadet class until Jan. 31. Candidates who successfully complete the Recruitment Examination will be invited to participate in a mandatory Physical Fitness Inventory Test in late March, with training to begin this summer. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, have an associate’s degree or 60 credit hours of college course work. Prospective candidates can apply online at IllinoisTrooper.com....

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month, which aims to remind Illinois residents that human trafficking could be happening in their own communities. According to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the agency investigated 225 allegations of human trafficking of children in Fiscal Year 2019...

Senator Curran and his colleagues on the the bipartisan Senate and House Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform met with representatives from local governments and good government organizations for nearly four hours on Jan. 15...

Following a public outcry about the investigation released by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica detailing the use of isolation rooms throughout the state’s public schools, a joint Senate and House Education Committee, of which Senator Curran is a member, held their first hearing about the controversial practice...

Illinois entered the new decade with nearly 160,000 fewer residents than in previous years, underscoring the need for lawmakers to address the continued outmigration...

In the midst of ethical probes into the Illinois Statehouse, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza recently announced that her office will no longer assist municipalities in collecting fines for violations caught by red-light cameras...

The start of the New Year brought about the beginning of Illinois’ controversial minimum wage hike. Effective Jan. 1, Illinois’ minimum wage increased from $8.25 per hour to $9.25 per hour, putting additional cost burdens on small-business owners across the state. Wages will continue to increase incrementally to $15 per hour by 2025...

Beginning Jan. 1, recreational marijuana officially became legal in the state of Illinois, and dispensaries raked in over $3 million on the first day of sales...

As temperatures drop, the Office of the State Fire Marshal encourages residents to have their furnaces checked and to make sure carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are working properly...

As a new year begins, Illinois residents may be interested to learn about several notable new laws that take effect January 1. The new laws kicking off 2020 cover everything from recreational cannabis sales, to ensuring children are receiving adequate healthcare...

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has recognized more than 17,577 high school students from 726 schools in Illinois for their academic achievements...

The Attorney General’s office has released its annual Safe Shopping Guide highlighting hazardous toys, children’s products and household items that have been recalled during the past year to help Illinois families ensure a safe holiday shopping season...

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is offering holiday safety tips for shopping, travel, winter heating...

Watchdog group Truth in Accounting has issued a report that ranks Illinois among the least fiscally-transparent states in the nation.

State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) has officially been named to serve on the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform. The group is tasked with studying state ethics laws and issues, and to make recommendations for new legislation. “It’s obvious from even a cursory read of state news that the General Assembly is in dire need of better and stronger ethics rules with strong enforcement mechanisms to make them stick,” said Curran. “This can’t be just another blue ribbon panel that offers up little more than window dressing...

People who rely on vital doses on insulin each day will benefit from new legislation that caps increases in costs, according to State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove), a co-sponsor of the bill. “Insulin is literally a life or death necessity for millions of people regardless of its price,” said Curran. “This legislation ensures that it will remain affordable, so no one will have to choose between paying for their insulin or being able to buy groceries...

Over a dozen local students had the opportunity to put their passions and concerns front and center by proposing ideas for new laws directly to State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove). The students came from four local high schools to take part in the Senator’s annual Youth Advisory Council program earlier this week...

During the first week of the fall veto session, new ethics legislation is filed to restore accountability in the legislature, ethylene oxide legislation advances, and more...

Update on the week's happenings in state government...

As Veterans Day approaches, and we look for ways to honor Illinois veterans and tell their incredible stories, State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) is asking constituents to submit a photo and tribute to a loved one who has served in the United States Armed Forces to be displayed on the Veterans Day “Wall of Honor” in the Illinois State Capitol Nov. 4-15...

“This is tremendous news for the people of Willowbrook and the surrounding communities. The risks involved with this facility re-opening were simply too great to the public health...

After a rough and delayed planting season, Illinois’ agriculture industry received good news this week with a Taiwanese delegation committing to purchasing over $2 billion in Illinois soy and corn over the next two years. Meanwhile, Illinois motorists are encouraged to do their part to keep farmers safe as they head back into the fields and hit the roadways for the 2019 harvest season. Also happening this week...

State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) has been appointed to serve on a task force that will develop solutions to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. “Opioid addiction continues to take lives in every corner of Illinois. This is a crisis that knows no cultural, economic, or ethnic borders...

“The Illinois EPA’s approval of Sterigenics’ permit is disappointing, but not unexpected. Since the beginning of this public health crisis I have stood with the residents of Willowbrook and worked with them to ensure this facility never again reopens...

The use of ethylene oxide (EtO) for sterilization could soon be banned in heavily-populated areas, as part of new bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) along with several other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle...