Kane County Reporter

More than 155,000 standard IDs and driver's licenses have been issued to noncitizens in Illinois within five months of a new law coming into effect. This law, enacted in July, allows noncitizens to obtain standardized state driver’s licenses, replacing the Temporary Visitor Driver’s License that was marked with a purple banner stating "Not Valid For Identification." The new license features a red banner with "Federal Limits Apply."

According to Max Walczyk from the Illinois Secretary of State's office, since the law's implementation, 49,852 state IDs and 106,026 driver's licenses have been issued to noncitizens. House Bill 3882 led to this change despite opposition from most House Republicans.

In other news, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie joined a Midwest Delegation to Israel organized by the State of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During her visit, she expressed support for Israel and plans to refile a resolution commemorating events from October 7th.

State Representative Bradley Fritts criticized President Joe Biden's decision to commute Rita Crundwell's sentence. Crundwell had been convicted of embezzling over $50 million from Dixon city funds. Fritts described the commutation as an insult to taxpayers and raised concerns about whether Crundwell would still be required to repay the stolen money.

The Illinois Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the smell of cannabis provides probable cause for vehicle searches. This decision maintains that unsmoked cannabis must be transported in odor-proof containers following its legalization in 2020.

Illinois' unfunded pension liabilities have reached nearly $143.7 billion according to a report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA). The report highlights significant shortfalls across five state pension systems with varying funding ratios. These liabilities pose potential risks for Illinois' credit rating which is currently at single-A status.