In Illinois ...

On Tuesday, lawmakers traveled back to Springfield to begin the second half of their regular session. High on the agenda is a proposed rewrite of the state's telecommunications regulations, which is being pushed by politically-connected communications companies such as AT&T (pic 6). The State Senate also passed a redistricting reform bill that may or may not see the light of day in the House.

The state budget crisis, however, remains unresolved -- a point driven home on WTTW this week by an exasperated Elizabeth Brackett (pic 2). While the state unemployment rate creeps up and lawmakers bicker about revenue proposals, home care providers and social service agencies are essentially acting as the "state's banker," hospitals are cutting off birthing services, school districts are in danger of eliminating cost-effective pre-kindergarten classes, and universities are cutting to the bone. Our advice? The General Assembly should remember that Illinois' income tax structure treats wealthy residents extremely well. They should also listen to the 15,000 people planning to rally in Springfield in support of House Bill 174 next week and pass legislation that will deliver tangible outcomes.

In Chicago ...

Progressives on the Chicago City Council introduced two exciting ordinances. The first would force energy company Midwest Generation to reduce pollution at its two Chicago coal-fired power plants (pic 4). The second would require companies that accept any public subsidy from the city -- including tax increment financing  (TIF) dollars -- to pay their workers a living wage.

Just across the street from City Hall on Thursday, anti-tax tea partiers descended on Chicago's Daley Center. Both the Tribune's Eric Zorn and local blogger Carl Nyberg posted interesting thoughts on the rally.

Also, Thursday marked what would have been Harold Washington's 88th birthday.

In Washington ...

With the health care bill passed, immigration reform is emerging as a top issue in Washington. We shot video at a packed Saturday rally on Chicago's West Side (pic 1), where a diverse roster of speakers urged Sen. Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to keep up the fight for comprehensive reform in Washington.

Durbin also played a key role this week in pushing a temporary extension of the filing deadline for unemployment benefits, which President Obama signed into law Thursday night. Rep. Peter Roskam was the only Illinois member of Congress to vote against the measure -- even though it protected doctors from a big reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, a problem Roskam highlighted earlier in the week.

Andy Stern (pic 5) shook up the labor world when he announced his retirement as president of the Service Employees International Union. Democrats like Rep. Phil Hare will miss Stern's voice in Washington as they attempt to hold Massey Energy CEO Doug Blankenship accountable for the tragic deaths of 29 West Virginia miners in a mine explosion on April 5.

On The Campaign Trail ...

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk (pic 7) couldn't let Tax Day slip by without taking a swipe at President Obama and Alexi Giannoulias on economic policy. But Kirk, who has taken his fair share of contributions from corporations and federal lobbyists this cycle, omitted some crucial context in his attack.

Speaking of Giannoulias, his campaign raised $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2010. Meanwhile, Democratic Cook County board president nominee Toni Preckwinkle (pic 3) announced that she will not be supporting Forrest Claypool's independent bid for Cook County assessor. 

On the North Side, Joel Pollak said on Fox News that he decided to challenge Rep. Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District after attending a health care town hall last year in which she purportedly "suppressed questions." We provided video evidence proving she did nothing of the sort.

In federal news, speculation surfaced that the White House might consider Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (pic 8) to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Finally, Progress Illinois is hiring! Check out the details here.