Ben Szalinski
@BenSzalinski
Followers
1,957
Following
1,434
Media
612
Statuses
6,712
Legislative reporter with @thedailylineIL | @UISPAR grad | Retweets to inform, sports opinions mine | ben @thedailyline .com
Illinois, USA
Joined September 2015
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Noah Lyles
• 326411 Tweets
#HouseOfTheDragon
• 217269 Tweets
ヒロアカ
• 210162 Tweets
フワちゃん
• 151210 Tweets
ISAC
• 64280 Tweets
Rhaenyra
• 62223 Tweets
Season 3
• 58251 Tweets
#HOTD
• 53959 Tweets
Daenerys
• 52593 Tweets
RFK Jr
• 50725 Tweets
Daemon
• 49065 Tweets
Central Park
• 30539 Tweets
やす子さん
• 30288 Tweets
Alicent
• 27572 Tweets
#ACasaDoDragão
• 24647 Tweets
日経平均
• 24639 Tweets
Aegon
• 21799 Tweets
神さま学校の落ちこぼれ
• 20704 Tweets
もちづきさん
• 19684 Tweets
Saint Dr MSG
• 18269 Tweets
NuNew 4th Single TMR
• 18153 Tweets
ビットコイン
• 17569 Tweets
#RHONJ
• 16248 Tweets
Jace
• 15875 Tweets
Game of Thrones
• 15110 Tweets
モルカー
• 15013 Tweets
Helaena
• 14830 Tweets
jinyoung
• 13034 Tweets
#DemDragons
• 12734 Tweets
BINI BACK ON WISH USA
• 12439 Tweets
Dany
• 10273 Tweets
BREAKING: The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled ending cash bail is CONSTITUTIONAL, ending months of legal challenges and allowing the controversial criminal justice reform law to go into effect. It was a 5-2 vote
#twill
13
215
921
I must be gullible, but I thought the butter cow was actually 800 pounds of all butter... I feel scammed...
25
59
896
JB meets BJ:
@GovPritzker
and Brandon Johnson
@Brandon4Chicago
meeting today to get a start on the next four years
#twill
16
43
400
.
@GovPritzker
signs into law a bill that bans libraries from banning books in Illinois. Libraries risk losing grants if they ban books for partisan reasons
#twill
14
80
389
If you're one of those people who stops on the shoulder on these roads leading into O'Hare, it's time to stop. A bill on the governor's desk will put automatic traffic cameras in to watch for people waiting to pick up passengers on the shoulder.
#twill
No more waiting on the shoulder to pick up drivers from O’Hare under bill on
@GovPritzker
’s desk
Via
@BenSzalinski
@DonHarmonIL
7
3
30
94
32
359
Former Democratic presidential candidate
@TulsiGabbard
in Glen Ellyn tonight support
@DarrenBaileyIL
- her latest stop traveling the country supporting Republicans. Her message tonight: “don’t limit yourselves to only speaking to people who agree with you.”
#twill
17
46
198
This is kind of peculiar 🤔🧐
Hey
@Miller_Congress
, I’m curious why your husband
@RepChrisMiller
sent me a personal request for money? Wonder if Mr. Trump and your people know this? Hypocrite much?
66
214
1K
6
34
165
Does it bother you when you’re driving on 94 or 294 and all of the sudden there’s signs for Memphis, even tho a) I-57 doesn’t go to Memphis and b) there’s a full 5 hours of Illinois before you get to Missouri? Well you’re in luck-
@mbatinick
wants to do something about it
15
21
143
New: Pritzker says he has met with both Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson and said he stressed the importance of a working relationship between the mayor and governor. They both asked for his endorsement, but he told them both he will not be making an endorsement
#twill
18
21
139
Confirmed an open bar for Pritzker. Plenty of wine and beer to go around!
@chicagobars
Sources (the bartender) tell me a Sam Adms costs $7, a class of wine runs $7.50 and a Jack & Coke costs $8.50 at Darren Bailey’s watch party.
24
28
298
1
21
132
A bill to ban assault weapons in Illinois is about to be up for its first hearing. Proponents of the bill led by
@RepBobMorgan
are speaking out in favor of the bill before committee starts
#twill
2
27
122
.
@DarrenBaileyIL
started his campaign opposing COVID mandates. Today he ends it opposing required COVID vaccines for school children
#twill
40
26
117
.
@GovPritzker
at U of I today reacted to
@Brandon4Chicago
's win:
"I think there were a lot of people who were surprised... I think there were a lot of people who thought he would lose by a larger margin than he ended up winning by.”
#twill
/1
3
20
113
Illinois has 11 nuclear reactors. More will be on the way in the future, but this time they'll be smaller thanks to emerging technology
#twill
Illinois ends moratorium on nuclear reactor construction as
@GovPritzker
signs 17 bills
Via
@BenSzalinski
📌
@SenatorRezin
@senvillivalam
@LLCoolK_4
@robertmartwick
@SenatorVentura
🔗
1
5
28
5
20
103
Surprise politics in Springfield today: Democrats drop a bill that would end the candidate slating process in legislative races in Illinois, meaning anyone running in November must run in the primary. No more party appointments to open seats post-primary. GOP is livid
#twill
4
18
90
Comments from
@GovPritzker
today on Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez's recent actions and comments: "I wouldn't have done it and wouldn't encourage anyone to do it, but it's his right to do it."
#twill
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday made it clear he has no intention of dumping a member of his City Council leadership team for appearing at a rally outside City Hall where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
11
3
13
9
21
89
Some personal news, Monday I will join
@thedailylineIL
as their legislative reporter. I’m super excited to get back to covering state politics for a fun year ahead! Follow along for all the action🤩
10
1
86
Vice President
@KamalaHarris
takes the stage in Chicago for the second time in two months to campaign for Democrats. She thanks Pritzker for leading the state- “We got some serious business to do… everything is on the line.”
#twill
0
28
78
"I think there’s a lot to admire about him. He’s a teacher and I believe that he will bring a certain vibrancy to the city and so I’m excited about that."
/3
1
6
78
Should convicted prisoners have the right to vote? A group of Illinois Democrats say yes, especially since many will return to society after their sentence and have kids at home without a parent to represent them at the ballot box
#twill
24
8
78
Senate Democrats have released proposed district maps for the elected Chicago school board. Short thread on how the maps look, starting with the maps themselves, one picture for each half of the city
#twill
1/3
13
26
77
Tom DeVore, the attorney who filed all those lawsuits against Pritzker's COVID mandates, will be the Republican nominee after Steve Kim concedes. Irvin's slate goes 0 for 3 in competitive races tonight
#twill
3
13
73
New:
@GovPritzker
has signed a bill that will use $10M of state funding to forgive up to $1B of medical debt for Illinois residents. It's modeled after a Cook County program.
He also signed a bill to exclude medical debt from credit reports
#twill
2
17
74
BREAKING: The Illinois House passes SB2226 banning assault weapons. It now goes on to the Senate
#twill
4
13
70
Just in:
Illinois Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider issues a lengthy statement calling for Joe Biden to step aside for “a new generation of leadership.”
11
24
73
It was a wild news conference with over 100 parents yelling and shouting down reporter questions.
Bailey said mandating COVID vax for schools is an “experiment” on kids by Pritzker. The state already requires many effective vaccines for school, such as polio
.
@DarrenBaileyIL
started his campaign opposing COVID mandates. Today he ends it opposing required COVID vaccines for school children
#twill
40
26
117
44
21
69
“I think he’s part of kind of a seed change in what’s going on in what politically we’d all call the blue wall.”
/4
H/t to
@JeremyGorner
for making the trip to ask the questions
2
2
71
Another run for mayor by Rep. Chuy Garcia is possible, he says. Garcia said people are calling him about it, but it’s a tough decision because he likes serving in Congress. “I now truly understand why Congressman Harold Washington was so reluctant when he was drafted to run.”
3
17
66
"I spoke with him last night, he was still celebrating and had had a very long day, but we’ll be meeting no doubt over the next couple of weeks as he moves in his transition to make sure that the state of Illinois is doing whatever we can to be supportive of him."
/2
1
3
65
The new senator for the 5th Senate District is Lakesia Collins. She beat out Rep. Jawaharial Williams and two others. The committee was actually headed by Williams’ father, Ald. Walter Burnett
#twill
1
30
61
Today I start a new job as a reporter with the
@nwherald
coving issues around McHenry County! Thank you to everyone with
@UISPAR
and
@jasonpiscia
@DeanOlsenSJR
@justinlfowler
as well as everyone else I had a chance to work/meet with in Springfield for a fantastic experience
11
2
58
The House has approved the Official State Mushroom of Illinois: The Giant Puffball (you apparently can eat it)
The bill going to the governor's desk is an initiative of a Schaumburg-area school
#twill
6
6
59
According to the Kankakee Co SA, this applies to the cash bail portion of the law, not body cams, other police reforms.
The release says the judge ruled lawmakers should’ve submitted cashless bail as a constitutional amendment for voters to decide
#twill
4
17
57
Just in:
Graciela Guzman declares victory in the closely watched 20th Senate District primary. She leads Sen. Natalie Toro 50%-30% with 80% of the vote in.
"We will not settle for anything less than real, bold progressive leadership, and no amount of money can deter us."
#twill
3
15
58
Just after the state Supreme Court heard a challenge from a Republican lawmaker to the assault weapons ban,
@MomsDemand
is holding their advocacy day across the street at the Capitol.
@ILAttyGeneral
is here following his courtroom appearance
#twill
2
19
58
BREAKING: Illinois Senate passes assault weapon ban. Harmon closes “we’ll see you in court.” It now goes to the House for a vote tomorrow
#twill
10
16
55
No endorsement in the Chicago run off from Gov. Pritzker yet. He said he wants to hear more in depth policy positions and wants a mayor who will work well with him. He declines to say who he voted for
On MLL: congratulates her on four hard years as mayor
#twill
7
16
55
Mayor Johnson has basically not answered two questions so far about why the city isn't involved in the county and state's agreement for new migrant funding. His response: "No one in the state of IL and this country is questioning [my] commitment to this mission.”
#twill
8
7
56
9am news drop:
@ILSenDems
have released new Chicago elected school board maps:
- 7 Black majority
- 6 Latino majority
- 5 White majority
No word on future hearings. A vote could come as soon as next week
#twill
17
31
52
Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford declares victory in the Supreme Court race. This means Democrats will hold a 4-3 majority at worst on the court
#twill
2
16
49
Illinois' chief executive
@GovPritzker
reacts to Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity for official acts
#twill
BREAKING: The Supreme Court sends Donald Trump’s immunity case back to lower court, dimming the prospect that he’ll face a trial before the election.
239
549
970
1
8
51
Gov. Pritzker today on City Council ceasefire resolution: "It doesn't really send much of a message in my opinion to the White House."
Pritzker said he's "disappointed" the resolution failed to acknowledge the actions of Hamas.
#twill
Breaking: The Chicago City Council has become the largest city in the country to pass a cease-fire resolution as four months of bombardment by Israel into Gaza has killed more than 26,000 people and displaced nearly 2 million others. The vote was 24-23.
280
516
2K
6
10
49
Sen. Patricia Van Pelt cited "health challenges" in her resignation after missing the entire session by not traveling to Springfield.
But a review of her social media shows she was able to take trips to LA, Vegas, Atlanta and Dubai.
See the details here w/o the paywall
#twill
**Unlocked**
Sen. Patricia Van Pelt didn’t attend spring session in Springfield, but traveled for her business.
Via
@BenSzalinski
@dr_vanpelt
|
@SenatorVanPelt
3
8
13
13
25
51
.
@DarrenBaileyIL
is in Chicago this morning to receive an endorsement from Illinois FOP and
@FOP7Chicago
, which initially endorsed Richard Irvin in the Republican primary
#twill
12
15
48
Illinois gets a 7th credit upgrade,
@GovPritzker
announces. S&P upgraded the state's general obligation bonds to A-, which is the highest from S&P since 2016. It's S&P's third credit upgrade since July 2021
#twill
1
15
48
This is the ICU at
@NorthwesternMed
in Huntley. Today, it was free of COVID patients. The hospital still has a few non-critical patients, but hospital officials said last winter and in spring 2020, this hall was jammed with machines and COVID patients filled the rooms
0
5
47
.
@GovPritzker
not thrilled by city's new migrant strategy Politico reported this morning:
"The city has not told the state where they would like us to put our resources to build new shelters or help them build new shelters...I’m deeply concerned."
#twill
— New Chicago migrant strategy: no new shelters.
— Rev. Jesse Jackson endorses in the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s race.
— Clayton Harris III and Eileen O’Neill Burke tout endorsements in Cook County State's Attorney's race. via
@politico
4
6
15
6
17
45
JB and MK Pritzker make a $105,000 donation for the best cow in Illinois. It’s a very nice cow named Bill from Kewanee, but if you’d like to see it again, Ag Director Jerry Costello said it’ll be at food banks around the state
8
7
43
New:
@GovPritzker
has signed a controversial bill that requires constitutional court cases to be filed in Cook or Sangamon County. The bill is meant to limit "venue shopping" the GOP has done for favorable rulings. It's effective immediately
#twill
3
10
40
Illinois makes history today as the first state to abolish cash bail. This morning, judges will decide if a person should be held pretrial based on risk. Those who supported and passed the SAFE-T Act are outside the Cook Country criminal courthouse celebrating
#twill
12
18
44
.
@GovPritzker
who took a lot of heat on the campaign trail for the law: "We can now move forward with historic reform to ensure pre-trial detainment is determined by the danger an individual poses to the community instead of by their ability to pay their way out of jail."
2
4
43
BREAKING: The state announce they will NOT continue with the Brighton Park migrants shelter following an environmental study. The city opted to continue after finding pollution during the study, but the Illinois EPA has decided otherwise
#twill
2
17
42
First picture is from the ad. Second is from the City Club’s recording
NEWS: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says an ad paid for by the People Who Play by the Rules PAC (which supports
@DarrenBaileyIL
for governor) darkened her skin, and calls the ad racist for "using the oldest dog whistle in the books."
@wttw
17
16
55
3
15
40
Pritzker not being vetted right now for VP, according to MSNBC- opposite of a WSJ report last night.
Pritzker told MSNBC this morning he hasn’t been contacted about VP vetting, but didn’t deny interest in the job when asked if he’d consider it
#twill
Breaking on
@MSNBC
:
The Harris campaign has requested vetting materials from the following potential vice presidential nominee picks:
NC Gov. Roy Cooper
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro
AZ Sen. Mark Kelly
MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
MN Gov. Tim Walz
2K
2K
14K
1
9
42
Senate votes 37-16 to pass HB3062 by
@DonHarmonIL
which will require any state-level constitutional cases to be filed in Cook or Sangamon Counties. This comes after some have gone "judge shopping" to find favorable lower court rulings on the assault weapons ban & others
#twill
5
15
41
Pritzker expressing urgency for the city to get shelter ready with winter setting in:
"The city's been operating it's own methodology process and it hasn't moved fast enough...we're bringing our resources in to try to flatten out those bottlenecks."
#twill
.
@GovPritzker
announcing new migrants plan:
- $30M for a central intake center
- $65M to create a winterized shelter
- $65M for resources like legal aid and housing assistance
The $$ is coming from other areas of DHS' budget so GA may be asked for a supplemental approp.
#twill
2
12
27
6
10
39
House passes a bill creating term limits on legislative leaders to a term of 10 years. Speaker Welch came to the floor to show his support for the historic bill. Speaker Madigan served as speaker for over 30 years
#twill
1
10
35
A wind farm in Lake Michigan?
@senpetersil
and
@RepKamBuckner
want to make it happen. They say it will be a good investment in historically disinvested communities on the Southeast Side
#twill
1
8
38
The SAFE-T Act changes have been posted.
@RobertJPeters
filed a 300+ page amendment to the law in HB1095. More to come throughout the day, here’s the bill if you want a head start
#twill
5
18
36
Last night Illinois elected the first Muslim Americans to any state office with
@NabeelaforIL
and Abdelnasser Rashid claiming victories. Syed flipped a seat for Democrats
#twill
My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district.
And in January, I’ll be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly.
5K
20K
226K
1
15
36
NEW:
@GovPritzker
has signed the SAFE-T Act amendment. He didn't say much about what he wanted to see in it, but says he is "pleased that the General Assembly has passed clarifications that uphold the principle we fought to protect."
#twill
6
11
35
Reaction to Bears proposal from Senate President
@DonHarmonIL
:
“At first glance, more than $2 billion in private funding is better than zero and a more credible opening offer. But there’s an obvious, substantial gap remaining, and I echo the governor’s skepticism.”
#twill
0
7
35
Chicago Teachers Union lobby day in Springfield. The budget’s final details are being worked out as we speak, but the union is pushing for $1 billion of funding for CPS
#twill
107
10
34
@ILAttyGeneral
Paraphrasing-
Rep. Hauter: If a church says abortion is sin, is that misinformation?
Rep. Costa-Howard: The AG's office will make a determination on a case by case basis
Opponents to the bill want to know if religious beliefs could be penalized for being misinfo
3
10
33
The House is 5 hours into a long day of passing bills, but while it’s occasionally stormy inside the Capitol, the storm outside left a rainbow 🌈 over Springfield
1
9
35
Gov. Pritzker on the floor for the assault weapon debate. The governor rarely comes to the chambers. The bill could be historic making Illinois the 9th state to ban assault weapons
#twill
14
5
32
Can confirm. He’s in town for a Darren Bailey fundraiser
#twill
I’m almost positive pillow guy Mike Lindell is in the Capitol…
1
0
1
4
9
33
BREAKING: Illinois General Assembly sends bill to governor that would make Illinois the ninth state to ban assault weapons
#twill
2
9
33
What do you think of Illinois' flag? If you're not a fan,
@GovPritzker
has signed SB1818 (appropriately selected number by
@SenDorisTurner
) that will create a commission to explore new flag designs. The commission will submit some recs in Sept. 2024, so get the drawings in
#twill
8
4
34
The House passes a bill to prevent the CPS board from shutting down any schools until the board becomes fully elected in 2027. Early today, CTU Pres. Stacy Davis Gates called the bill “racist.” Some HDems blast the comments
#twill
6
8
32
“This legislation aims to unify our communities and seeks to restore a right that some of us may have grown to take for granted: the freedom to think for ourselves,”
@ILSecOfState
@Giannoulias
said
#twill
2
6
30
In case this hasn't been obvious for quite a while now, this also means Invest in Kids will not be extended and the tax credit expires on Jan. 1
#twill
The Illinois House just adjourned until January 16. That means veto session is done for representatives while the Senate keeps chugging along.
#twill
1
3
6
0
14
30
#BREAKING
:
@GovPritzker
signs bill making Illinois 9th state to ban the sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines
#twill
1
8
32
House very excited to see
@barbara_isabel
back after an illness. Gets several rounds of applause
0
5
31
If you’re interested in ranked choice voting, the Illinois House Ethics & Elections Committee is holding a subject matter hearing to learn more about the practice. 🧵 on some highlights:
#twill
3
7
31
Reaction on this accusation of racism by CTU from
@GovPritzker
:
"That kind of criticism is uncalled for and especially about the bill that was being discussed and about the person who was leading that bill."
Here's Davis Gates' full remarks:
#twill
The House passes a bill to prevent the CPS board from shutting down any schools until the board becomes fully elected in 2027. Early today, CTU Pres. Stacy Davis Gates called the bill “racist.” Some HDems blast the comments
#twill
6
8
32
6
9
31
The House takes a bipartisan vote to pass
@GovPritzker
plan to make a series of health insurance reforms such as eliminating step therapy and banning prior authorization for mental health treatment
#twill
The House is about to take up
@GovPritzker
’s top policy agenda this spring: health insurance reform. Pritzker is making a visit to the House for the debate
#twill
0
3
18
0
15
31
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson now addressing a joint session of the General Assembly. Follow for highlights
#twill
15
4
30
It’s 24 degrees for the first day of petition filing. Ready or not, the 2024 election has officially begun
#twill
1
9
30
Pritzker didn’t mention it in his speech, but he’s proposing big pension changes that would see Illinois pay off its pension liability by 2048 rather than just 90% by 2045. More here on what
@RepKifowit
’s committee is already discussing
#twill
@GovPritzker
proposes full pension funding by 2048 as House committee explores Tier 2 reforms
Via
@BenSzalinski
📌
@RepKifowit
@MartyForIL
0
0
1
2
10
29
Friday new dump!
Lawmakers have filed legislation on the Chicago elected school board maps, including how they districts will be split for voting, puts new ethics standards in for board members, and creates a Black Student Achievement Committee
#twill
9am news drop:
@ILSenDems
have released new Chicago elected school board maps:
- 7 Black majority
- 6 Latino majority
- 5 White majority
No word on future hearings. A vote could come as soon as next week
#twill
17
31
52
2
21
12
.
@GovPritzker
has sent a letter to
@GregAbbott_TX
"hoping to appeal to your humanity." Pritzker explains the extreme cold Illinois is expected to face over the next week and asks he stop sending people during these conditions
#twill
30
10
26
New top endorsement in the competitive 20th Senate District race: Graciela Guzman
@graciela4senate
gets the endorsement from
@ToniPreckwinkle
, who says she likes Guzman's work with the Healthy Illinois campaign. Guzman is trying to unseat the appointed Natalie Toro
#twill
1
13
28
.
@GovPritzker
announcing new migrants plan:
- $30M for a central intake center
- $65M to create a winterized shelter
- $65M for resources like legal aid and housing assistance
The $$ is coming from other areas of DHS' budget so GA may be asked for a supplemental approp.
#twill
2
12
27
Breaking: The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 against
@dan_caulkins
in his case challenging the assault weapons ban. Caulkins argued the law is "special legislation" because the ban does include several exemptions for some people. The law stands
#twill
6
16
27
A big group of people supporting Invest in Kids. There’s a lot of desperate pleas for support for the program going around the Capitol today. Chances of extending the credit are very, very low
#twill
3
10
26
House passes bill requiring all Illinois employers, private ones too, to give employees 5 days of paid leave. Business groups are neutral. The bill goes to the Senate tonight
#twill
3
9
27
Super excited to be joining
@SJRbreaking
and report from the state capitol for my
@UISPAR
internship in January! Stay tuned for a lot of exciting Illinois storylines!
#twill
0
0
27
Statements from two notable women who experienced sexual harassment as staffers under Tim Mapes. Sherri Garrett on the left and
@alainaxhampton
on the right
#twill
0
20
26
Pritzker says service will start on the Milwaukee District West in 2027 along Union Pacific tracks. Additional stops will be built in Belvidere and Huntley as the line extends beyond Elgin
#twill
0
6
26
.
@ILComptroller
announced this morning her office has paid the last of $297 million of bills from the state's budget impasse. The state's remaining outstanding bills are also not part of a backlog, but now the normal bills the state had to pay each month
#twill
1
8
25
Rep. Jawaharial Williams’ bill to ban people from having their pets on their lap while driving is a spectacular failure after a hilarious debate. Lawmakers like driving with the dog on their lap
#twill
7
5
25
.
@GovPritzker
says he spoke with
@POTUS
who pledged to help in any way he can and agrees with Pritkzer that something must be done about gun violence. Calls gun violence a “uniquely American plague.” Says people should be angry about this
3
5
26
@RichardIrvin4IL
@DarrenBaileyIL
.
@DarrenBaileyIL
: The only thing worse than JB Pritzker is the wrong Republican and that's Richard Irvin
2
7
23
Illinois
@GovPritzker
about to sign historic bill making Illinois 9th state to ban assault weapons. The signing comes nearly six months after the Highland Park shooting
#twill
2
12
25
Not a good start to first redistricting hearing.
@DanMcConchie
has to sit at the witness table because the half of the room lawmakers sit in isn’t handicap accessible
2
9
25