July Is National
ICE CREAM MONTH
Wednesday • July 8, 2026
Cocktails-to-go, new state agency among laws taking effect July 1 By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com July 1 marks a second New Year’s Day in Illinois as a new budget takes effect along with more than a dozen new state laws. In addition to the state’s nearly $56 billion fiscal year 2027 budget being implemented and the 1-cent motor fuel tax increase being suspended for the remainder of the year, 14 news laws will go into effect on Wednesday. Cocktails-to-go A pandemic-era allowance is now law six-and -a-half years later. Senate Bill 618 makes cocktails-to -go permanent. Illinois lawmakers passed legislation during the pandemic that allowed restaurants and bars to sell cocktails and mixed drinks for pickup or delivery as businesses were closed to in-person customers. That will be allowed to continue permanently under the new law. AI and bullying Posting unauthorized artificial intelligence images can be considered cyberbullying in Illinois schools under House Bill 3851. This includes posting or distributing sexual images. Creating sexual images of children can also be charged under the state’s child pornography laws under a law passed in 2025. “Many people are using AI to produce harmful materials, which has led to a whole new level of cyberbullying,” Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. “We cannot let our laws fall behind technology. This legislation helps our state meet current challenges and ensures bullying via AI is addressed in the school code.” Illinois lawmakers have broadly sought to regulate artificial intelligence, including its presence in schools. Department of Early Childhood The new Department of Early Childhood will
officially launch on July 1, completing one of Gov. JB Pritzker’s top priorities of his second term. Senate Bill 1 to create the new agency passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support in 2024 and calls for consolidating a variety of early childhood services that are spread across multiple state agencies under one roof. Those include oversight and funding of preschools, childcare centers, home visiting and early intervention programs. Pritzker tapped Teresa Ramos to direct the agency. She worked in childcare advocacy before joining the governor’s office’s education policy team. Lawmakers appropriated $2.1 billion from the General Revenue Fund to the new agency in fiscal year 2027, which also begins July 1. Contraband report The Department of Corrections will have to report more information about contraband in its facilities as the department continues to face scrutiny around substance exposures. Senate Bill 2201 requires the department to annually report data about what contraband is found, where it was discovered, how it got into the facility, and any disciplinary action that was taken as a result. It also requires IDOC to report on medical responses and hospitalizations for staff members, including the cause. Statewide public defender The bricks of the new Office of State Public Defender can begin being laid on July 1, as House Bill 3363 requires an 11-member commission to be appointed by Oct. 1. The commission will identify the costs and funding sources to establish the Office of State Public Defender. The remainder of the bill, including additional processes to set up the office, will take effect Jan. 1. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
READ THE SHOPPER ONLINE! visit issuu.com/myshopper Speaking Of Seniors
Seniors and Trump WOODROW WILCOX I have helped seniors to fix Medicare related medical bills since 2003. I have been disappointed by Presidents Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump for not responding to my letters and faxes asking them to listen to me to help them fix the problems with the Medicare system so that it works better for seniors. Since Trump’s second term started, I have sent letters and faxes to Mehmet Oz, chief of Medicare, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Donald Trump so that I can volunteer to help them fix problems with Medicare to help seniors. None of them have responded. Now, I’m trying to help a woman from Saint John, Indiana who has cancer and bills for cancer. In this case, the hospital, the doctor offices, her insurance company, and Medicare are really slow to answer their phones to discuss problems. A few weeks ago, another client told me that when she called Medicare, Medicare employees made her wait FOUR HOURS on hold to talk to her. The woman with cancer bought a policy from an insurance company that went bad last year by starting to give lousy service to clients. Many times,
I or our clients call that insurance company and hold to talk to someone but after waiting 50 minutes, the insurance company recording tells us that they are too busy and that the caller should call another time. Not giving clients competent and timely assistance to resolve problems and pay claims should land the executives of such insurance companies in jail. I have ideas for motivating such insurance companies to fix these problems to treat senior citizens on Medicare fairly. Maybe you can help me. Please, visit my website CitizenWoodrow. TV to read articles and watch videos about how I have helped seniors on Medicare. Then, call President Trump’s comment phone line to suggest that he or Dr. Mehmet Oz contact me at this insurance agency to let me share my ideas to force insurance companies and others to give better service or start paying the federal government fines and penalties for hurting seniors. The presidential comment phone number is 202-456-1111 or the main switchboard at 202-456-1414. I’m Woodrow Wilcox and I work at Senior Care Insurance Services.
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Real Estate Questions & Answers CATHY & JIM HIGGINS Question: Should I update my home? When we do decide to sell, the new owners are going to change things anyway, right? Answer: As Realtors, we get this one question asked of us over and over: If you can afford to update your home, do it. Don’t go crazy with updates. Save your money, then update within your budget. Why? One, you will be able to enjoy these updates and feel proud of your home and what you have done. Two, it will add value to your home. Home values increase due to inflation and supply and demand. If you have a home that looks great, the buyer demand will be higher, and that will generate a higher home price. And, if the supply (homes currently for sale) is low, your homes value will increase even more. Three, If you choose not to update anything, then do NOT expect a quick sale and do NOT expect to receive the value that an updated home has. The buyer demand for your home will be lower. Four, If you cannot afford to update and remodel your home, there are other less expensive options you can take to
get more value for your home and you can do them yourself. Improve your curb appeal. Make your homes exterior look “Wow.” Paint the exterior. Keep your grass and bushes trimmed. Add colorful flowers. Make your home look Sparkling Clean. Update fixtures one at a time as you can afford it. What does your flooring look like? You can install these beautiful, new types of flooring yourself. Don’t underestimate the power of the first impression, inside & out. If you make the decision to buy a home, along with the benefits, comes some work. Do this work & it is called, “Pride of Ownership.” Take care of your home and you will be rewarded. If you do not want to do the work (or pay to have it done), then you probably should consider renting.Thinking of Selling? Call Cathy & Jim Higgins: Ind: 219-577-5905 Ill: 708-828-3304. Licensed Broker/Realtors in Indiana & Illinois. McColly Real Estate. Website: www.Cathyhiggins.com. Personal Real estate Journal: www. Higginshousechat.blogspot.com