Families Pushed to Extend Illinois’ School Choice Program at Start of Veto Session

As members of each party lay out their priorities with the start of fall veto session at the Illinois statehouse, scores of school kids benefiting from the soon-to-expire Invest in Kids school choice scholarship program were on the scene. But to start the session, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, advanced a measure out of committee to allow statehouse staffers to unionize. “The way this bill is written, there will be no bargaining over calendars and schedules and how the legislature will operate,” Welch told the committee. “And we have a no strike provision.”