AWB (PICA 2023), 10/15-round mag limit, FOID card required, 72-hour waiting period, red-flag law, suppressors banned, training required. Stand-your-ground via case law is a small plus. Preemption weak.

Recreational cannabis legal since 2020 (Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act). Automatic expungement of cannabis convictions (over 800,000 records reviewed). Robust harm reduction including syringe services and overdose prevention. Equity-focused licensing.

State minimum wage $15.00/hr. MIT living wage for 1 adult: $16.66/hr. Ratio 0.90 — minimum-wage workers earn 90% of what's needed to live there alone.

High tax burden (top 10) and high per-pupil spending paired with average NAEP scores and middling infrastructure. Pension overhang erodes the services-per-dollar ratio — NJ-style mismatch.

IJ grades IL C+ (HB 303, 2017 reforms). SAFE-T Act (HB 3653, 2021) - body cam mandate by 2025 with public access provisions, no-knock restrictions, end of cash bail, modified standards for officer misconduct (no QI abolition but expanded liability). BIPA (Biometric Information Privacy Act) is strongest in US. TRUST Act limits ICE cooperation. Geofence warrant restrictions emerging.

No-excuse mail voting; permanent vote-by-mail list since 2022. 40 days early voting (longest in nation). Same-day and automatic registration. No photo ID requirement. Felons vote after release. Democratic-drawn maps have high partisan bias (negative). Recent expansions including paid voting leave. No restrictive laws passed.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2014, plus state-funded coverage for undocumented adults. Abortion strongly protected by Reproductive Health Act 2019. Gender-affirming care shield law. Low uninsured rate. Strong urban provider density. Mental health parity enforced.

SAFE-T Act (2021) major reform package. Statewide BWC mandate phased in by 2025 with release requirements. Officer records more accessible after 2021 reforms. ILETSB decertification with public database (HB 3653). No-knock warrants restricted. Use-of-force standard requires necessity (effective 2022). Chokeholds banned. ISP DCI investigates officer-involved deaths independent of local agency.

Abortion legal and statutorily protected; public funding. Comprehensive LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination. Shield law for reproductive and gender-affirming care. Conversion therapy banned. Gender-affirming care protected. No religious mandates in schools. Strong church-state separation.

Not a right-to-work state (constitutional Workers' Rights Amendment 2022). No statewide paid family leave (Chicago/Cook only). Paid Leave for All Workers Act (2024) - any-purpose paid leave. Federal OSHA but strong Illinois Department of Labor wage theft enforcement. Strong prevailing wage. Domestic worker protections (DWBR). Chicago Fair Workweek scheduling. Near-median fatal injury rate.