Eye On The Statehouse Podcast

Dispatch public affairs reporter Jim Siegel speaks with state superintendent Paolo DeMaria and Chad Aldis, VP for Ohio policy and advocacy for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute about the latest effort to establish state high school graduation requirements.

The Illinois General Assembly plans to work through the Memorial Day weekend in an attempt to address several big issues, including a graduated income tax and a capital plan. The SJ-R's Doug Finke and Bernard Schoenburg talk about it on this week's episode of Under the Dome.  

Washington D.C. reporter Jessica Wehrman talks about how a community wrestles with what to do about reports that the region outside their middle school is contaminated with radioactive contamination.

We're down to the final two weeks of the spring legislative session for the Illinois General Assembly. And there's a big to-do list -- a state budget, marijuana legalization, sports betting, a capital spending bill and more. Will it all happen? The State Journal-Register's Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke talk about it.

On this week's episode of Under the Dome, State Journal-Register political writer Bernard Schoenburg talks with SJ-R health reporter Dean Olsen about Dean's recent trip to Boulder, Colorado, to see how the legal marijuana industry works there. Dean will have a three-part series about his trip starting Sunday in The State Journal-Register. Also, Schoenburg talks with SJ-R Statehouse reporter Doug Finke about the ongoing effort to approve a graduated income tax in Illinois.

Dispatch reporters Marty Schladen and Cathy Candisky discuss the latest findings in the Columbus Dispatch’s Side Effects series. During this we discuss how the efforts in Ohio to reform pharmacy benefit managers have helped this issue to gain national attention. We also talk about a new bill signed by the Arkansas governor which bans spread pricing, other reform laws around the country, and how pharmacy benefit managers are profiting off spread pricing in Michigan.

On this week's episode of Under the Dome, powered by The State Journal-Register, we preview the post-spring break return of Illinois lawmakers to Springfield as they rush to squeeze in as much lawmaking as they can prior to their scheduled May 31 adjournment. Sports gambling, recreational marijuana and a new state budget are all on the agenda. 

Dispatch public affairs reporter Jim Siegel talks with Howard Fleeter of the Ohio Education Policy Institute and Julie Wagner Feasel, member of the Olentangy Board of Education regarding Ohio school funding. During this we address issues of why Ohio school funding is still broken, what is wrong with the current school funding formula, and how we got to this point.

Jack Torry, Washington bureau chief of the Columbus Dispatch, talks about the Mueller report and what it means for President Donald Trump's administration.

On this week's episode of Under the Dome, powered by The State Journal-Register, Bernard Schoenburg and Angie Muhs talk about the ongoing debate over whether Illinois should switch to a graduated income tax, Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot's visit to the Capitol this week and what could be a rematch between U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis and Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for a seat in the U.S. House.

Sunday Editor Jack Spillane and Standard-Times reporter Jennette Barnes talk about the story of a New Bedford woman who was separated from her son after crossing into the U.S.

Dispatch Public Affairs Editor Darrel Rowland speaks with reporter Jim Siegel to discuss the latest gas tax that the Ohio legislature recently approved, talk about what the House and Senate originally proposed on this tax during the negotiations, and what this tax money will be used for. Finally, we discuss some of the different details of this gax tax and how Ohio drivers soon won’t need a front license plate.

A look back at the week that was at the Illinois Capitol.

Washington D.C. reporter Jessica Wehrman speaks with Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington on the latest edition of the Buckeye Forum Politics podcast. In this episode we discuss Trump's emergency declaration on the border, civility, Trump's Twitter account and why he reads so many nerdy government books.

Standard-Times' Sunday Editor Jack Spillane introduces us to newly appointed Park Supt. Jennifer White Smith.

On this week's episode of Under the Dome, SJ-R reporters Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke talk about efforts to get a discussion about legalized sports gambling kick-started at the Statehouse, a big anti-abortion rally that happened this week at the Capitol, the ongoing talks over legalizing marijuana and a new set of advertisements coming out that seek to influence you about the graduated income tax.

On this week's episode of Under the Dome, we discuss the Illinois legislature approving a bill to raise the tobacco purchasing age from 18 to 21. Plus, we talk about a report showing that more Illinoisans are choosing to go to college outside of Illinois.

Dispatch Public Affairs Editor Darrel Rowland speaks with reporter Jim Siegel on the proposed Ohio gas tax hike, where the funds for this proposed gas tax will go, and discuss the initial gas tax proposal from Gov. Mike DeWine. Finally, we talk about the proposed plan from the Ohio House and the potential new fee that will be applied to electric and hybrid vehicle owners.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week introduced his graduated income tax plan, which would discard the state's flat income tax and replace it with different tax rates that depend on how much money you make. Angie, Doug and Bernie explore the financial and political ramifications.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine delivers his first State of the State address. During this the republican delivers his first assessment of the state and highlights some of his plans for Ohio during his first term as governor.