looming, lawmakers in Springfield failed to pass a regional transit funding bill.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson's hiring practices come under scrutiny from the Justice Department and the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear a challenge from Illinois Congressman Mike Bost here with all that and more is our spotlight.

Politics team had a Sharon and Nick Bloomberg.

Nick, let's start with this transit bill and the alleged failure of if you were in Springfield last week, a version of the bill did pass.

The Senate House did not take any action.

Do we know why the stalled out?

That's right.

into the House speaker did not call the bill for a vote and there weren't really members publicly calling for one.

>> It's worth pointing out that there was a Senate version of the bill that passed.

There was also a version of this reform measure in the House backed by state Delgado.

That was a pretty governance reform plan.

But there weren't revenue measures in You know, the timeline was really tight.

Both the Senate and House bills were filed on Wednesday.

Lawmakers, of course, we're supposed to adjourn on Saturday.

You know, revenue measures, especially in difficult budget year are tough for lawmakers.

And the Senate version did get some pushback.

You know, some unions were concerned over things like whole surcharge that was ultimately altered.

Also the idea of using some of the interest from the state's road fund, which did stay and but, you know, there was also some pushback over the potential to expand rideshare fees beyond Chicago, to to the Cook County suburbs, to Chicago suburbs in Cook County, as well as to the collar counties.

And it's worth noting that, you Bird, rideshare companies have a heavy lobbying presidents and a lot of influence in Springfield.

So the RTA, they're projecting a 770.771 Mil.

I do get paid to talk a million dollar shortfall in the operating budget for Chicago Land Transit.

What happens if more support from Springfield does not manifest?

Will agencies have been very clear.

You know, they're going to have to immediately start planning for cuts.

This is.

>> 20% of the budget could be a 40% reduction in service.

Worth noting, these are these are plans.

These are not necessarily going to go into effect tomorrow.

They expect to have enough money to get through the end of the year.

But depending on the time line, they're going to have to hold some hearings to discuss the impacts of those cuts.

Make sure folks are aware of it.

You know, transit advocates agencies really want to see lawmakers go back over the summer to potentially deal with this in a special session.

Governor hasn't said one way or another whether he intends to call one.

It's also worth noting, though, that if they go back over the summer and they pass a bill and they wanted to take immediate effect, it's not a simple majority that will do it.

It needs a 60% vote.

Now assuming they don't pick up significant Republican support, Democrats controlled about 67% of the General Assembly.

So they could do it but not a lot of margin for error there.

And there's a reason why people are calling this the doomsday scenario.

So those 40% of cuts could mean 75 bus lines close.

There are only 127 bus lines in Chicago.

>> And it could cause of the CTA, 7 train lines to shut down, which would have massive impacts on the way people get to work and school and it would be massively disruptive for the city's I asked Mayor Randy Johnson about that a little bit today.

And I think we can listen to what he's going to say.

>> I'm encouraged by the some of the work that has gone forward.

But what happens in this next phase?

We have to ensure, you know that the resources are there to 2.

To give more confidence that as we continue to build a safe, affordable city that the public way can be moved with expediency with a properly funded transportation system.

So I'm going to always remain hopeful and confident that we can get a deal done.

That works for the people of Chicago.

>> Headed to the mayor offer any more specifics.

He didn't.

He didn't seem particularly alarmed by it, but he also didn't say yes, I'm really in favor of that delivery surcharge or I'm in favor of this specific governance change because that's a part of this, too.

And it could severely change her to the city's ability to control what happens at the RTA.

It would probably give more at least the current proposal would give more power to the collar counties and suburban mayors.

What that means for sort of Chicago's ability to control its own transit system is very much part of the equation here, although it's been really interesting to get to hear from some of those suburban lawmakers and >> county executives.

You know, they're concerned about this being a Chicago takeover.

maybe that's a good sign that it is a compromise deal because nobody the 100% happy any other notable bills that failed to progress.

>> Yeah, I mean a flag.

A few of the things that we've been covering for folks in recent months.

There was the idea some new registration requirements for parents who home school their children.

Supporters say these were, you know, pretty modest efforts just to make sure kids are getting an adequate education.

But there was a lot of concern from parents groups about, you know, having their rights infringed upon.

There was also the notion to allow community colleges to offer certain high-demand four-year degrees that got you know, they did move ahead, but it got some pushback from lawmakers including members of the Black caucus.

>> When we heard from the governor last week, he said he was still hopeful that it would get called ultimately know movements.

Another effort that Pritzker backed to ban cell phones in classrooms.

That also did not move forward.

There were concerns about parents reaching their kids, especially God forbid, in some sort of an emergency as well as it being a potentially punitive measure to use against students.

A lot mean, talk, you know, about concerns of kids having cell phones in schools, something had and I know a little So Heather Mayor Brandon Johnson's hiring practices are under scrutiny as we know by the Justice Department, even taking a closer look at his senior staff and other key hires.

What did you find?

>> as opposed to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, his appointments and senior staff are more reflective 2 short of racial breakdown of Chicago, which is one-third white, one-third black and one 3rd Latino.

>> But most of his appointments are Most of his appointment, nearly half are black.

And that is sort of the center of the Department of Justice's probe into sort of his hiring practice.

Mayor is very proud that he has appointed mostly black people to help lead the city.

He says that's appropriate because of Chicago's history, but it has drawn the ire of the White House.

Interestingly, the Chicago Tribune had a nice announces today showing that nearly 85% of the president's cabinet is white.

what's people elected swat of other Chicagoans water.

That was their reaction to this analysis and into the mayor's hiring back.

you know, Chicago, you know, I guess there's and, you know, the old saw that the only issue in Chicago politics is race and it is sort of seen 0 sum game if somebody is black is leading this agency.

That means somebody who's white is not and for many decades, that is how Chicago sort of Rand City hall it was.

This essentially a local version of the spoils system.

Now that has changed and it's supposed to be based on merit and it's supposed to based on sort who can do the best job.

But that is not always the case because it is.

you know, not for any reason that Chicago's, you know, an a motto BS.

Mia, where is my hand?

And that is sort of what all okay.

Nic U.S. Supreme Court said yesterday that it will hear an appeal from Illinois Republican Congressman Mike Bost.

>> About the state's decision to count absentee ballots after Election Day.

What is the substance of his challenge?

That's right.

Bost says, you know, right now, Illinois State Board of Elections as long as it's postmarked by Election Day, it will continue counting ballots for 14 additional days.

Bost says that violates federal law because federal law sets when Election Day.

Is this.

The conservative activist group Judicial Watch is also backing him on this effort.

They've been involved in sort of measures like these elsewhere to pushing back against mail-in ballots.

Now, so far lower lower courts in the boss case.

>> They've you know, they've basically said he doesn't have standing because he hasn't been able to demonstrate that there is some potential harm.

4 candidates for public office.

But the Supreme Court did agree to take up this appeal.

They are expected to hear at some time in the fall, which means we will have a decision sometime in the 1st half of next year.

Probably an interesting one to see, as we know, puts the mail-in balloting has been really it's