Illinois smokers could soon see a huge increase in the cost of a pack of cigarettes. The Illinois House today approved a plan to more than double the tax on cigarettes, to $1.98 a pack. Other tobacco products would see a similar increase.
Three bills stand out among those receiving attention Wednesday in the Illinois Legislature. One has to do with health-insurance costs for state retirees. Another is in response to the comptroller scandal in Dixon. The third seeks to end the scandal-plagued legislative scholarship program.
