Governor Pat Quinn says he will “review” legislation allowing people to carry guns in public. The measure cleared the General Assembly Friday afternoon.

State lawmakers now have less than two weeks to pass a law allowing Illinoisans to carry concealed guns.

But some say Illinois’ existing system of licensing gun owners is badly broken.

The state is supposed to take away Firearm Owners Identification Cards, or FOIDs,  from felons, the mentally ill and people who have restraining orders against them, like those who have been charged with domestic violence.

FEMA is taking applications for temporary, full-time workers in such areas as finance and administration, writing and public information, planning, individual disaster assistance, information technology and  logistics.  

According to a news release, most of the 78 jobs will be located in Aurora, with others located in the impacted areas.

Illinois has the worst funded pension system in the nation, and lawmakers have until tonight to do something about it. 

The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn by midnight.  After that, it requires extra votes to get legislation to the governor's desk.  Pensions are not the only thing left. 

Recent Statehouse Action:

A bill sitting on the governor’s desk would ban Illinois drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. The measure would still allow motorists to use hands free devices. But some want a law restricting that option as well.

The NIU Black Choir is now known as the Eddie R. Williams Black Choir. NIU president John Peters announced the name change Wednesday at Williams' campus retirement party: the executive vice president is retiring after 43 years at NIU.

Illinois Democrats continued approving a new state budget on party-line votes. The Senate approved spending plans for education --  from elementary and high schools to colleges and universities -- with funding pretty much at last year's level.

Cuts proposed earlier this year by Governor Pat Quinn did not materialize, partly because Illinois collected more tax money than it expected in April.

Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, says funding for higher education is critical because it's tied to the problem of unemployment.

Exelon has filed license renewal applications with the Nuclear Regulatory Committee for its Braidwood and Byron Generating Stations.

The application filing begins a multiyear review by the NRC to extend the stations’ licenses to operate for another two decades.

Byron Unit 1 is licensed to operate until 2024 and Unit 2 until 2026. The plants generated a combined 37 million megawatt hours of electricity in 2012, enough to power more than four million homes.