Illinois in Focus

(The Center Square) – A day after launching a new political action committee to support Democratic Party candidates around the country, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined Texas Democrats at an event in Dallas on Wednesday. Pritzker spoke just hours before Republicans opened a two-night convention in Dallas and said the GOP is clinically deranged and out of touch. “And of course, we have Donald Trump himself, a president suffering from dementia,” Pritzker said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A new tax set to be imposed will soon make hotel rooms in Springfield the second-most taxed in the state, behind the city of Chicago. Debate over the new tax saw economic development pit against a burden the tax could place on the local hotel industry. A new 3% hotel tax passed by the Sangamon County Board on Tuesday is planned to fund an expansion of the publicly owned Bank of Springfield Center, which the county hopes to break ground on in the fall of 2027.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday, Illinois elected officials are urging residents to send any mail-in ballots to be cast in the midterms ahead of election day. The highest court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to maintain an executive order placing restrictions on mail-in voting across the country, requiring the U.S. Postal Service to cross reference Homeland Security lists of legal citizen eligible voters. Ed Yohnka, spokesman for Illinois ACLU, said the ruling was disappointing but would allow the group's case to be ruled on to potentially block the executive order’s rule based on its merits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A slate of Democrats running in statewide races appeared at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday during a campaign event, discussing what they could do to push back against President Donald Trump’s administration during a campaign event. Retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., appeared alongside the slate of statewide officials and candidates. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul let other politicians, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his running mate, Christian Mitchell, did most of the talking about the state suing the federal government repeatedly over a variety of different policies alongside other Dem AGs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois State Fair is expected to generate about $100 million of economic impact after taxpayers invested nearly $190 million for infrastructure and programming. The fair is set to run from Thursday morning until Sunday, August 23 at the state fairgrounds in Springfield. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said both the Illinois State Fair and the Du Quoin State Fair are important to the economy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois House of Representatives committee decided it will move forward with an investigation into a number of complaints against a central Illinois lawmaker, but only after the special committee receives input from the U.S. Attorney's Office that brought charges against her. The first hearing of the Special Investigating Committee held at the State Capitol Thursday was largely procedural. Chaired by Assistant Majority Leader Curtis Tarver II, D-Chicago, committee members heard a complaint filed by 11 House Republicans regarding the federal indictment brought against Rep. Carol Ammons for an alleged kickback scheme involving state grant money. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, issued a statement calling for legislation he introduced to bring further ethics reform to Springfield following the unanimous vote by the Legislative Ethics Commission to release an investigation report into former Rep. Harry Benton, who was accused of sexual harassment. Rashid’s House Bill 3562 would bring the Legislative Inspector General’s authority in releasing publicly details of an investigation without the approval of lawmakers or a significant delay. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and House GOP members have continued to call for Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to consider similar ethics reform proposals introduced by Republican members, while questioning if Welch followed ethics rules already in place. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – After reporting about a now-resigned state representative and allegations that Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch may have mishandled allegations against the lawmaker, new questions are being raised about the speaker’s own behavior, particularly toward women on staff. The Chicago Tribune reported details last week from an unnamed former staffer of former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment in 2023. Questions arose as to why Welch didn’t take immediate action on the complaint made to his office until a second woman, this time a lobbyist, reached out with her own complaint about Benton earlier this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) — Illinois State Rep. Carrol Ammons, federally indicted on multiple charges of wire fraud, pleaded not guilty in her first court appearance Thursday morning. With the courtroom gallery at its maximum capacity of 49 people, roughly 30 people, consisting of members of the public — along with friends, family and supporters of the representative — were sent to watch the hearing in an overflow room in the Urbana federal court building. Ammons, charged with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of witness tampering, entered a not guilty plea beside her two lawyers, Mutaquee Akbar – who is from Florida – and Angela Reany – an attorney from the Carbondale area. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois state representative faces multiple counts of wire fraud and providing a false statement, according to a federal indictment released Tuesday night. State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, was charged with eight counts of wire fraud surrounding an alleged kickback scheme involving campaign contributions. She was also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. Her husband, Aaron Ammons, the Champaign County clerk of courts, also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of evidence. Neither Carol nor Aaron Ammons responded to The Center Square's request for comment. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against an executive order by President Donald Trump Tuesday, which sought to ban birthright citizenship nationwide. A number of political heavyweights in Illinois have weighed in on the judgement. The court heard arguments and ultimately struck down the president’s February 2025 order stripping birthright citizenship protections from children born after Feb. 19, 2025, whose parents are either illegally present in or temporary residents of the United States. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says higher proposed Illinois Tollway rates are for many users that travel to and from other states. Illinois Tollway officials are proposing a toll increase of about 45 cents per toll for IPASS users and a 30% rate hike for commercial IPASS users. At a ribbon cutting for building solutions company Amrize in Chicago on Tuesday, a reporter from The Center Square asked the governor about the potential burden on companies that move materials in Illinois. “I want to be clear that many of the trucks, many of the cars that are traveling on our tollways are actually from out of state and going to other states, so they're actually not Illinois companies and not Illinois individuals,” Pritzker said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a $55.9 billion state budget for fiscal year 2027, with tens of millions of dollars included for non-governmental organizations. The governor placed his signature on the new spending plan in Chicago on Tuesday, calling it his eighth straight balanced budget. “This budget lowers costs for everyday Illinoisans and protects our state’s fiscal health and continues the economic progress we have worked so hard to build over the last seven-and-a-half years,” Pritzker said. The revenue plan imposes new taxes on digital advertising, digital assets, fantasy sports and prediction contests, places new limits on income tax carryover deductions, creates a social media platform fee and raises environmental filing fees and the retail tire tax. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says there could be a special legislative session in Illinois this summer, but he won’t raise people’s taxes to pay for a new Chicago Bears stadium. Pritzker spoke in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon and said there could be a special session if the General Assembly can get together on one piece of Bears legislation. “The first priority for me is we're not raising people's taxes to pay for a privately owned stadium, that’s number one, or any stadium for a billionaire-owned family,” Pritzker said. The governor also said the legislature would be meeting again in few months. Fall veto session is scheduled Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois’ new budget for fiscal year 2027 protects working families from new taxes, but Republican state Rep. Blaine Wilhour says the governor can’t stop asking for more. The governor touted investments in housing, education and health care in the $55.9 billion spending plan approved by the General Assembly on Monday. “We made all of those people-first investments while maintaining our positive fiscal trajectory and protecting working families from paying new taxes,” Pritzker said. The state’s latest revenue package includes Pritzker’s social media platform fee, which the governor suggested could generate $200 million for public education. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Illinois may soon have a prescription affordability board to impose price caps on drugs, but questions are being raised over the proposed board’s potential effectiveness and lack of budget appropriations. Senate Bill 3496 was filed in February to ensure proper licensing of nurses, but the bill text was gutted and replaced by House Amendment 1 to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, told the House Executive Committee on Wednesday the board would be independent of any other state agency and would set maximum prices for drugs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Illinois is projected to see less tax income than state agencies previously expected due to a variety of economic factors. With revised estimates, some lawmakers worry there may be a shortfall, which could prevent a balanced budget from being passed this month. Both the Illinois Department of Revenue – which oversees the collection of state funds – and the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability – which makes forecasts of expected tax revenue – have lowered estimates of how much money they expect the state to bring in next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Compared to earlier projections, which guided Governor JB Pritzker’s recommended spending plan released in January, officials said reasons for the downward shift included the economic impact of tariffs, rising living costs, and flattening excise‑tax revenue – such as from marijuana. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – New tax proposals being considered in Springfield could bring nearly $7 billion in revenue to the state, according to advocates. Critics say the proposals – which would change corporate tax rules, among other impactful tax changes – could drive capital and jobs out of the state. The Illinois Revenue Alliance and Democrat lawmakers on Wednesday discussed initiatives they want passed to increase revenue, which they say would address gaps in the state budget created in-part by federal funding cuts. Backers said new revenue could be raised without increasing taxes for everyday Illinoisans. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Gas prices have surged in Illinois, and an American Automobile Association spokesperson says several factors are to blame. AAA listed the average price for regular unleaded at $4.53 a gallon on Wednesday, up from $3.41 a year ago and $3.98 one month ago. Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA, said the conflict with Iran is playing a role. “What a lot of people don't understand is about 60% of what we pay at the pump has to do with the price of a barrel of crude oil. So when that price keeps going up, we see the pain at the pump,” Hart told The Center Square. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.