104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly returns for a two-week Veto Session on October 14 – 16 and October 28 – 30.
The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Representative Tara Costa Howard as a judge of the DuPage County Circuit Court, effective October 17. Her term will end on December 7, 2026. Costa Howard is anticipated to resign from the Illinois House in the coming weeks. Once she leaves office, local Democrats will have 30 days to select her replacement.
Both chambers are holding committee hearings to discuss energy policy, which remains on the radar for the Veto Session. The Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee held a hearing last week to discuss energy
legislation. Capitol News Illinois offers a recap of the hearing here. The Committee will hold a second virtual subject matter hearing on October 2 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss SB 40 as amended by HA 007, with the effective date updates found in HB 4116.
Meanwhile, the House Executive Committee held its own hearing this week to discuss energy policy as presented in House Amendment # 2 to SB 25.
The House Gun Violence Prevention Committee will hold a hearing on October 6 at 11:00 a.m. in the Bilandic Building in Chicago (and virtually) to discuss gun violence prevention and community violence intervention.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Executive Order: Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2025-05 to help mitigate the effects of unfavorable federal economic policies on the state of Illinois. The order directs state agencies to reserve up to 4% of Fiscal Year 2026 General Funds appropriations to support state finances. The order requires agencies to conduct budget reviews, limit non-essential spending and hiring, and propose changes if budget shortfalls arise. Agencies must report their progress to the Governor’s Office within 30 days. Essential obligations, such as pension payments and K-12 funding, will not be affected. The order takes effect immediately. Read more here.
Illinois Joins PJM Governors’ Collaborative: Governor JB Pritzker, along with a bipartisan group of 11 governors, announced the creation of the PJM Governors’ Collaborative. This initiative aims to enhance state representation in the decision-making processes of PJM Interconnection, the power grid operator for Northern Illinois. The collaborative addresses concerns regarding rising electricity costs, reliability issues, and delays in transmission development. Its goals include developing joint strategies on governance and grid reliability, coordinating with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other stakeholders, aligning state energy priorities, and providing technical support for evaluating PJM proposals. Read more here.
IDPH Adopts Vaccine Guidance: The Illinois Department of Public Health released new guidance this week on fall respiratory virus vaccines and issued a statewide standing order to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines.
For routine, non-seasonal vaccines, the IDPH recommends that healthcare providers continue to follow the CDC immunization schedules for children and adults, as issued on August 7, 2025, which are based on years of scientific research, data, and best practices.
The fall vaccine guidance was adopted by IDPH after recommendations from the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee. The IL-IAC is composed of a group of 20 experts spanning epidemiology, infectious diseases, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, nursing, pharmacy, and public health. Read more here.
Illinois Birth Equity Blueprint: Governor JB Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, and the Illinois Department of Public Health released the Illinois Birth Equity Blueprint – a roadmap designed to improve maternal healthcare and birth outcomes in Illinois. The Blueprint builds upon the Illinois Birth Equity Initiative.
The Illinois Birth Equity Blueprint outlines four strategic goals aimed at improving maternal health and birth equity by expanding investments in care quality and provider support, promoting access to birthing and specialty services, establishing a universal framework for risk assessment and care coordination, and developing shared data and accountability systems. The state will focus on scaling effective care models, rebuilding maternal health infrastructure, enhancing early intervention, and ensuring transparency in progress toward equitable birth outcomes. Read more here.
Orozco Appointed Assistant Director for Department of Insurance: Cesar Orozco was appointed Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance. He previously served as Assistant Comptroller for the State of Illinois, where he oversaw operations and advised on legal and policy matters. Orozco’s background includes roles as Assistant Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House and experience in private law firms handling civil cases. He is active in the legal community as an elected director of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and a board member of HLAI Charities.
DoIT Offers Procurement Support to IT Vendors: The Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is launching a new Office Hours program to enhance vendor engagement in state procurement. The inaugural session will take place on October 15, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. as part of the “Leveraging Diversity in Technology Procurement” educational series. DoIT’s Chief of Supplier Diversity, Alice Rivera-Alfaro, emphasized that the program aims to provide vendors with real-time answers and personalized guidance.
The Office Hours will offer an informal Q&A format where current and prospective vendors can ask about state procurement processes, BEP certification, contracting opportunities, compliance, and best practices. The initiative is designed to help vendors navigate challenges and connect with necessary resources for success in doing business with the State of Illinois and DoIT. Read more here.
OTHER NEWS:
2026 Election Update: Candidates continue to announce their intentions. This week’s highlights include:
9th Congressional District: Miracle Jenkins suspended his candidacy for Congress and is endorsing Bushra Amiwala in the crowded primary. Jenkins is a former aide to Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who is not seeking reelection.
34th House District: Bianca Yarborough announced she is running in the Democratic primary to replace state Representative Nick Smith, who is not seeking reelection. Yarborough is a former political coordinator at SEIU Local 73 and founder of The Hue PAC.
40th House District: Miguel Alvelo Rivera, who serves as the executive director of the Latino Union of Chicago, is circulating petitions to challenge Representative Jaime Andrade. Rivera has yet to make a formal announcement.
42nd House District: DuPage County Board member Lynn LaPlante announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination for the 42nd House District, currently represented by Representative Terra Costa Howard, who was recently appointed to a judgeship. LaPlante indicated she also plans to submit her application to the nomination committee for the appointment to replace Costa Howard. Glen Ellyn Trustee Sonia Bhagwakar also applied for the replacement appointment and indicated her intentions to run for the seat.
110th House District: Republican State Representative Blaine Wilhour announced he is running for reelection.
AG Wins Court Order to Protect Sensitive Information of SNAP Recipients: A District Court in California granted a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration’s request for states to release personal information of all SNAP applicants and recipients, following a lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 20 other attorneys general and the state of Kentucky. Read more here.
AG Wins Court Order Protecting Emergency Funding: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 19 other Democratic attorneys general and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in May. They claimed that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation were illegally pressuring states to adopt strict immigration enforcement policies by threatening to withhold significant federal funding. On Wednesday, Rhode Island District Judge William Smith ruled that these funding conditions were invalid, stating they were arbitrary, capricious, and unconstitutional under the Spending Clause. The court granted a motion for summary judgment, ruling that the agencies had violated the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by conditioning federal funds on states’ enforcement of immigration law. Raoul’s victory reinforces the separation of state and federal powers regarding immigration enforcement and funding. Read more here.
AG Seeks Preliminary Injunction Regarding Defunding of Planned Parenthood: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a coalition of 22 attorneys general and the state of Pennsylvania, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday to block the Trump administration’s “Defund Provision” in the federal budget reconciliation law. This provision aims to prevent Planned Parenthood and other health centers that provide abortions from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements, despite those funds not being used for abortions. The exclusion of these centers threatens essential health care services for low-income patients, such as cancer screenings and STI treatments. The coalition’s lawsuit argues that the provision violates the Constitution’s spending clause, lacks clear definitions of affected providers, and creates ambiguity regarding federal reimbursements. Historically, states have determined eligibility for Medicaid providers. Read more here.
BIPA: Data center operators view Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act as an impediment to growth and development, prompting some developers to consider expanding into neighboring states. Developers may seek changes to the law during the upcoming Veto Session. Although no legislation has been filed, changes to Illinois’ privacy law will likely face scrutiny and opposition from the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. Read more here