We are in the heart of the legislative session. I apologize for the lengthy report, but session is busy and is moving quickly.
104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois Senate stands adjourned for the week. While the Senate calendar and the adjournment resolution indicated that the Senate was scheduled to be in session from Tuesday through Thursday of this week, the Senate added Friday as an additional session day. The House was off this week and is scheduled to return Monday, April 7, for the entire week. The Senate returns on Tuesday, April 8, for the remainder of the week. Friday, April 11 is the Third Reading deadline in both chambers.
This week, the Senate advanced 29 bills out of Senate Committees. Numerous bills remain in Senate committees with extended deadlines. Meanwhile, the full Senate passed 45 bills this week that are now heading to the House for consideration.
The Senate compiled an agreed bill list to expedite passage of non-controversial measures with one roll call. The 66 bills on the agreed bill list will be voted on Wednesday, April 9.
Highlights from this week’s action:
The Senate unanimously approved SB 118 (Morrison), which classifies gambling disorders as a recognized disorder, enabling DHS to provide and coordinate prevention, treatment, and recovery services for gambling disorders. The bill heads to the House for consideration.
The Senate unanimously approved SB 126 (Murphy), which requires insurance to cover Alzheimer’s medication. The House will now take up the measure.
SB 1238 (Villa) allows IDPH to create educational materials about non-opioid alternatives; requires health insurers to develop adequate coverage and access to a broad spectrum of pain medication services; and ensures that non-opioid drugs are not disadvantaged or discouraged in the treatment of acute pain under the Illinois Medicaid preferred drug list. Having passed the Senate unanimously, the legislation goes to the House.
SB 2040 (Villanueva) received unanimous approval in the Senate; the bill gives more enforcement to the ICC to fight predatory towing. It now heads to the House.
The Nurse Agency Licensure Act is the focus of SB 67 (Peters), which passed without opposition in the Senate. Among aspects addressed: expanding the scope of accountability, holding violators accountable, and making penalties proportional to the specific violation. The sponsor believes the bill would improve patient safety by enhancing protections to the public and healthcare professionals, as well as allowing nurse agencies to operate more effectively unencumbered by disproportionate fines — overall creating a fairer regulatory framework. The measure now heads to the House for consideration.
An initiative by the Illinois State Ambulance Association to prevent balanced billing received unanimous approval in the Senate Insurance Committee. SB 2405 (Villivalam) now heads to the full Senate, with the sponsor pledging to continue working with the opposition. The legislation ensures that individuals receiving services from a non-participating ground ambulance provider will not incur higher out-of-pocket costs than they would with a participating provider.
The Senate approved, by a vote of 41-7, SB 1932 (Glowiak Hilton), which prohibits the sale of essential goods and services at excessively high prices within 45 days after the President of the United States or the governor declares a disaster. Grants the Attorney General certain enforcement authority. The measure now heads to the House.
The Senate Education Committee unanimously sent to the full Senate SB 1943 (Loughran Cappel), which, as amended, clarifies Illinois’ restrained time-out law to guide schools and administrators on what is considered a restraint time-out and to clarify to districts about restraint time-out and isolated time-out. The sponsor committed to continuing conversations with the ISBE and other stakeholders.
Legislation to limit suspensions and ban expulsions in preschool to second grade, SB 2423 (Lightford), passed the Senate Education Committee by a vote of 10-4 and moves to the full Senate.
By a vote of 9-4, the Senate Executive Committee passed legislation creating the Safe Gun Storage Act. SB 8 (Ellman) expands what it means to safely store weapons and increases reporting requirements for gun owners whose weapons are lost or stolen. The bill’s supporters say the measure will keep firearms out of the hands of children or at-risk individuals. Opponents argue the bill goes too far by requiring safe storage wherever they are — be it at home, their place of business, or even in a vehicle. The bill now goes to the full Senate.
Legislation to require trauma-informed response training for law enforcement, SB 1195 (Edly-Allen), passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee by a vote of 8-0 and is before the full Senate.
Legislation to create the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act, SB 1797 (Walker), passed the Senate Executive Committee by a vote of 8-4. The measure — now before the entire Senate — allows the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to manage guidelines for crypto companies, as well as adopt rules to protect consumer assets and investments.
SB 212 (Fine) would allow working moms to get paid break time to breastfeed their babies. The measure passed the Senate Labor Committee by a vote of 12-5 and moves to the full Senate.
Authorizing counties to set up a process to recall countywide officials is the subject of SB 1954 (D. Turner), approved 9-4 by the Senate Executive Committee. County boards could place a referendum creating a recall process on the ballot for the 2026 General Election. Should voters approve the referendum, the county will adopt a recall process for countywide elected officials. Specifically, county electors must submit petitions containing signatures equal to at least 15% of the total votes cast for governor in the preceding election. The legislation emerged from the Massey Commission, formed after a Sangamon County sheriff deputy shot and killed Sonya Massey last year. The full Senate takes up SB 1954 now.
Another recommendation of the Massey Commission came before the Senate Executive Committee and gained unanimous approval. Under SB 1953 (Turner), law enforcement agencies are to conduct more comprehensive reviews of prospective officers’ past employment to ensure their physical and psychological fitness for duty before making an offer of employment. The legislation also creates more sheriff’s merit boards and sheriff’s merit commissions for counties with a population of at least 75,000. The bill is now before the full Senate.
SB 2258 (Peters) creates the Thermal Energy Jobs Act to support the development of pilot thermal energy networks. The legislation passed the Senate Energy and Environment Committee by a vote of 9-5. The sponsor pledged to continue discussions with stakeholders.
Two pieces of the Governor’s legislative agenda were filed in the Senate on Friday. Senator Fine filed the Governor’s health insurance prior authorization reforms as SFA # 1 to SB 708. The other gubernatorial legislative item, regulating pharmacy benefit managers, was filed by Senator Koehler on SFA # 1 to SB 709. Both amendments are pending in the Senate Assignments Committee.
2025 Spring Session Key Dates and Deadlines:
April 11: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline, Both Chambers
May 9: Deadline – Committee Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 23: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 31: Adjournment
Governor Signs MOU with Mexico: Governor JB Pritzker and Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez recently signed an Addendum to the existing Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is intended to deepen economic cooperation and opportunities between the two regions.
The agreement emphasizes the strong ties between Illinois and Mexico, focusing on bilateral trade in key industries like manufacturing, agriculture, and finance. It also promotes alliances between state government authorities, universities, and research centers – highlighting bilateral trade, investment, manufacturing, agriculture, supply chains, and initiatives in e-mobility, agtech, and the circular economy.
The MOU additionally underscores a shared concern for ag communities in both Mexico and Illinois: the criticality of efficient and sustainable water usage, as well as the biotechnology necessary for a clean water future. Read more here.
Federal Public Health Funding Cuts: As reported here last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health and 97 local health departments are losing $125 million in federal support to track disease spread, invest in infectious disease testing labs, conduct wastewater surveillance, build public health workforce capacity, and strengthen local health departments.
The specific programmatic impacts of these cuts are:
· LHD’s Respiratory Surveillance and Outbreak Response Grant – $18 million
· Illinois Disease Surveillance System – $30 million
· Springfield Labs Renovation – $13 million
· Lab Info Management System (manage lab results) – $3 million
· DPH Staff – $10 million
· Contract Staff – $5 million
· Immunization Information Systems – $15 million
· OPPS Technology Updates – $1 million
· Lab Equipment/Supplies – $2 million
· Vaccination Comms Campaign – $10 million
· Immunizations Coverage Level Grant Additions (community-based) – $3 million
· New Vaccination/Immunization Grant (mobile clinics/after hours) – $15 million
Federal Education Funding Clawed Back: On March 28, the U.S. Department of Education revoked prior approval of Illinois’ request for an extension to liquidate $77.25 million in federal pandemic relief funds. Originally set to expire in September 2024, the federal monies received a Biden administration “liquidation extension,” giving school districts until March 28, 2026, to spend remaining funds. Illinois had already spent 98.5% of its pandemic relief allocation. The remaining funds had been obligated but not yet expended. The abrupt revocation meant the funds had to be liquidated by the end of the day on March 28, 2025 – the same day the decision was announced. Read more here.
NOFO For Residential Sharps Collection: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is providing grants to local governments to collect and dispose of household sharps (like needles, syringes, and lancets) from private citizens. The EPA will reimburse grantees that operate a sharps collection station as defined in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. The application deadline is March 31, 2026. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is here. Read more here.
Crossing Safety Improvement Program: The Illinois Commerce Commission approved its annual five-year Crossing Safety Improvement Program (FY 2026-2030) addressing highway-rail crossings statewide. Over $400 million from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund and Rebuild Illinois will help local communities improve more than 900 crossing locations. More here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: Governor Pritzker appointed the following
· Deb Steiner will serve as a Member of the Executive Ethics Commission
· Jonah Rice will serve as a Member of the Illinois State Board of Education
OTHER NEWS:
CGFA March Revenue Report: The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability is reporting that March General Funds receipts rebounded strongly, increasing by $209 million (4.5%) after a $152 million decline in February. This puts year-to-date receipts slightly ahead of last year’s pace with three months remaining in the fiscal year. Personal Income Tax largely drove the growth; this sector grew $445 million (14.6%) on a gross basis. This included the third of five “true-up” adjustments reallocating certain business-related income tax payments to the Personal Income Tax revenue line.
Even excluding the true-up adjustments, Personal Income Taxes still rose approximately $187 million, likely due to continued growth in withholding tax payments and an influx of final tax payments. Corporate Income Tax receipts, however, seem to be underperforming this fiscal year (despite a slight uptick in March). And with respect to Sales Tax revenues, the term “mixed” might best be used, with gross receipts up $9 million but net revenues down $5 million due to non-General Funds distributions.
Looking at revenues from Transfers In — particularly the Sports Wagering Transfer, Lottery Transfers, and Other Transfers – March registered solid growth. Conversely, Federal Sources deposited into the General Funds declined $213 million compared to the prior year.
Overall, the March results demonstrate a rebound in General Funds receipts, largely driven by strength in the Personal Income Tax, though other revenue sources showed more modest or mixed performance. Read the full report here.
Illinois AG Sues to Block Public Health Funding Cuts: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 24 attorneys general and governors, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging that HHS has abruptly and illegally terminated nearly $12 billion in critical public health grants to states.
The grant terminations came without warning or legally valid explanation and have caused chaos for state health agencies that continue to rely on these funds for urgent public health needs. Among the needs: infectious disease management, emergency preparedness, mental health and substance abuse services, and modernizing public health infrastructure.
In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, Raoul and the coalition assert that the mass grant terminations violate federal law. The end of the pandemic is not a valid “for cause” basis for ending the grants, they argue, especially since the appropriated funds are not tied to the pandemic’s end over a year ago. HHS had previously maintained that the pandemic’s end did not affect the availability of these grant funds. And, for some grants, “for cause” termination is not permitted.
The lawsuit is seeking a temporary restraining order to invalidate HHS’ mass grant terminations. It goes on to assert that the actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and is asking the court to prevent HHS from maintaining or reinstating the terminations, as well as any related agency actions. Read more here.
AG Challenges Executive Order on Voting Restrictions: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a 19-state coalition, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging as unconstitutional President Trump’s recent executive order on voting restrictions. Filed in Massachusetts, the lawsuit contends that the order’s provisions exceed the president’s authority and will cause immediate and irreparable harm to the states if not blocked. Raoul and the coalition also argue that the power to regulate elections is reserved to the states and Congress, not the executive branch. They are asking the court to declare the challenged provisions of the order unconstitutional and unenforceable. Read more here.
New Report Highlights Increasing Homeowner Premiums: American homeowners experienced a 24% average increase in their insurance premiums over the past three years according to The Consumer Federation of America. In its just-released report, the CFA found that Illinoisans experienced a 50% increase in their premiums over the three-year period — the second highest jump in the country. Overall, at the national level, the report uncovered that homeowners’ insurance premiums rose twice as fast as inflation between 2021 and 2024, amounting to a total price hike of $21 billion for Americans.
“Overburdened: The Dramatic Increase in Homeowners Insurance Premiums and its Impacts on American Homeowners,” is the name of the report, which used proprietary industry data to evaluate the growth in insurance premiums for typical homeowners across the country.
The document has several recommendations. These include requiring insurance companies to publicly release data on homeowners insurance underwriting, pricing, coverage, and claims every year; investing federal and state dollars in housing resiliency and requiring insurance companies to reward risk reduction with lower premiums; and creating a public reinsurance program to stabilize the American property insurance market and to expand the availability of affordable, quality homeowners insurance. Read the full report here.
USDA Offering Emergency Loans to Producers in Six Counties: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that low-interest emergency physical loss loans are available for producers in six Illinois counties affected by this past February 14’s severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides. The loans can be used to repair or replace damaged or destroyed essential agricultural property, like farm buildings, equipment, livestock, crops, and other real estate fixtures. Common types of eligible losses include livestock, essential farm structures, perennial crops, stored harvests, and other physical property critical to ag operations. Read more here.
Attorney General Political Update: Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday that he will not run for the US Senate if current Democratic Senator Dick Durbin decides not to seek reelection. Read more here.
CGFA FY 26 Capital Plan Analysis: The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability issued its FY 26 Capital Plan Analysis. Read the full analysis here.