104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly remains on summer break. Both chambers will return in October for a 2-week Veto Session.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
New Laws: Governor Pritzker signed 124 bills into law last Friday. A list of the bills signed is here. As of Friday morning, the Governor had 313 bills (216 House Bills/97 Senate Bills) from the Spring Session awaiting his action.
Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced a $5 million Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity to improve water quality in Illinois. Funded through the Rebuild Illinois plan, the program seeks proposals for projects that construct green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate stormwater runoff and flooding in rivers, streams, and lakes. Projects utilizing treatment trains or multiple BMPs within a watershed are encouraged and can be located on public or private land.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity is posted here. Read more here.
Water Quality Management Plan Program Funding Available: The Illinois EPA is also offering a $750,000 funding opportunity through its Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Plan Program. The funding prioritizes projects that enhance capacity and assessments of waterbodies to support the implementation of Water Quality Management Plans. Grant funds will be used for activities such as identifying sources of water pollution, developing management plans and guidance tools, designing best management practices, implementing controls, and raising public awareness about water pollution control.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity is here. Read more here.
Gaming Board: The Illinois Gaming Board held its July meeting last week. A recap of the Board’s action is here.
The Illinois Gaming Board also adopted new rules that expand existing restrictions on advertising, marketing, and promotions for licensed casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operators. These new rules include a ban on advertising on college campuses and new requirements to protect the public, particularly young people and individuals with problem gambling issues. Read more here.
Illinois Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency awarded $983,750 in grant funding to four grantees through the Illinois Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. This program assists municipalities and counties in creating energy or climate action plans, conducting energy efficiency audits, and upgrading publicly owned buildings. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Read more here.
State Parks Benefit Form New Endowment: The Illinois Conservation Foundation, with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, established a new endowment to protect and support Illinois state parks. The Illinois State Parks Endowment will provide ongoing independent funding for infrastructure, accessibility, conservation, and programming. Managed by ICF, all contributions are permanently designated for Illinois state parks and cannot be used elsewhere. Read more here.
OTHER NEWS:
2026 Election Update: On Tuesday, candidates across the state began collecting petition signatures to qualify for the March 17 primary ballot – kicking off the official start to the 2026 election season. Signature requirements vary by office and district. Candidates can file petitions with the State Board of Elections between October 27 and November 3.
Illinois Comptroller: Lake County Auditor Holly Kim officially kicked off her campaign for Comptroller this week. She faces Representative Margaret Croke in the Democratic primary. Champaign County Auditor George Danos filed paperwork to run as a Republican.
7th Congressional District: Anthony Driver Jr., director of the SEIU Illinois State Council and a public safety advocate, launched his campaign for the seat now held by Representative Danny Davis.
16th Congressional District: Congressman Darin LaHood confirmed this week that he will not seek the Republican nomination for Governor and will instead run for reelection to Congress.
27th Senate District: Arlington Heights Board Member Carina Santa Maria announced she will run to replace Senator Mark Walker in the 27th Senate District. Santa Maria is the CEO of Shelter Youth & Family Services, which operates two emergency group homes and provides support to homeless teens.
32nd Senate District: Democrat Karen Battaglia, a nurse and the Trauma Program Coordinator at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, as well as the secretary of the Illinois Emergency Nurses Association, announced she will challenge Republican Senator Craig Wilcox.
1st House District: Guadalupe Rivera filed paperwork to form a campaign committee to challenge Representative Aaron Ortiz in the Democratic Primary. Rivera is a Chicago Public Schools teacher and CTU member, a graduate of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy, and a 2025 leadership academy fellow with the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation.
16th House District: Representative Kevin Olickal announced he will seek reelection.
26th House District: Representative Kam Buckner announced he will seek reelection. Buckner was reportedly considering a run for the 7th Congressional District.
47th House District: Republican State Representative Amy Grant announced she will not seek reelection.
51st House District: Palatine native Jenny Levin announced she will run in the Democratic primary to replace Representative Syed, who is running for the state senate. Levin is a nurse who specialized in emergency medicine before transitioning to work in medical education.
On the Republican side, Tosi Ufodike, a small-business owner and community advocate, launched her candidacy for the 51st House District. Ufdike is a Republican who lost to Syed in the 2024 election.
52nd House District: Republican Representative Martin McLaughlin announced that he will not run for the state Senate and will instead seek reelection. Three Democrats are vying for the chance to face McLaughlin in the general election. He won by just 47 votes last year.
67th House District: Representative Maurice West announced he will seek reelection.
68th House District: Kathy Easton, an event planner who has been active in the local Republican Party, will challenge Democratic Representative Dave Vella.
70th House District: Democrat Veronica Garcia-Martinez filed paperwork to run against Republican Representative Jeff Keicher. Garcia-Martinez is a 5th-grade teacher.
98th House District: Dr. Nona McKenzie Parker announced her candidacy as a Republican in the 98th House District, currently represented by Democratic Representative Natalie Manley. Parker is a religious leader, a Black woman, a homeschooling advocate, and CEO at The Hope Center of Joliet.
105th House District: Republican Representative Dennis Tipsword reversed course and announced he will run for Woodford County Sheriff rather than seek reelection to the Illinois House. Tipsword is in his 31st year in law enforcement and 18th year in the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office. He has served as a deputy sheriff for 11 years. Longtime Woodford County Coroner Tim announced he will run to replace Tipsword in the Illinois House.
Texas Democratic Legislators Fled to Illinois: Forty Texas House Democrats fled to Illinois to block a GOP-led mid-decade redistricting plan that would add five Republican districts, strengthening the party’s narrow majority in the U.S. House.
At a news conference on Sunday night in Carol Stream, Governor JB Pritzker stood alongside the Texas Democrats, denouncing Donald Trump as a “cult leader” and a “would-be dictator.” He also defended the Democrats’ pursuit of their own redistricting options.
This unusual mid-decade redistricting effort comes in response to pressure from Trump to create new maps that would help safeguard the GOP’s slim 219-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. When asked about a potential remap in Illinois, Governor Pritzker said an Illinois remap was “possible.”
CGFA July Monthly Briefing: According to the most recent report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, General Funds for the month of July dipped $35 million (or -0.9%) at the start of Fiscal Year 2026, attributed to mixed results across revenue areas. Sales Tax receipts provided positive momentum, increasing by $80 million (or +8.5%), though this was adjusted to $49 million (or +5.5%) after accounting for distributions to other funds. Personal Income Tax receipts fell by $114 million (or -5.2%), and Corporate Income Tax receipts dropped by $41 million (or -16.9%). Other State Sources saw a combined increase of $42 million, primarily driven by the Estate Tax. Transfers In rose by a total of $13 million, fueled by the Sports Wagering Transfer, which offset declines in Lottery and Cannabis Transfers. Additionally, receipts from Federal Sources decreased slightly by $9 million compared to the previous year. Read more here.