103rd ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly will return for the January lame-duck Session January 4 through 7. Members of the 104th General Assembly will be sworn into office on Wednesday, January 8.
At the end of the Spring Legislative Session, the Illinois Senate approved HB 4293 (Lightford/Buckner) which regulates intoxicating hemp products. The bill subsequently stalled in the House. As the January Lame Duck Session approaches, Governor Pritzker plans to weigh in on the legislation at a press conference on Friday. Speaker Welch indicated he is “interested to hear what the Governor has to say”. Read more here.
Senate Democrats announced key staff changes for the new year. Policy and Budget Director Aaron Holmes is departing staff. He will be replaced by Dillon Santoni who has served as Deputy Director since 2020. Andrew Hoffmann will replace Santoni in the Deputy Director position. Rena Tandon will serve as the Director of Operations. In this capacity, she will oversee the Committee on Assignments and assist with oversight of the Senate Floor. Miles Sodowski will serve as the Director of Legislative Assistants and Senior Policy Advisor. Sodowski was previously a Deputy Director in Policy and Budget.
The Aurora building that houses Representative Barbara Hernandez’s office was evacuated on Monday afternoon after one of her staffers became sick after opening a piece of mail. The employee was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Law enforcement officials are still investigating the substance in the mail and whether it caused the staffer’s illness. Representative Hernandez was not present at the office when the mail was opened. Read more here.
Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. was recently elected to serve as the chair of the Council of State Governments. The Council of State Governments is the nation’s largest nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state elected and appointed officials. The mission of the group is to champion excellence in state government. Sims was nominated by his peers at CSG’s Midwestern Legislative Conference to join the national leadership team in 2022. The nonpartisan group’s executive committee then chose him to serve as national chair-elect in 2024 and national chair in 2025.
The House Revenue & Finance Committee will hold a subject matter hearing on December 16 at 9 am in the Bilandic Building in Chicago to discuss HB 5841 (Delgado).
The Senate Human Rights Committee will hold a subject matter hearing on December 17 at 10 am in the Bilandic Building in Chicago to discuss housing as a human right.
2025 Spring Session Key Dates and Deadlines:
January 2 – 7: Tentative Lame Duck Session
January 8: Inauguration of the 104th General Assembly
January 24: House and Senate LRB Request Deadline (LRB Blackout Begins)
February 7: Deadline – Bill Introduction Deadline Both Chambers
February 19: Governor’s Budget and State of the State Address
March 21: Deadline – Committee Deadline Both Chambers
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’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Executive Order: Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2024-03 launching a statewide effort to expand housing for working families. The order creates an Illinois Director of Housing Solutions who will lead the consideration, planning, and implementation of innovative housing solutions to combat the housing crisis and increase attainable, middle-class homes and rental options across the state.
Additionally, Pritzker announced the return of the SmartBuy program, which provides direct assistance to pay off student loan debt for those buying a home in Illinois. Together, these actions aim to address housing shortages that affect both renters and homebuyers.
The Director will work closely with the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and other state agencies on these efforts. Read more here.
Governor Appoints New Secretary of Transportation: Governor JB Pritzker appointed Gia Biagi to lead the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Biagi, who previously served as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, brings decades of experience in urban planning, transportation, and public policy. Giagi will replace Omer Osman who is retiring from IDOT after 35 years of service to the agency.
Biagi joins the Illinois Department of Transportation after four years at the Chicago Department of Transportation. Prior to that, she served as Principal of Urbanism and Civic Impact at Studio Gang Architects, a Chicago-based architecture and urban design firm, where she advised private and public sector clients on urban design, community engagement, and land use planning.
National Quantum Algorithm Center: Governor JB Pritzker, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos, and Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) CEO Harley Johnson announced the new National Quantum Algorithm Center. The center will leverage IBM’s next-generation, modular quantum computer (“IBM Quantum System Two”) to advance quantum-centric supercomputing across industries, further cementing Illinois’ status as a leader in emerging technology and a global quantum computing hub.
The center will initially operate out of the Discovery Partners Institute and the University of Chicago, with the IBM Quantum System Two housed at Hyde Park Labs. As construction progresses on the IQMP campus, IBM and IQMP plan to transition the IBM system to a permanent home there. This deployment of IBM’s most advanced quantum system in Illinois will help spur additional commercialization opportunities for entrepreneurs, making the state an even more desirable destination for leading global technology companies, driving job creation and private investment. Read more here.
Unsewered Communities Planning Grants: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $1 million funding opportunity through the Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program. The program will assist small and disadvantaged communities in developing a plan to address their wastewater collection and treatment needs. Eligible applicants can receive up to $30,000 in grant funding, with the agency expecting to award up to 50 grants. A Notice of Funding Opportunity has been posted on the Illinois EPA website.
The application period will remain open until all funding has been expended. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness and awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Applicants must be pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal.
Illinois Gaming Board: The Illinois Gaming Board met this week. Read more about the Board’s actions here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: Governor Pritzker appointed the following:
· Angela Tin will serve as a Member of the Pollution Control Board.
· Kelly Simon will serve as a Member of the State Board of Health.
· McElroy Kirkwood will serve as a Member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners.
OTHER NEWS:
CGFA November Briefing: The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability issued its November Monthly Briefing. The Commission noted for the month it was a “mixed bag” of revenues deposited into the State’s General Fund. Federal sources were up $211 million, personal income taxes were down $28 million, sales taxes were up $10 million while corporate income tax was off $62 million over the previous year. The Commission provides additional context in its report.
Minimum Wage Increases to $15/Hour on January 1: Illinois’ minimum wage will increase to $15/hour beginning January 1. In 2019, the state passed legislation to gradually increase the minimum wage from $8.25 to $15 per hour by January 1, 2025. The minimum wage rose by $1 annually, reaching $10 in 2019 and $15 on the final target date after a multi-year implementation period. The youth minimum wage rate will also increase to $13 per hour.
Transit Delegation Travels to Germany: The cross-sector Chicagoland Transport Governance Delegation, comprising transit advocates, legislators, labor leaders, and business leaders, traveled to Germany this week to study the country’s public transportation system and governance model. The bipartisan group spent four days in Berlin and Munich examining international best practices, coordination, and strategic leadership related to transportation governance and maintenance.
The Chicagoland regional public transit system faces a funding cliff in 2025 that the Illinois General Assembly will address next year. Ahead of this budget shortfall, the cross-sector delegation is uniting to research governance, integration, advocacy, and funding models that can shape the future of Chicago’s public transit for the better. Read more here.
Illinois Economic Policy Institute Report: As state lawmakers reconvene in Springfield next January, they will confront a projected budget deficit and slowing revenue. Despite looming budget concerns, a new from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute indicates that fiscal decisions made in recent years have placed Illinois in a stronger position to withstand an economic downturn than at any point in the past several decades. Read more here.