104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly remains on summer break. Both chambers will return October 14 – 16 and October 28 – 30 for the Veto Session.
The House Executive Committee will hold a hearing on July 31 at 10 am in the Bilandic Building in Chicago to discuss the financing of the Chicago Public Schools. The subject matter of the hearing was previously confined to the contents of HB 4017 (Tarver).
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie announced that her Chief of Staff, Andrew Freheit, is retiring. Former Representative Avery Bourne will replace Freheit as the new Chief of Staff.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHT:
New Laws: Governor Pritzker signed SB 1563, which clarifies that the eviction process does not restrict law enforcement from enforcing trespassing laws. The law grants law enforcement the authority to remove unauthorized individuals, commonly referred to as “squatters,” from property. Read more here.
The Big Beautiful Bill: HFS published a presentation about the potential impacts of the federal reconciliation bill (The Big Beautiful Bill Act) on Illinois’ public assistance programs. Read more here.
Energy Affordability and Reliability: Governor JB Pritzker, along with a bipartisan group of nine governors, issued a letter to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for the Northern Illinois region. In the letter, they urged the organization to implement governance reforms to address the ongoing energy affordability crisis and ensure power grid reliability for working families and businesses in Illinois. The letter outlines specific demands for these reforms. Read more here.
Quantum Company to Establish Illinois Headquarters: Infleqtion, a leading quantum company, will establish its global quantum computing operations headquarters in Illinois as a future tenant of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP). As part of an anticipated $50 million investment, the company aims to create dozens of new jobs, enhance its hardware and software workforce, and significantly expand its presence in the state’s innovative ecosystem.
As a founding member of the National Quantum Algorithms Center, Infleqtion will support key partners and federally funded programs, including ARPA-E, the U.S. Army, and private organizations like Wellcome Leap. Infleqtion will join an expanding list of tenants at the IQMP, which includes anchor tenant PsiQuantum, Diraq, the IL-DARPA Quantum Proving Ground, the National Quantum Algorithm Center, and IBM’s Quantum System Two.
Adient Set to Establish New Facility in Normal: Adient, a global leader in automotive seating, plans to open a facility in Normal for assembling seat components for Rivian products. The company intends to invest more than $8 million, with support from the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois) program. This investment will allow Adient to establish its operations and create 75 new full-time jobs. Adient specializes in the design, development, and manufacturing of innovative seating systems and components for all major automakers. Read more here.
Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program Applications Now Open: Applications are currently open for the fifth round of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. This program provides training opportunities, expands the talent pipeline, and enhances diversity within the construction industry and building trades.
Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. This latest round offers $25 million in funding aimed at increasing the representation of underrepresented groups, including people of color, veterans, and women, in the construction trades.
Funding will support up to 45 programs across the state, including new grantees, and is expected to serve nearly 2,000 residents. Read more here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: The Governor appointed the following:
· Arlene Juracek, Steven Landek and Drew Beres will continue to serve as members of the Illinois Finance Authority.
· Donald Dew will continue to serve as a member of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.
OTHER NEWS:
Illinois Joins Lawsuit Over Public Benefits: Illinois joined a lawsuit aimed at preventing the Trump administration from denying undocumented immigrants access to public benefits. The lawsuit, announced on Monday, seeks to halt a series of federal agency orders that would exclude individuals from various programs — including the early childhood education initiative Head Start, Title X family planning services, adult education, mental health care, and community health centers — based on an individual’s immigration status.
The attorneys general argue that the federal government has misapplied the rules governing these programs. They contend that entire programs have been improperly reclassified and that aid already approved by Congress is being conditioned inappropriately, which the lawsuit claims is unconstitutional. Read more here.
Head Start: The Illinois Head Start Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed a lawsuit over what they say are a series of attempts to dismantle the program.
2026 Election Update:
7th Congressional District: Richard Boykin, a former Cook County Commissioner and Chief of Staff to Congressman Danny Davis, plans to run in the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary if Davis retires.
8th House District: Thomas Gary is running to replace outgoing Representative La Shawn Ford. Gary works in the state treasurer’s office. Shantel Franklin, a realtor and legislative liaison to the Attorney General, is also expected to run to replace Ford. Gary and Franklin join Rev. John Harrell in the race.
12th House District: Democrat Litcy Kurisinkal is running to replace Representative Margaret Croke, who is now running for Comptroller. Kurisinkal, a Harvard-educated former staffer for the Democratic Party of Illinois, is also the co-president of the Illinois Democratic Women of Cook County.
Paul Kendrick also filed paperwork to run in the 12th House District. He works for Hope Chicago, an organization that helps residents of Chicago’s South and West Sides attend college debt-free. Kendrick previously served at the U.S. Department of Education under Barack Obama and held a lower-level position on J.B. Pritzker’s 2018 campaign staff. He currently serves on a local school council in Chicago.
13th House District: Ridge Knapp filed paperwork to run to replace outgoing Representative Hoan Hunyh. Knapp, a data analyst, previously worked on the Kamala Harris campaign and as a Data Integration Analyst for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He joins other contenders, including Sunjay Kumar, Demi Palecek, Adam Braun, and James O’Brien.
89th House District: Victoria Onorato will challenge House Minority Leader Tony McCombie in the Republican primary. Onorato is supported by failed 2022 Republican attorney general candidate Tom DeVore.
118th House District: Navy veteran and Illinois DOC retiree Chip Markel will challenge Representative Paul Jacobs in the Republican primary. Markel ran unsuccessfully against Congressman Mike Bost in 2022.
Cook County Democrats Endorse Candidates: Last week, the Cook County Democrat organization endorsed incumbent candidates JB Pritzker, Alexi Giannoulias, Kwame Raoul, and Mike Frerichs for re-election to their respective statewide offices. The party also endorsed Christian Mitchell for Lt. Governor. In the race for the open Comptroller position, the party narrowly endorsed State Representative Margaret Croke over challengers, Senator Karina Villa and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim, to succeed outgoing Comptroller Susana Mendoza. They decided not to make an endorsement in the open U.S. Senate race.
CPS School Funding: Facing a $734 million budget deficit, some members of the Chicago Board of Education are urging the governor to convene a special legislative session this summer to secure additional funding for schools. They emphasize that this is an urgent need not only for Chicago but for school districts across the state that are also struggling with budget challenges as federal COVID-19 relief funds diminish and the Trump administration threatens other federal funding sources. Board members say that timing is crucial, as they must approve a “balanced” budget by the end of August. There is no indication that the Governor or legislative leaders plan to call a special session at this time. Read more here.