104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly remains adjourned until the call of the presiding officers. The two-week Veto Session is scheduled for October 14 – 16 and October 28 – 30.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Democratic Governor JB Pritzker is seeking a third term in 2026. He kicked off his reelection campaign Thursday with a two-day tour featuring six stops. Pritzker’s future in politics has been a topic of considerable speculation, particularly since he was shortlisted as a potential running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2020 presidential campaign. The Governor has a growing national profile and has been actively criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration on various media platforms.
At some point, Pritzker will need to select his running mate, although details about who that might be and when the decision will be made remain unclear. Current Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who has served alongside Pritzker for both of his terms, is running for the U.S. Senate.
Illinois does not have term limits for its statewide offices, but there has not been a three-term governor since Republican Governor Jim Thompson, who won four terms and served from 1977 to 1991.
Several Republicans are considering running on the Republican ticket. DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced his intention to run earlier this year. Additionally, mechanic and Posen Park District Commissioner Phil Perez, along with businessman Joe Severino, have both publicly declared their campaigns. Cook County GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar, Representative Dan Ugaste and Congressman Darin LaHood are also reportedly contemplating a run.
New Laws: Governor Pritzker signed legislation to overhaul the Prisoner Review Board (SB 19). The Legislation takes effect immediately. Read more here.
Governor Seeks to Protect Veterans from Healthcare Discrimination: Governor JB Pritzker has directed Illinois state agencies to ensure that veterans have access to healthcare in response to proposed VA rules that would allow denials based on marital status and political affiliation. Key actions include:
– The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is reminding medical professionals of anti-discrimination laws and monitoring complaints.
– The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) is prepared to assist veterans reporting discrimination and will collaborate with veterans’ organizations to provide resources.
– The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) will enforce protections against discrimination in various contexts, including healthcare, and encourages reporting potential discrimination.
Read more here.
Governor Urges Support of SNAP Program: Governor JB Pritzker, along with 23 other governors from across the country, has sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This program serves as a safety net for approximately 427,000 Illinois residents who are at risk of losing support.
The letter highlights concerns that the proposals being discussed in Congress could lead to significant changes in SNAP, including shifting a large portion of food benefit costs to the states. This would be an unprecedented move in the program’s 50-year history. For Illinois, such a shift could result in incurring more than $1.2 billion in additional costs each year, which would place a significant strain on the state’s budget and potentially threaten funding for other essential services, such as education and healthcare. Read the full letter here.
Illinois Reports First Human Case of West Nile Virus in 2025: The CDC has reported Illinois’ first human case of West Nile virus this year in a Southern Illinois individual who was hospitalized. This case marks the earliest onset of WNV in the state since 2016 and highlights the risk of mosquito bites, particularly for individuals over 65 or those with immunocompromising conditions. In 2025, WNV has been confirmed in 19 counties, with the first positive mosquito batch detected on May 9 in Rockford. In 2024, there were 69 reported human cases of WNV, resulting in 13 deaths, the highest since 2018.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: The Illinois Housing Development Authority Board approved $24 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and $39 million in additional resources for 16 affordable housing developments across 11 counties in Illinois. This funding is expected to generate approximately $180 million in private capital, resulting in the creation of 850 affordable homes for low- to moderate-income families, seniors, and veterans. Governor JB Pritzker emphasized the importance of safe and affordable housing, noting that the approved projects include 11 new constructions and five rehabilitation efforts, such as converting a closed school in Aledo and restoring the historic Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse in Chicago. Read more here.
Rental Assistance: The Illinois Housing Development Authority Board has passed a resolution opposing any cuts to rental assistance funding in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fiscal year 2026 budget. The resolution highlights the importance of HUD programs for low-income households in Illinois and warns that funding reductions could jeopardize housing stability and community development, ultimately harming the state’s economy. Approximately 400,000 families in Illinois receive HUD-funded rental assistance. At the same time, local municipalities receive over $500 million annually in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to support vital infrastructure repairs that improve community safety and quality of life. Read more here.
OTHER NEWS:
Howard Rosenblum, a civil rights attorney, announced that he is running as a Democrat for Congress in the 9th Congressional District, a seat currently held by retiring U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. “I understand how vital equality under the law and full access to opportunities through civil rights are. My legal experience in fighting for these rights is exactly what we need in Washington right now,” said Rosenblum, who served on the U.S. Access Board during the Obama administration and was appointed to the Illinois Human Rights Commission by Governor JB Pritzker.
Joseph Albright, a conservative Democrat and adjunct economics professor at Bradley University in Peoria, is running for Congressman Darin LaHood’s seat, voicing concerns that the current financial policies do not make sense.
Franklin County Treasurer Steve Vercellino announced he will challenge Republican Representative Patrick Windhorst in the primary.
Representatives Niemerg, Meier, Cabello, and Scherer, along with Senator Jil Tracy, announced their intentions this week to seek reelection in 2026.
AG Raoul Files Lawsuit Challenging Federal Funding Cuts: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a coalition of 21 attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for its unlawful attempts to use a single, obscure provision in federal regulations to eliminate billions of dollars in essential federal funding for states and other recipients.
The lawsuit seeks to restrict the Trump administration’s use of this regulation, which has been used to unlawfully terminate critical funding for various initiatives, including combating violent crime, educating students, ensuring access to clean drinking water, and conducting lifesaving medical and scientific research that protects public health and addresses food insecurity.
In addition to Raoul, the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the state of Pennsylvania have joined in filing the lawsuit. Read more here.
AG Raoul Files Lawsuit to Protect DBE: Attorney General Kwame Raoul is co-leading a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief, urging the court not to approve an agreement that would jeopardize the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, which is administered under U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations.
The DBE Program, established by Congress in 1983 under President Reagan, requires states to oversee the administration of major federally funded transportation and infrastructure projects. This program ensures that contracts are awarded in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner, allowing minority- and women-owned small businesses to compete for significant infrastructure projects nationwide.
In their brief, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Raoul and the coalition argue that the order requested by the federal government would exceed the appropriate role of the court in the country’s adversarial system of government, particularly because the parties seeking the order share the same position on the issues in the case.
Joining Raoul in leading the coalition are the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington. They were supported in filing the amicus brief by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Read more here.
Planned Parenthood: Lisa Harries has been appointed as the board chair of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. Harries has been a member of the board since 2022. She succeeds Arielle Rodriguez Maffei, who has recently been appointed to the board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.