Illinois
Illinois Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot.
It’s a move that caused minority party Republicans to vote “present,” then walk off the House floor without even debating the measure, while four Democrats voted against the bill that would amend ballot laws for the election cycle that is already underway.
Republicans were particularly critical of a provision that prohibits political parties from appointing a candidate to a general election ballot if no member of that party filed nominating petitions for the primary.
Statewide election referendums beginning to take shape
The minority party also criticized Democrats’ hasty movement of the proposed changes from introduction to floor passage. Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, filed the amendment to an unrelated bill, Senate Bill 2412, Wednesday morning before it was quickly moved to committee for passage, then to the floor within hours. It now awaits action in the Senate.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, noted at an impromptu news conference on a Capitol stairwell that the GOP has grown accustomed to legislation moving with little public notice – but it usually happens closer to the General Assembly’s end of May adjournment.
“But we don’t understand the sense of urgency right now, unless the goal – the end goal – is to stifle the democratic process through the changes on slating candidates,” she said.
At the same time the amendment was moving through the House, senators were being briefed separately on the proposed changes.
In the Senate Executive Committee, which meets one floor below the House chamber, Republican Leader John Curran, of Downers Grove, argued that changing the rules in the middle of an election cycle would be unfair to potential candidates who are operating under existing rules.
He also said such a move could add to what he called the public’s growing mistrust of the election system generally.
“There’s a lot of talk around the country about stealing elections,” Curran said. “And the faith in the democratic process has been shaken a bit around the country. I believe Illinois would be adding to that, really, national problem, if it took that step here and changed the rules midstream rather than just waiting to the next election cycle.”
But Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, noted there are other ways to get on the ballot after the primary has passed.
“A candidate who would want to run for General Assembly seat after the primary will have to run, as they can today, as an independent or a third-party candidate,” Harmon said. “They would no longer be able to appeal to the local party bosses to have them installed as the candidate of a major political party.”
Privately, GOP lawmakers said they believe the proposed change is designed to influence the outcome of one particular race this year – the 112th House District in the Metro East area, where incumbent Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is running for reelection.
No Republican filed to run in that race in time for the March 19 primary, but party officials say one is currently being lined up.
Republicans believe that district is winnable for them. Stuart won reelection to that seat in 2022 by a 54-46 margin over Republican Jennifer Korte.
Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, was one of the four Democrats to vote “no” on the bill Wednesday afternoon, though others skipped the vote. She said she’s not opposed to eliminating the slating process beginning in the 2026 election cycle but said doing it now is “moving the goal posts” in the “final minutes of a ballgame.”
“That’s problematic for me because as an elected official in Illinois, I’m constantly trying to rebuild trust in Illinois government and politics that many of the people I represent…don’t have,” she told Capitol News Illinois after the vote.
The measure would also pose three nonbinding advisory referendum questions to voters on the November ballot, including asking whether health insurance plans that cover pregnancy benefits should be required to cover in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments.
That mirrors legislation passed in the state Senate last month that would require IVF and other fertility coverage for insurance plans with pregnancy benefits that are sponsored by companies with 25 or more employees.
The other questions would ask voters whether they’d favor civil penalties for any candidate who “interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker’s official duties” and whether the state should adopt an additional 3 percent tax on income over $1 million.
The extra revenue would be collected “for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief” – a perennial concern in a state with the second-highest property taxes in the U.S., just behind New Jersey, according to a 2023 report from The Tax Foundation.
Illinoisans were already asked a similar nonbinding referendum a decade ago, when nearly 60 percent of voters said “yes” to a question about a 3 percent tax on income over $1 million for the purposes of education, which is largely funded by local property taxes. Then-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s push for the so-called millionaire’s tax was seen as a poke at then-gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, a self-funded Republican who ultimately won the governor’s race and spent his four-year term fighting with the powerful Democratic speaker.
McCombie said Republicans had offered bills aimed at property tax relief on several occasions in recent years. She and state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, argued the referendums were a distraction.
“What you saw today was a phony attempt to solicit feedback from voters that was covering up the real intention to the Democrats’ bill upstairs, which is to eliminate competition in our elections,” Spain said.
As state law limits the number of questions on a statewide ballot to three, SB 2412 would also crowd out the possibility of any other citizen-initiated questions from making it to the ballot.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
Illinois
Trump administration freezing $10 billion in social service funding for Illinois, four other blue states
The Trump administration plans to halt $10 billion in federal funding for child care assistance, low income and social service funds in Illinois and four other Democrat-led states, alleging unspecified “massive amounts of fraud.”
The pause in funding comes about a week after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was freezing child care funds in Minnesota and asking for an audit of day care centers amid allegations of fraud by day care centers run by Somali residents. In announcing that freeze, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said there is “blatant fraud” in Minnesota “and across the country.”
Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois and Colorado will be cut off from $7 billion in funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance for households with children, nearly $2.4 billion for the Child Care and Development Fund, which helps support working parents with child care and around $870 million for social services grants that help children at risk, according to an HHS official.
It marks the latest in a series of pauses in federal funding to Illinois that began when Trump took office last January, including social service, infrastructure and climate-related dollars.
“For too long, Democrat-led states and Governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch,” HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement. “Under the Trump Administration, we are ensuring that federal taxpayer dollars are being used for legitimate purposes. We will ensure these states are following the law and protecting hard-earned taxpayer money.”
The Illinois Department of Health and Human Services on Monday said it had not received any official communication or notification about impacts to federal funding.
“This is yet another politically-motivated action by the Trump Administration that confuses families and leaves states with more questions than answers,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “IDHS will provide an update if it is made aware of program or funding changes.”
The department did not immediately comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Matt Hill, spokesman for Gov. JB Pritzker, criticized the funding threat in a post on X.
“The Trump team is throwing around background quotes, governing by press release, and causing mass confusion for families who need child care,” Hill wrote. “Illinois has NOT been notified of these funds being canceled. Stop politicizing child care and instead make it more affordable.”
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is running for the U.S. Senate in the March 17 Democratic primary, called the pending freeze “deeply disturbing.”
“Such a move wouldn’t punish bad actors — it would harm working parents and children who rely on these programs. As someone who grew up on essential social programs when my family got knocked down, I know firsthand how life-changing that support can be,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “At a time when Illinois families are already facing an affordability crisis, the Trump Administration should not undermine support that helps parents remain in the workforce or play petty politics with the well-being of America’s families.”
Trump has deployed at least 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota amid a welfare fraud scandal. Federal prosecutors in December said half of more than roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported Minnesota programs since 2018 may have been stolen, the Associated Press reported.
Trump has used the fraud scandal to target the Somali population in Minnesota. A social media video posted by a right-wing influencer in late December reignited the fraud claims against daycare centers run by Somali people. Since then, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he wouldn’t seek re-election, citing “an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”
During a New Year’s Eve event, Trump claimed to reporters that fraud in Minnesota was “peanuts.”
“California is worse, Illinois is worse and, sadly, New York is worse — a lot of other places,” Trump said. “So, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
The drought is over! We repeat, the drought is over! Montana State has won the FCS Championship for the first time since 1984, breaking a 41-year drought.
The Bobcats won the 2025-26 FCS Championship with a 35-34 win over Illinois State in overtime, holding off the Redbirds in the an overtime classic.
After Illinois State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, the Redbirds had a shot at a game-winning field goal with just over one minute to play. That’s when the kick was blocked! The game proceeded to overtime.
MADNESS IN NASHVILLE, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! 🫨
The field goal kick gets blocked by @MSUBobcats_FB, scooped up, and returned back to the 45-yard line of Illinois State. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/apXWzNehjH
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
In overtime, Illinois State got the ball first and scored a touchdown to take the lead. That’s when the extra-point try was blocked as special teams miscues proved costly for Illinois State.
REDBIRDS STRIKE FIRST IN OVERTIME ⚡️
Dylan Lord scores his second touchdown of the game to give @RedbirdFB the lead. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/cE9621nX2Y
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
However, Montana State still had to respond with a touchdown of their own. Facing 4th-and-10, quarterback Justin Lamson hit wide receiver Taco Dowler for the game-tying score. To win the game, Colby Frokjer knocked in the game-winning PAT.
TACO DOWLER TOUCHDOWN 🚨🚨🚨
Lamson connects with Dowler in the end zone for an overtime @MSUBobcats_FB touchdown. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/gBdNnha0PR
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
The game-winning touchdown earned Lamson Most Outstanding Player honors. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 30 yards and two scores.
“There’s not many moments that are gonna be better than this.”@MSUBobcats_FB’s @justin_lamson10 reflects on bringing back the first title in 41 years back to Bozeman with @stan_becton 🏆 #FCSChampionship pic.twitter.com/2UQuvtKXO2
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
It’s the first championship of the Brent Vigen era in Bozeman as the head coach lifts the trophy for the first in his third championship game appearance. The win is also the Big Sky’s first over the MVFC in a championship game, bringing the all time record to 4-1.
Full finish: CHAOTIC Q4 ending, FIRST-EVER FCS title game overtime
What to Know
- -Children between the ages of 5-17 are seeing the highest impact in the surge in cases in Illinois
- -COVID cases are also on the rise, with “moderate” levels reported by the CDC
- -Illinois health officials say just 22% of the state’s residents have received flu immunizations, while 6.8% have received COVID vaccine boosters
Hospital admissions and positive tests for influenza are soaring in Illinois, prompting warnings and concerns from health officials.
According to an update Monday from the Illinois Department of Public Health, flu activity in the state has climbed to “very high” levels in recent days, the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness activity used by the CDC.
Data available via the IDPH’s Seasonal Respiratory Illness Dashboard shows that more than 19% of emergency room visits in Illinois during the last reporting period were due to acute respiratory illness, with more than 18% of hospital admissions attributed to those illnesses.
Acute respiratory illnesses include the flu as well as COVID-19 and RSV, according to officials.
COVID-19 rates are also on the rise, increasing to “moderate” levels in the state according to the CDC.
The CDC uses wastewater monitoring to help detect viruses infecting people in a community, according to its website.
The bulk of hospital admissions and ER visits associated with respiratory illnesses were made because of flu symptoms, according to officials.
Health officials in Illinois are warning of a new and unexpected mutation that could make for a “more serious flu season.” Natalie Martinez has more.
Data shows that the spike in illnesses is having a serious impact on those residents under the age of 18. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are most impacted by hospital admissions related to acute respiratory illnesses and the flu, while residents over the age of 65 are most impacted by COVID-19.
In the press release, Illinois also reported its first influenza death in a child this season.
“Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” Dr. Sameer Vohra, IDPH director, said. “Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness from flu, COVID-19 and RSV.”
That push for vaccinations comes as approximately 22% of state residents have received flu shots, according to Illinois health officials. Even though flu season peaks in January and February, officials caution that it can last into May, making vaccination a smart strategy in containing spread of the illness.
In addition to vaccines, washing hands frequently is critical to preventing spread of the illness, as is covering coughs and sneezes, and wearing a mask when ill.
Antiviral treatments can also minimize symptoms and speed up recovery, but must be sought in the early stages of the illness to be effective, officials warn.
More information can be found on IDPH’s website.
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