Illinois
Illinois lawmakers to tackle Chicago Bears stadium, pensions, taxes
Expect a progressive tax, higher education spending and a Bears stadium to be high on the agenda for Illinois state lawmakers.
Taxpayers have reason to worry as the second half of the 104th Illinois General Assembly begins on Jan. 13.
Typically, lawmakers file and pass fewer bills in the second year of the regular session. But based on the chaotic end to the 2025 regular session and the active veto session, lawmakers are likely to make some costly moves.
Issues to watch: a progressive tax, higher education spending, Tier 2 pensions, data centers, energy and a Chicago Bears stadium.
Issues to watch in 2026
While fewer bills are expected to make it to Pritzker’s desk in 2026, those that could impact taxpayers the most involve a progressive tax, higher education spending, Tier 2 pensions, data centers, energy and a Chicago Bears stadium.
Progressive tax
Illinois has always had a flat income tax. Yet in 2020, lawmakers attempted to amend the state constitution to permit a graduated-rate structure. That amendment would give lawmakers great power to start taxing retirees and raise rates on family farms and small businesses. Illinoisans rejected the amendment resoundingly.
Despite that clear signal from voters, lawmakers filed another bill in 2025 that would have started the amendment process. If passed by voters, that amendment would eliminate Illinois’ constitutional protection that requires when taxes are hiked, they be hiked on everyone so everyone can hold state lawmakers accountable. The bill died, but relentless lawmakers are trying again with a new bill filed during veto session that would let them divide and conquer taxpayers, one income group at a time.
Higher education spending
Illinois was ranked No. 1 for spending per student on higher education in 2024, paying more than double the national average because of declining enrollment, poorly structured finances, growing pension payments and bloated administration. Lawmakers must take a strategic, statewide approach to how it nurtures young people after high school by fixing university funding and broadening workforce training.
Tier 2 pensions
At the end of veto session, a bill increasing Tier 2 pension benefits was passed out of the Illinois House Executive Committee. Projected to cost the state $52.7 billion, the bill would make sweeping changes for pension systems across the state, increasing benefits for Illinois’ Tier 2 retirees hired after 2010. Government unions are expected to push for boosted benefits during the new session.
Data centers, energy
Despite lifting the 40-year moratorium on nuclear energy at the end of veto session, “Illinois is running out of power.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been touting a clean energy bill that was signed into law in 2021. But his mandate to eliminate coal and natural gas generation of electricity by 2050 may not be feasible. Natural gas and coal plants might be needed to fuel data centers.
While lifting the nuclear moratorium was a win for reliability and innovation, more state control and added regulations risk undoing those gains. Illinois should embrace policies that make energy cheaper, cleaner and more dependable through competition and regulatory restraint, not deeper political control.
Chicago Bears stadium
The Chicago Bears purchased the former Arlington Park Racetrack in 2023 for $197.2 million. Nearly three years later, the dream of a new stadium is elusive.
Needing state support to develop a new stadium the Bears’ lease at Solider Field expires in 2033, but it can be broken with a penalty.
A 2025 bill would have required teams to win at least 50% of their games in the past 3-in-5 seasons if they want taxpayer funds for a new stadium or to renovate an existing one.
Now, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren has announced the team’s need to “expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana” citing “no legislative partnership” and a desire for a “world-class stadium.” With that, Illinoisans can expect more political wrangling over a stadium in 2026.
Lawmakers historically pass fewer bills in the second half of session
The Illinois General Assembly operates on two-year sessions. Based on data going back to 2003, lawmakers tend to file and pass fewer bills in the second year.
On average, there have been 6,364 bills filed in the regular session of the first year compared to 3,445 bills filed in regular session of the second year. The trend is similar for how many bills are passed in the first year versus the second.
The first year of a legislative session sees an average of 633 bills passed by both chambers, while the second year sees an average of 451 bills passed.
With elections in November following the second year of session, state lawmakers are more likely to be judged for their actions and more cautious with the bills they file and approve. All Illinois House members and 39 of the 59 Illinois Senate seats will be decided by voters Nov. 3.
Based on two decades worth of trends, Pritzker should expect to see fewer than 400 bills cross his desk in 2026.
But with everything from public pensions to sports stadiums on the agenda for lawmakers this spring, the second half of the 104th Illinois General Assembly could get explosive in Springfield and expensive for taxpayers.
Illinois
Produce Recall Issued In Parasite Outbreak Hitting IL
A number of Taco Bell locations have posted signs announcing they are “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to Detroit-area news radio outlet WWJ.
Taco Bell told the Post it would keep monitoring the situation and follow authorities’ guidance.
Taco Bell Lettuce Linked To Growing MI Parasite Outbreak: FDA
“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company told the Post. “While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure.”
In Michigan, where cases have been concentrated, media reports said notices were posted at some Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants last week telling customers the chain was “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro-Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.”
Illinois
Illinois GOP trails badly in midterm cash
The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223K in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual end balance was $101K higher than it had reported the day before.
But that bit of found money was basically the end of the “good news” for the GOP last week.
Republicans no longer have a pet billionaire. Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin have fled the state. The legions of wealthy business titans who once contributed and raised money have either retired to sunnier climes or passed away. Several prominent party members have publicly shunned labor unions and their hefty political war chests, although the state GOP legislative leaders have at least tried to rebuild ties to trade unions and even the Illinois Education Association. But the heavily gerrymandered legislative map combined with the current political climate means they’ll mostly receive scraps.
And, yes, the House Democrats are struggling this month with scandals, including a state representative who resigned under pressure and another who was indicted. I’m not trying to downplay that at all. But Democrats have the national political environment, the local infrastructure and tons of cash behind them. The Republicans have little to none of that.
The GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, Darren Bailey, raised $1.3 million in the second quarter, which ended June 30. That sounds like a lot, but he spent almost all of that on direct mail fundraising costs. The huge expenditures do give him a prospect list for future fundraising, but he ended the quarter with a mere $128K in the bank. That was still a whole lot more than the rest of the statewide ticket.
Attorney General nominee Bob Fioretti, a perennial candidate, raised $31K, spent $39K and had $28K on hand at the end of the quarter along with almost $15K in recent debt. Secretary of State candidate Diane Harris raised $6K, spent a bit over $4K and had a paltry $1,816.42 in the bank. Treasurer candidate Max Solomon, who ran as a write-in during the primary because the party failed to recruit anyone, raised less than $3K, reported no spending and ended the quarter with less than $8K. Comptroller candidate Bryan Drew raised $30K and received $47K in in-kind contributions from a company owned, ironically, by independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett, spent less than $3K, ended with $54K and had $25K in debt from earlier this year.
Man, that’s just downright pathetic.
But I suppose it doesn’t really matter anyway unless we see a massive sea-change in national opinion in the coming months or the federal government finds a way to not certify certain election results. Regardless of where individual candidates are at this moment, they’ll have the money to compete. Unlike the Republicans, the Dems do have a pet billionaire (JB Pritzker) and, I assume eventually for most of them, organized labor.
The Republican legislative leaders have tried to scrape and claw as much as they can, but they’re vastly outgunned. Senate Republican Leader John Curran raised just $75K in the second quarter. He spent $71K and reported having a bit more than $3 million in the bank. His caucus committee reported having $160K in the bank.
Leader Curran has three Republican-held districts to defend in the Chicago media market that have all trended Democratic in the last three cycles. Depending how bad things get, he could be defending a couple, two or three more.
The Senate Democrats have a ton of money to do whatever they want. Senate President Don Harmon has about $20 million in his personal campaign account and $1.7 million in his caucus account.
Over in the House, Republican Leader Tony McCombie has at least four Democratic-trending or swingy districts to defend and just $1.3 million in her personal campaign account and another $363K in her caucus account so far.
In contrast, House Speaker Chris Welch had $11.4 million in his personal account and $1.2 million in his caucus account. Like Senate President Harmon, he has more than enough money already, but more is never enough when there’s so much out there, so those numbers will likely rise by November.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Illinois
Hillsboro grad, Springfield golfer Alex Eickhoff 2nd at state amateur
BLOOMINGTON — Springfield’s Alex Eickhoff nearly had a magical Thursday as he tied for second place in the 95th annual Illinois State Amateur Championship at Crestwicke Country Club.
Eickhoff, a 2020 Hillsboro High School graduate and former standout on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s men’s golf team, shot a 4-under-par 68 in Thursday’s third round and followed that with an even-par 71 to finish the three-day, four-round event 1-over 285. He tied for second with Bloomington’s Logan Stauffer.
Eickhoff briefly took the lead through nine holes of his fourth round when he sat at 1-under par. Chicago’s Charlie Kulwin finished both of Thursday’s rounds under par and finished 2-under 282. He was the lone golfer to finish under par for the tournament.
Eickhoff was The State Journal-Register’s Small School Boys Golfer of the year twice in his high school career: once as a freshman in 2016-17 and again as a senior in 2019-20. After high school, he golfed for the University of Minnesota for two years before transferring to SIUE.
He began the tournament with a 3-over 74 on Tuesday and shaved off a stroke Wednesday with a 2-over 73. He closed out the event with an even-par 71 in Thursday’s final round.
Other area golfers who made the cut were Springfield’s Charles Hoogland (7-over 291, tied for 20th) and Jacksonville’s Brady Kaufmann (8-over 292, 25th).
The last golfer from The State Journal-Register’s coverage area to win the Illinois State Amateur was Jay Davis. Davis, a Jacksonville Routt graduate, won the 1991 and ‘92 tournaments.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
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