Illinois
Illinois passes $55B budget, with over $800 million in revenue changes
Illinois state lawmakers’ spending plan surpasses last year’s budget by $2 billion, requiring taxpayers to pay over $800 million in additional costs for yet another year of record spending.
With just over 24 hours to conduct a full review, the Illinois General Assembly approved a record-setting $55.2 billion budget for 2026, after a 75-41 House vote sent the 3,000-plus page plan to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. lt follows a familiar fiscal playbook: spend more, fix nothing, hand taxpayers the bill – and toss in a raise for those casting the votes.
To cover the rising costs of education, state pensions and health benefits for government workers, the budget uses short-sighted fixes and ignores structural problems. Once again, it’s taxpayers who will pay the price.
Just before its deadline, Illinois lawmakers passed a record $55.2 billion budget, featuring over $394 million in tax increases, $237 million in fund sweeps and $216 million in delaying funds.
Despite lawmaker claims of budget cuts, the 2026 budget increased by $2 billion compared to 2025. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has grown Illinois’ budget by $16 billion and enacted over 50 tax hikes since taking office in 2019.
Notably, the budget cuts the state’s Property Tax Relief Grant, resulting in an effective $43 million property tax hike. Lawmakers will also receive more than $6,000 in pay raises for the coming year, while public pensioners will receive a benefit spike valued at more than $13 billion. Meanwhile, the budget contributes $5 billion less in pension funding than is necessary to keep the system solvent for future retirees, according to the pension system’s actuaries.
On the revenue side the budget features more than $800 million in revenue gimmicks featuring tax hikes, fund sweeps and temporary measures that fail to truly balance the state’s budget. The process was so rushed that even bill sponsors seem unclear on the exact amount taxpayers will be asked to pay. Among the revenue adjustments are:
- $195 million – $228 million from a new tax amnesty program.
- $171 million from delaying motor fuels tax revenue transfers to the Road Fund.
- $237 million in fund sweeps.
- $72 million in corporate tax hikes.
- $45 million from shorting the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund.
- $36 million from a new sports wagering tax.
- $15 million from removing hotel tax exemptions from short term rental platforms.
- An additional tax on nicotine analogs.
The 2026 budget continues Illinois’ practice of irresponsible and speculative budgeting. Rather than focusing on policy solutions such as a spending cap, right-sizing employee health care costs and constitutional pension reform, lawmakers have opted for a status quo budget. Constantly relying on taxes and fund sweeps encourages irresponsible budgeting, which erodes voters’ trust in Springfield. These tactics reduce the state’s competitiveness, risk potential credit downgrades and can worsen Illinois’ challenges with high unemployment and sluggish growth.
Illinois’ 2026 budget continues the state’s habit of patching budget problems using short-sighted fixes with long-term consequences. Without structural solutions, such as adopting a spending cap and constitutional pension reform, Illinois has continued its cycle of reactive budgeting at taxpayers’ expense.
Illinois
4 shot in Rockford, suspect in custody; police ask public to avoid area
Saturday, July 18, 2026 11:43AM
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WLS) — Rockford police are investigating a quadruple shooting on Saturday.
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The shooting happened near Island and Clifton Avenues, police said.
Police said four people were shot. All injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening, police said.
The shooting suspect was in police custody.
No other information was immediately available.
The public is asked to avoid the area as they continue to investigate.
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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.
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