(The Center Square) -- State lawmakers failed to reform the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion this legislative session despite bipartisan criticism of its performance and calls to disband it.

Moreover, the seven highly paid commissioners who lead it are getting raises along with numerous other executive branch appointees, and their requested $5.6 million budget was approved.

The budget allocation and pay increases were included in the early Monday morning votes to ratify a new, $55.9 billion state budget.

And they belie the considerable critiques that lawmakers aired during public budget hearings in recent months. House lawmakers initially said they intended to summon the commission's staff for a third hearing to continue their questions, but that didn't happen.

Lawmakers have seized on The Center Square's investigation of the commission to question their salaries of about $150,000, given that they are allowed to work side jobs for extra pay and have overseen a sizable decline in the number of businesses owned by racial minorities, women and people with disabilities that are certified by the state.

Certified businesses are preferred for state contracts. The primary goal of the commission -- which was created in 2022 -- is to increase the amount of state contract money that is awarded to the businesses.

State Rep. Brad Halbrook, a Shelbyville Republican, said it was wrong to approve more money for the commissioners without further review. He is among those who want to eliminate the commission.

"Lawmakers were asked to fund an agency without receiving the additional scrutiny and answers that many members believed were necessary," he told The Center Square. "In a state facing significant fiscal challenges, that is not how responsible budgeting should work."

No Republicans voted to approve the new budget.

Pay bumps for all

The commissioners are receiving raises of about $5,000 apiece. Most will have salaries of about $153,000.

Commission chairperson Nina Harris will have a salary of more than $160,000.

Before the budget vote in the House, Rep. Norine Hammond, a Macomb Republican, spoke against pay increases and the creation of new high-paying government jobs while state leaders struggle to fund all of their spending.

"Certainly not an austere budget when we are creating new positions, paying these individuals anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 a year," Hammond said as the budget debate was ongoing on the House floor. "And not only that, we are also going to give all of you a raise."

"Congratulations," she added, dryly, before asking her colleagues to reject the budget.

The Center Square's investigation has found that the number of certifications has dropped by nearly half during the relatively short tenure of the commission, and that the commissioners have less responsibility than other paid board members who are required to treat their positions as full-time.

There is no similar requirement for the diversity commissioners, and most of them have worked side jobs, often earning thousands of dollars in addition to their state salaries. Harris, the commission's chairperson, recently disclosed that she has not stopped working for her previous employer since she left the job in 2021.

State lawmakers have contemplated barring the commissioners from having paid side jobs, but no action was taken this legislative session despite the bipartisan disgruntlement.

"I know you say we're heading in the right direction, but I'm telling you that business owners that we are talking to are not saying that," Sen. Elgie R. Sims Jr., the Senate Democrats' appropriations leader, said during a budget hearing in early April.

(The Center Square) – Chicago Bears stadium legislation is stalled after questions arose about a potentially unpopular tax structure and financial risk for taxpayers.

Speaking at the Illinois Capitol on Monday, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch explained why a bill providing for a publicly-owned, property tax-exempt stadium was not called for a vote before the legislature adjourned, ending its spring session.

“To pass a bill about the Bears, just being about the Bears, the votes weren’t there,” Welch said.

An amended version of House Bill 958 passed the Senate earlier on Monday.

“We didn’t have time to find out what other folks thought of the bill. I need to have some feedback from our members before asking them to vote for it on the floor,” Welch said.

The bill called for a publicly-owned stadium that would pay no property taxes. It would establish a municipal stadium authority to own a facility the Bears could build in Chicago, Arlington Heights, Cicero, Evanston or Schaumburg.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he believes a business like the Bears should get incentives that are similar to those offered to other businesses.

“The reality is I wasn’t willing to give up billions of dollars of taxpayer money in order to give it to a billionaire-owned team,” Pritzker said.

Earlier Monday on the Senate floor, Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett, expressed concern that the stadium authority appointed by municipal officials would have taxing and bonding powers.

Lewis asked the bill sponsor, Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, if the stadium could set up a tax structure the community might not want.

“The bill does not prohibit a municipality from doing just that. I would point out this is restricted to home rule units of government. They have those taxing powers right now,” Cunningham said.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said lawmakers have more work to do to provide certainty for taxpayers.

“The last-minute replacement municipal stadium authority bill was narrower than the megaproject bill, but if it had passed, it still could have exposed Cook County taxpayers to billions of dollars in long-term risk,” Costin said in a statement.

Although the Bears have not publicly indicated they would reconsider the decision to narrow their stadium site options to Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his city’s 2024 plan reflected the same principles the legislature ultimately centered on.

“We have a publicly owned site the team has already vetted and approved, an existing sports authority with a dedicated revenue stream, and a framework for moving a deal forward,” Johnson said in a statement.

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia expressed disappointment and said in a statement that the outcome of the legislative session was a “fumble” for Illinois.

Hammond, Indiana Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. said in a social media post that someone should check on the state of Illinois. Quoting the musical “Hamilton,” McDermott posted, “You don’t have the votes, you don’t have the votes.”

(The Center Square) – A bill offering career technical education classes as an alternative to Illinois’ foreign language mandate is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 3070 on Sunday.

The measure provides that high school students can still take two years of foreign language but will now have the option to take CTE classes starting in 2028.

NONPROFIT INVESTMENT BILL PASSED

The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation allowing the state treasurer’s office to set up an investment pool for nonprofit organizations.

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said Senate Bill 2968 is intended to help nonprofits strengthen their financial stability and maximize resources that help communities.

Frerichs told The Center Square last fall he would keep working on the legislation that was vetoed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer.

COOK COUNTY ANNOUNCES MINIMUM WAGE HIKE

Minimum wages will be going up in Cook County on July 1.

The county’s Commission on Human Rights issued a notice on Monday that the minimum wage for non-tipped workers over the age of 18 will increase from $15 to $15.40 and the minimum for tipped employees will rise from $9 to $9.25.

Cook County’s minimum wage is based on the greatest rate among the federal minimum wage, Illinois minimum wage, or on the county’s calculation using the Consumer Price Index.

CHICAGO ANNOUNCES BUDGET ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

Chicago officials have announced a series of five budget engagement roundtable events, starting Wednesday at Malcolm X College. T

he events are open to the public and will be livestreamed on social media platforms. More information is available at the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget engagement website.

The city’s $16.7 billion budget passed in December includes higher taxes on cloud computing, liquor and plastic bags, along with rideshare surcharges and a roughly $1 billion sweep of tax-increment financing funds to Chicago Public Schools.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill to regulate e-bikes, scooters and other micromobility devices, but not before the legislation was adjusted due to potential issues with the state’s DUI laws.

During the final weekend of spring session, legislators in both the state Senate and House approved the measure setting age limits, speed limits, some insurance requirements and other mandates on operators of e-bikes, motorized scooters and other devices.

State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, said a broad coalition asked for state regulation after injury reports surged across the country.

“First, it closes the gaps in current law by defining the regulation of devices like electric scooters, skateboards and unicycles under a single category, electric micromobility devices,” Hernandez said on Wednesday.

When asked by state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, on the House floor, Hernandez said the goal of the bill is safer regulation.

“By putting age limits, speed requirements, making sure that those that are of a higher speed there is insurance asked from individuals, and making sure that we know exactly where these devices can be,” Hernandez said.

The Aurora Democrat also explained a third amendment to the bill.

“It removes the low-speed e-bike and low-speed gas bikes from DUI violations, except when such bike is capable of being operated and is being operated above 28 miles per hour. In such circumstances, a bike will be considered a motor-driven cycle and is subject to DUI laws,” Hernandez said.

When Sen. Craig Wilcox, R-Woodstock, asked about the amendment in committee on Thursday, Brenda Glahn of the Illinois Secretary of State’s office said the bill might need to be cleaned up due to inconsistencies in the vehicle code.

“It’s confusing sometimes as to whether you can get a DUI versus an SSS, whether you can get a statutory summary suspension, whether you can get a zero tolerance, when you’re involved in a crash whether you can be asked to take a breath test,” Glahn said.

Glahn indicated there would be time to make adjustments before the bill is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Lawmakers changed the bill language and placed it in Senate Bill 3484.

The amended measure regained bipartisan support, passed early Monday before session ended and next heads to the governor's desk.

Last month, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said DMV fees for devices covered by the legislation would essentially be the same cost as motorcycles and other motorized vehicles. The cost of a new title and registration for a motorcycle is currently $206, with an annual registration renewal fee of $41.

Sean Reed contributed to this story.

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(The Center Square) – The Illinois legislative session has ended with no stadium deal for the Chicago Bears.

House Bill 958 Senate Amendment 2 passed the Senate on Monday morning but was not called for a vote in the House.

State Sen. Bill Cunningham’s proposal would establish a municipal stadium authority to own a facility the Bears could build in Chicago, Arlington Heights or one of several other large suburbs.

“The municipality would own the stadium as a public property. It would pay no property taxes,” Cunningham, D-Chicago, said.

Cunningham said the legislation was intended for the Bears but was not franchise-specific.

The host municipality would be eligible to apply for the establishment of a sales tax and revenue bond district or a New Opportunities for Vacation Adventure district around the stadium. The project would then be eligible to receive reimbursement from the proceeds of bonds secured by state sales tax increment.

Traffic studies would be required around the stadium site and also around the Bears’ current home facility, Soldier Field in Chicago.

The amended bill came together after Senate Democrats decided not to support a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes package passed by the House in April.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said the House legislation would have frozen equalized assessed values and allowed local governments to use megaprojects to raise taxes.

“There shouldn't be risks to other taxpayers from megaprojects. They shouldn't be causing property tax increases that other people have to pay,” Costin told The Center Square.

Costin estimated the new legislation would have saved the Bears between $11 billion and $15 billion in property taxes over 40 years.

In a social media post, Costin said the bill was corporate welfare and not property tax relief.

State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, said the negotiations were complex.

“This is how this building works, right? Things fit, they start, they go away, they come back,” Buckner said on Sunday.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, called for session to adjourn without considering the new stadium legislation.

The new bill did not go through committee before arriving on the Senate floor.

(The Center Square) – Late Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman’s alleged killer has been charged with possessing a 6-inch shank in jail.

WGN-TV reports that Cook County corrections staff learned around 8 a.m. on Thursday that Jose Medina was in possession of an alleged weapon.

Medina is accused of fatally shooting Gorman, 18, on March 19 in Chicago.

SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTER REGISTRATION MANDATE PASSES

The Illinois legislature has passed legislation requiring school districts to provide all eligible students graduating from high school with the opportunity to register to vote.

House Bill 4339 cleared the Senate on Friday and will take effect immediately upon being signed by the governor.

LEGISLATURE PASSES SOCIAL WORK SCHOLARSHIP EXPANSION

A measure expanding Illinois’ school social work scholarship program is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

House Bill 5460 opens up eligibility to more social work students, including those pursuing social work licenses and those earning a master’s degree in social work before entering a school social work program.

The measure also allows scholarships to be used at private nonprofit colleges in Illinois that prepare students to become licensed school social workers.

SWIPE FEE BAN PUSHED BACK

The General Assembly has pushed back the effective date of the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act one year to July 2027.

The law previously scheduled to take effect this July 1 bans electronic processing fees on the tax and tip portions of credit and debit card transactions.

Bankers and credit union groups challenged the law in federal court, and the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency moved in April to partially block the law.

Sean Reed contributed to this story.

APARTMENT ASSOCIATION BLASTS CHICAGO MAYOR’S HOUSING PROPOSAL

The Chicagoland Apartment Association says Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Protecting Renters Ordinance would ultimately harm the residents it intends to protect.

CAA Executive Vice President Michael Mini said in a statement that the proposal represents a sweeping expansion of housing regulation that risks making Chicago’s affordability challenges even worse.

The ordinance may be introduced to the city council’s housing committee later this month.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly has voted to approve a record-high budget for fiscal year 2027, with new taxes and lawmaker pay raises included.

The $55.9 billion spending plan breaks the state record of $55.2 billion set in fiscal year 2026.

State Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, said the new budget is balanced.

“I would remind this committee and the public that there are no tax increases on everyday working families,” Sims said on Sunday afternoon.

The budget passed early Monday morning includes new taxes on targeted advertising services, digital assets, social media platforms and fantasy sports, limits certain income tax carryover deductions and raises the tax on retail tire sales from $2 to $2.50.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said state spending has increased 40% since J.B. Pritzker became governor.

“Healthy states don’t need new taxes. Why? Because they’re growing. Healthy states aren’t punishing their citizens with this tax burden which is directly correlating into the overall economy,” Rose said.

Rose said Illinoisans pay $1,700 more in taxes than the national average.

The new budget freezes the state’s motor fuel tax for six months. Instead of rising to 49.6 cents per gallon as scheduled on July 1, Illinois’ tax on regular unleaded will remain 48.3 cents per gallon until Jan. 1, 2027.

Surplus gas tax revenue will be redirected to general operating funds. Rose questioned why the state would sweep nearly $150 million in gas tax revenues, approximately the same amount appropriated to fund immigrant health and welcoming center programs.

The budget leaves the Local Government Distributive Fund percentage at 6.47% of state income tax revenues, even though Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed cutting the rate to 6.23% for fiscal year 2027.

Statehouse Republicans opposed the governor’s cut and pushed for property tax relief.

“There is no property tax relief in this revenue package,” state Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, said on the House floor Sunday night.

Speaking on the House floor last Wednesday, state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, predicted what would happen over the weekend.

“Here we are again, the final week of session in Springfield, a deadline that has been on the calendar for months, and yet somehow we end up in the exact same place: budget deals negotiated behind closed doors, massive spending bills dropped at the last minute and rumors of new tax increases surfacing in the final hours when the public is least likely to notice,” Halbrook said.

Halbrook, a member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus, said the General Assembly goes back to the same failed playbook year after year.

“Spend beyond our means, refuse to tell Gov. Pritzker 'no' and create yet another budget problem, then turn around and demand taxpayers bail Springfield out once again,” Halbrook said.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said on May 7 that more than 90 pieces of budget legislation would be consolidated and introduced as House Bill 131 and Senate Bill 2512.

On Saturday, however, the 3,551-page budget document was dropped into an amendment for House Bill 111.

On Sunday, the 1,623-page revenue document dropped into an amendment for Senate Bill 3019.

The budget includes a 3.2% cost-of-living raise for state lawmakers, pushing their average base salary over $101,000.

If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the budget will take effect on July 1.

Greg Bishop and Sean Reed contributed to this story.

(The Center Square) – Legislation to ban the use of cell phones by students from bell-to-bell officially passed both chambers in the Illinois Capitol on Sunday, sending the bill to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

Having passed the Senate in April 2025, the governor urged lawmakers to progress it forward before the end of this session.

After months of disagreements and negotiations between lawmakers and stakeholders, leading to multiple amendments, the House voted to pass the measure in mid-April, when it was sent back to the Senate.

All was quiet on the bill until the final week of session, when it was assigned to the Senate Education committee.

According to Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin and one of the many Senate sponsors, changes to the plan include when and how the rule will be required to be implemented by school districts.

“[The amendment] moves the implementation date from 2026-2027 school year to 2027-2028 school year,” Castro said.

The senator also said the bill now allows school districts the option of partially excluding high school students from the ban, at least during lunch and passing periods, among other specifics.

“The policy must also provide an alternative for situations where the school is requiring a parent or guardian to retrieve the device from the school, but the parent or guardian is unable to appear in person, and requires the wireless communication device policy to be published in a student handbook if one exists,” Castro said.

Members of the committee did not have questions of the final form of the bill, which they sent to the Senate floor for a final vote before being passed.

Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, said she supports the aim of the bill before a final vote on the house floor, but she voted against the measure because it preempts local oversight.

Tracy was one of only two in the Senate to vote against the measure, with the other being Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport.

More than half of all states have passed laws similar to that of Illinois’, with many states also including funding for school districts to enforce the bans through solutions like school-provided lockable bags.

The Illinois plan does not include funding for the law’s implementation.

In the statewide law, many of the specifics as to how bans will be enforced are left up to local school boards, which now have roughly a full school year until they must adopt a policy that fits within the law’s minimum requirements.

The policy, according to the complete text, must prohibit students from using any personal phone, tablet, laptop, or other electronic devices during school hours. It must also provide guidance on how or where students must store devices – be it in their pockets, backpacks or lockers.

Many districts across the state have attempted to use such products, with some ultimately choosing to reverse course, despite spending taxpayer money on their initiatives.

The measure passed in a final vote of 55-2 in the Senate and also had near-unanimous support in the House.

(The Center Square) – Top Democrat leaders in the Illinois legislature met with Gov. J.B. Pritzker late Friday behind closed doors in the State Capitol.

The meeting comes as the General Assembly approaches the final hours before a budget and other major legislative initiatives must pass.

The governor told members of the media he is focused on passing a balanced budget.

He said balancing the spending plan is especially difficult, but important this year, citing cuts in federal spending, attributed to President Donald Trump, which the state is seeking to make up for.

NO PUBLIC PROGRESS ON ‘BEARS BILL’

A key legislative proposal that is partially designed to satisfy requests the Chicago Bears have said are necessary for the team to begin on a new stadium project in Arlington Heights has made no new public progress as the clock winds down to pass the measure.

Already passed by the Illinois House, there has been little from the Senate regarding the full “Megaprojects” proposal in recent days. Senate President Don Harmon told reporters that his meeting with the governor was centered solely on discussion of the state budget.

“We’ll talk when there’s something to talk about,” Harmon said when asked if there are plans for discussions on the bill.

EXPANSION OF MIXED-USE ZONING TABLED BY SENATE

The “Faith-Based Housing and Mixed-Use By-Right” act was procedurally moved forward by the Senate Executive Committee Friday evening on the handshake agreement that it wouldn’t be passed by the end of spring session this weekend.

Though not officially listed in the package making up Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Building Up Illinois Developments,” or BUILD, housing initiative, intentions behind the text to expand opportunities to develop mixed-use properties statewide reflects those of the governor’s proposal.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, agreed to table the bill, pending further negotiations and work with Illinois Municipal League CEO Brad Cole over the summer.

The larger BUILD plan faced scrutiny from the IML over concern that a variety of the measures would be an overstep from the state, preempting the authority of local governments to regulate zoning.

COALITION CALLS FOR PROGRESSIVE-PITCHED TAX MEASURES

A growing collection of organizations from Chicago rallied on the steps of the Capitol early in the day Saturday.

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, among other labor groups, called on state lawmakers to not make cuts to the state budget this year.

Instead of cuts in state spending, the members of the coalition asked the legislature impose taxes on corporations, among other major tax proposals.

(The Center Square) – A taxpayer watchdog is calling for a potential criminal investigation after allegations surfaced that a suburban Chicago park district official may have used public resources to fund a helicopter prom photo shoot for her daughter.

Brian Costin, deputy state director for Americans for Prosperity Illinois, said the allegations involving Quintina Brown raise concerns about abuse of public office and taxpayer trust.

“I think it’s pretty clear if the facts are indeed true that Quintina Brown abused her official position for private benefit,” Costin told The Center Square. “The state’s attorney should take a good look at this to see if it qualifies for official misconduct.”

The controversy stems from a May 8 helicopter landing at Roesner Park in Markham, where Brown allegedly arranged for a helicopter to land for her daughter’s prom send-off and photoshoot.

Police body camera footage captured officers questioning the pilot and Brown about whether the landing had been authorized.

According to CBS Chicago, an invoice tied to the helicopter company listed “Markham Parks” as the customer, included the park district’s address, and showed a credit card linked to Brown that city officials allege may have been taxpayer funded.

According to NBC Chicago, Brown has denied misusing public funds and told NBC Chicago she used her personal credit card for the booking.

Costin said the allegations go beyond poor judgment and could potentially violate state law if public resources were used for a private event.

“Using public property for private purposes is outside of the normal process. It’s not allowed,” Costin said. “Paying for extravagances related to your daughter’s prom is obviously not a public purpose.”

The city of Markham has filed legal action against Brown and the park district, seeking to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Costin argued the incident reflects broader concerns about oversight and accountability in Illinois local government, particularly in communities with high property taxes.

“Markham has an extremely high effective property tax rate,” Costin said. “To think that taxpayers in a community with a lot of lower-income families could potentially be paying for something like a helicopter prom photo shoot is about as far away from public purpose as possible.”

He also questioned why local law enforcement and prosecutors have not taken more visible action.

“Where’s the state’s attorney on this? Where are the local police?” Costin said. “People need to know where to go to find justice when they believe taxpayer money is being spent illegally.”

As part of broader reforms, Costin said AFP Illinois has supported proposals for expanded local inspector general offices to investigate allegations of misconduct involving local governments and taxing bodies.

The incident has sparked widespread backlash online and renewed scrutiny over ethics and spending practices among Illinois municipalities. Brown and the helicopter pilot were both cited for disorderly conduct and unauthorized landing on public property, according to media reports.

(The Center Square) – According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the unemployment rate increased in all 12 of the state’s metro areas for the year ending April 2026.

Champaign recorded its 15th consecutive month of year-over-year job growth, but the Champaign-Urbana area also saw its unemployment rate increase by .07 to 3.8%.

BILL PASSES TO PREVENT DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENT FOR MOST JOBS

The General Assembly has passed a bill that bans employers or employment agencies from requiring job applicants to have a driver’s license unless driving is an essential function and business necessity.

House Bill 4758 is headed to the governor’s desk after it cleared the Illinois Senate on Friday. For positions that require a driver’s license, the bill requires an explanation in the job posting why the license is needed.

CHICAGO ALDERMAN PUSHES FOR PARENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY

A Chicago alderman says he is still pushing his Parental Accountability Ordinance to break the cycle of empty parenting.

Alderman Raymond Lopez said in his e-newsletter on Friday his proposal would hold parents accountable for the actions of their children with increased fines or required community service.

Additionally, it would mandate that they attend family counseling. Lopez’ letter followed several so-called “teen takeovers” in Chicago over the last week.

Saying "human tragedy is no license for fraud," a plastic pipes maker is urging a federal judge to reject the bid to end their racketeering lawsuit accusing the Gori Law Firm, America's most prolific filer of asbestos personal injury lawsuits, of allegedly running an illegal "bounty" system that pushed false asbestos injury claims and allegedly coached plaintiffs and witnesses to lie.

"The fact that a plaintiff has contracted mesothelioma does not mean the Gori Firm is allowed to invent a fact pattern and teach a witness to lie in order to extract settlements from chosen target companies," the pipes manufacturer, J-M Manufacturing, said in their filing.

"Teaching another person to lie, extracting a payment from a third party based on the telling of that lie, and splitting the proceeds recovered — that is criminal. A license to practice law should never allow anyone to commit criminal acts."

The May 21 filing came as the latest step in a court fight over the fate of the action lodged by Los Angeles-based J-M accusing Gori of filing hundreds of allegedly bogus claims against the company and violating the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

J-M filed the motion in response to Gori's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

In the response brief, J-M asserts Gori is essentially asserting their work of filing lawsuits should insulate them from the fraud and racketeering claims.

J-M claims Gori has advanced a "staggering claim ... that a years-long campaign of criminal fraud is not cognizable merely because it occurred in the context of litigation."

"Contrary to Defendants’ suggestion, fraud does not magically transform into non-fraud when a lawyer employs it in a money-making litigation scheme," J-M wrote in its new brief. "This Court cannot allow Defendants to invent a 'litigation immunity' to pardon their criminal enterprise.

"Lawyers are not above the law. Fraud committed by lawyers is still fraud."

J-M had filed suit against Gori in Southern Illinois federal district court in late January.

J-M and Gori have faced off in court, with Gori on the plaintiffs' side of the docket, hundreds of times. According to court documents, Gori has named J-M as a defendant in its asbestos lawsuits at least 400 times.

All told, J-M has been targeted more than 6,000 times in asbestos-related lawsuits, with most of those lawsuits lodged in Madison and St. Clair county courts, the top two destinations for such lawsuits in the U.S.

However, according to J-M's complaint, about 96% of the cases brought by the Gori firm were ultimately dismissed.

And the reason, J-M asserts, is because at least hundreds of those lawsuit claims against J-M were based on a long-running fraud scheme.

In its filings, J-M notes that accusations of fraud are nothing new in asbestos litigation, as evidenced by other cases in which plaintiffs' firms have been caught double-dipping ­— using litigation delay tactics to improperly collect from both asbestos lawsuits and later claims filed against bankrupt companies — or filing fraudulent claims altogether. These included famous cases that generated headlines in asbestos litigation involving CSX and Garlock Sealing Techs.

In the new complaint, J-M claims a lawyer who formerly worked at the Gori firm has provided evidence that Gori allegedly engaged in similar patterns of fraud, but allegedly took the alleged scheme to new levels.

In its complaint, J-M accuses the Gori firm of establishing a so-called "bounty" system under which it incentivized the lawyers it used to conduct depositions of clients - so-called "depo attorneys" - to coax and coach clients into agreeing to level false asbestos exposure claims against J-M and other companies, even when the client had never been exposed to products made by those companies.

According to the complaint, the Gori firm had used that bounty system since at least 2018.

Under the alleged system, attorneys "who successfully coached their clients to provide deposition testimony that they were exposed to products belonging to (J-M and certain other companies)" could secure "up to 2% of total settlement proceeds."

This could allegedly allow an attorney earning as little as $65,000 a year the chance to bring in "up to $800,000 or $900,000" more in earnings per year, the complaint alleges.

According to the complaint, the alleged "bounty list" included J-M and at least 19 other companies, allegedly including 3M, Caterpillar and Honeywell, among others.

According to the complaint, companies allegedly landed on Gori's "bounty list" because they were seen as "easy targets who were willing to pay substantial settlements" or were companies that had "'pissed off' Gori attorneys" in prior proceedings.

According to the complaint, this alleged strategy of tacking on dozens of potential additional defendants — allegedly whether or not they were based on factual claims — allowed Gori to maximize its returns using a so-called "batch settlement" scheme.

The lawsuit against Gori marks the second time J-M has lodged such fraud and racketeering claims against a top asbestos lawsuit firm.

In 2024, J-M also sued Alton-based Simmons Hanly Conroy, accusing America’s second largest filer of asbestos-related lawsuits of falsifying or suppressing evidence in asbestos cases and coaching witnesses to allegedly lie under oath about exposure to asbestos from cement pipes J-M produced.

That case remains pending, as the Simmons firm seeks to also dismiss that action.

In Gori's motion to toss the lawsuit against them, the firm follows a similar path laid out by their Simmons counterparts. Gori asserted the court must end J-M's action, because it fails the so-called Noerr-Pennington test. That legal doctrine, established under a U.S. Supreme Court decision, essentially affirms Americans have a constitutional right to file lawsuits and defend themselves in court.

In its motion, Gori says J-M's lawsuit can't survive under the so-called "sham litigation" exception to that doctrine, which doesn't extend such constitutional protections to obviously fake legal claims.

And Gori asserts J-M can't present any evidence to back its "bounty" claims, asserting the lawsuit was motivated by sour grapes and a desire to strike back somehow at the Gori firm for allegedly repeatedly resting big money settlements and judgments from J-M on behalf of people who claimed they were harmed by asbestos allegedly contained in pipes made by J-M.

"J-M’s Complaint is littered with conclusory allegations of fraud and hyperbolic allegations about a 'bounty system' and 'fraud playbook,' but J-M never identifies any specific misrepresentations in furtherance of a scheme to defraud, as it must," Gori wrote in its motion to dismiss, filed in late April.

But in its response, J-M said its claims are strong, and asserted Gori is improperly attempting to use the Noerr-Pennington doctrine as a shield to neutralize attempts to hold them accountable under the law for alleged fraud.

"Defendants’ Motion asks this Court to hold that lawyers, by virtue of their membership in the bar, have RICO immunity for professional fraud," J-M wrote. "Nothing in Defendants’ motion merits such a drastic ruling. Defendants cannot claim immunity as a matter of law."

Gori has not yet responded to J-M's response in court.

U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss.

Gori has been represented in the case by attorneys Ryan J. Mahoney, of The Mahoney Law Firm, of Glen Carbon, and Neal K. Katyal, of Milbank LLP, of Washington, D.C.

J-M is represented by attorneys Ashwin J. Ram and Andrew Erskine, of the firm of Buchalter LLP, of Los Angeles and Chicago, and J-M General Counsel Frank Fletcher, of Los Angeles.

(The Center Square) – Several Illinois Democrats have made a late-session push to create a state board that would impose price caps on prescription drugs.

Prescription Drug Affordability Board legislation remained in the Illinois Senate going into the final weekend of the spring legislative session after financial questions emerged in the House.

State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, held a press conference with state Sens. Graciela Guzmán, D-Chicago, and Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, on Friday to lobby for the board that would impose price caps on certain drugs.

Syed said pharmaceutical industry advocates pushed back because the PDAB would affect their bottom line.

“Their efforts to dwindle down our legislation and to remove upper payment limits, components that actually would give our legislation teeth and the ability to reign in costs, we refused to back down in those areas,” Syed said.

Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America said data from the federal Inflation Reduction Act shows that government price-setting is failing to deliver on its promises to patients while creating new risks to innovation, access and affordability.

Senate Bill 3496 returned to the Senate for concurrence after clearing the House by a vote of 62-39 on May 21.

Before House members voted, Syed moved that the bill’s fiscal notes be ruled inapplicable.

Republican state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, urged a no vote.

“What exactly will be the cost of this bill? What impact will this bill have on our state? And yet here we are again, avoiding what is in the rules and in the law so we will know what the cost of things are that we’re voting on,” Windhorst said.

Syed said on Friday that the program’s cost would be about $750,000 and would be paid for by fees on drug manufacturers.

Syed said she has engaged with budgeteers on the House side in an attempt to land a $250,000 appropriation needed to get the board started before it collects fees.

When asked on Friday how close the bill was to getting enough votes to pass in the Senate, Guzmán said the conversations were ongoing.

(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says joining the city’s faith community and Pope Leo XIV for multi-faith prayer at the Vatican was one of the most awe-inspiring and humbling experiences of his life.

Johnson made the statement in a social media post after he and a delegation of more than 40 people met the Chicago-born Holy Father on Thursday.

Before leaving Chicago on Tuesday, the mayor said the trip was paid for by World Business Chicago, a public-private economic development agency.

DRIVER CHARGED IN CRASH THAT KILLED EX-POLICE CHIEF

A driver has been charged with reckless homicide in connection with a collision that killed former Tilton Police Chief Steve Cornett in Champaign early Wednesday.

Quamaine J. Fletcher, 29, of Tennessee was scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning.

Cornett, 65, was working in a construction zone on I-74 near the I-57 interchange in Champaign when he was struck.

IL MEDAL OF HONOR

Nineteen law enforcement officers have received the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor for acts of heroism and sacrificial service to the people of Illinois.

The officers from six different agencies were honored at a ceremony in Springfield on Thursday.

The medal is awarded to officers who have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, or who have displayed exceptional bravery or heroism while performing their duties as a law enforcement officer.

AURORA MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIALS

State police say an online tip led to the arrest of an Aurora man for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material. Andrew Dunlop III, 32, was taken into custody Thursday.

Anonymous tips of child sexual abuse materials can also be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline.

(The Center Square) – Spending more taxpayer dollars doesn't make kids smarter, according to experts.

As K-12 test scores and student proficiency rates continue to decline nationwide, education experts question whether increased education funding is improving student outcomes or merely contributing to inefficiencies within the public school system.

National Assessment of Educational Progress data released in 2024 show that the average reading score for 12th-grade students fell three points since 2019 and is 10 points lower than the first assessment in 1992. Average math scores for 12th graders have also declined by three points since 2019.

Critics argue the issue is not a lack of funding, but how education dollars are being spent

“We don’t have an education funding problem. We have an education spending problem,” Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, told The Center Square.

Walters said increased funding has often gone toward administrative bloat rather than students and teachers. He said schools should be raising academic standards, improving accountability and implementing school choice programs to give parents more control over their children’s education.

"School choice is a huge factor in this. We need that universally across the country so that if schools are low performing and they don't want to shape up, parents should be able to take their kids somewhere else," Walters said.

School choice also puts parents in the driver seat of their kids' education, which can impact administrators responsiveness to decision making, Walters added.

Nationally, public K-12 schools spent almost $1 trillion in 2024, while the average per-pupil spending nears $18,000. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school revenue increased 16% between the 2010 and 2020 school years, adjusting for inflation.

Patrick Graff, senior fellow with the American Federation for Children, said the decline in student performance began before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graff pointed to chronic absenteeism, increased classroom screen time and declining academic standards as major contributors to lower performances. According to NAEP, 31% of 12th-grade students reported missing three or more days of school in the month before taking the 2024 assessment.

Graff said accountability systems have weakened over time, as schools focus more on graduation rates and metrics. He pointed to the expansion of credit recovery programs, which allow students who fail a class to complete online coursework to regain credit.

“A graduation rate used to be a much stronger signal in terms of how well a high school is able to move their kids through and get them to reach a bar or graduation,” Graff said. “And over time, a lot of the standards underneath that high school graduation metric have really eroded.”

To ensure accountability, Graff said, schools should receive meaningful feedback from students, parents and teachers to encourage long-term academic growth rather than just meeting performance benchmarks.

Graff noted spending more money does not solve the underlying issues in public education.

“That is a big kind of background crisis within education right now. A lot of people are calling to just spend more, and they just trust that that will lead to better outcomes,” Graff said. “But there are many states in which they have spent a lot more, and they're doing a good bit worse.”

Graff pointed to Oregon as a “cautionary tale.”

Oregon

In Oregon, inflation-adjusted education spending has increased by roughly 45% over the past decade.

Per-pupil spending reached $17,988 during the 2022-23 school year, nearly double the amount spent two decades earlier, according to Common Sense Institute. Despite the increase, Oregon ranked in the bottom nationally in academic outcomes.

Statewide testing in Oregon showed 42.5% of students were proficient in English language arts and 31% were proficient in math.

The solution can’t be throwing more money into a broken system, Graff said.

“I think that has been the case in a lot of states where you don't have a system that is responsive enough to parents and students and their needs, and instead being more responsive to the needs of adults in the system,” he said.

The Center Square reached out to the Oregon Department of Education, but did not receive a response.

Arizona

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said that while increased education spending can be useful, accountability is necessary.

“Increased spending can have the effect of raising student performance, but only if it's used properly to have the academic result,” Horne told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. "Just spending by itself without any accountability can be a waste of money.”

Horne emphasized that his work in Arizona is focused on ensuring education funds are directed toward improving academic performance while maintaining accountability standards.

Like many other education experts, Horne argues that school choice can help restore high academic standards and create healthy competition among schools and students.

While proficiency levels remain below 50% in math and English, Arizona ranks second in the nation in education freedom, as previously reported by The Center Square. Arizona is set to spend $10 billion on K-12 spending, including $1 billion on a school choice program for the 2026 fiscal year.

“School choice will improve public education because competition makes everybody perform better,” Horne said.

Many people have lost the care of providing good education and getting kids to learn as much as possible, Horne noted. “A lot of people have lost that focus, and I'm trying to get that focus back."

California

Results from the 2025 Smarter Balanced assessments show that 49% of California students met or exceeded state standards in English language arts, while 37% met or exceeded standards in math, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

The results come as many California school districts continue to increase education spending while also facing budget deficits.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest school district, projects a $1.6 billion budget deficit by the 2027-28 school year. District officials have attributed the shortfall largely to declining enrollment, which has fallen 46% since 2001 and the end of pandemic relief funding.

The Center Square reached out to LAUSD for an interview to discuss student proficiency, but the district declined the interview and instead provided statements on how student performance has improved since the pandemic.

The district reported that 46% of students met or exceeded standards in English language arts, up 3.4 percentage points from the previous year and above pre-pandemic levels.

In math, 36.76% of students met or exceeded standards, an increase of 3.93 percentage points from the prior year. Science scores also improved, with 27.28% of students meeting standards.

Lance Izumi, senior director of education studies at Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, said the gap between education spending and student outcomes remains a concern.

“It’s very difficult to look at these cries for more funding as anything more than just funding the adults in the system and not helping the students,” Izumi told The Center Square.

Izumi also said public schools are facing growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling options.

Florida

Graff pointed to Florida as an example of a state that has achieved higher student outcomes despite comparatively lower per-pupil spending.

State assessment data showed English language arts proficiency rose to about 57% in 2025, up from 53% in 2024. Math proficiency increased to roughly 59%, compared with 56% the previous year.

According to the Education Data Initiative, Florida spent about $12,689 per student and ranked 47th nationally in K-12 education funding and 46th in spending. Florida ranked 22nd overall in pre-K through 12th-grade education in the latest U.S. News & World Report education rankings.

Illinois

In Illinois, 41% of students in grades three through eight were reading at grade level in 2024, while 31% of 11th-grade students met proficiency standards in reading, according to data by the Illinois Report Card.

In math, 38% of students in grades three through eight were proficient, along with 39% of 11th graders in 2025.

At the same time, one Illinois school district has significantly higher performance metrics.

The top school district nationally is Glenbrook High School District 225 in Illinois. The clearest pattern is consistent strength across multiple categories, according to Niche, an organization that takes public data to rank and profile K-12 schools and colleges across the United States.

Zach Chatham, public relations manager at Niche, told The Center Square that the company’s Best School Districts rankings are based on a combination of academic performance, student experiences and survey responses.

Chatham said top-ranked districts generally perform well across multiple categories, including Advanced Placement participation and exam performance, teacher satisfaction and salaries, extracurricular activities, facilities, athletics and parent and student survey feedback.

“The rankings are designed to reflect the overall student experience and outcomes holistically, rather than district scale, visibility or national influence alone,” Chatham said.

Ryan Bretag, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Glenbrook High School District 225, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that the district emphasizes what he described as the four A’s: academics, athletics, activities and the arts.

According to district data, Glenbrook High School District 225 reports a 96% graduation rate, with 84% reading proficiency and 80% math proficiency.

While the national average for per-pupil spending is $18,000, the Glenbrook district spends roughly $30,000 per student.

Bretag told The Center Square that community engagement is central to the district’s approach. He added that the district prioritizes gathering community feedback and refining its strategies as part of a broader effort to strengthen the community overall.

(The Center Square) – Multiple proposals that could increase funding targeted at increasing tourism in Illinois are under consideration for the coming year’s state budget.

Present in the wider “Megaprojects” proposal, State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, amended an unrelated bill to be replaced by her “Capital Area Tourism Authority” legislation, which she said was done in an attempt to ensure her initiative can pass regardless of the status of the bill that would support an Arlington Heights stadium for the Chicago Bears.

According to Turner, the legislation would allow for state bonds to support the development of the downtown area in the state’s capital city, including a new hotel. The city’s downtown has seen a high rate of turnover for small businesses and a decline in tourism in recent years.

“These bonds would be funded and backed by certain pledged sources of revenue from the county, city, and state, which will include a county-wide hotel tax, local sales taxes from business transactions occurring within the district and state sales tax increment,” Turner said.

Speaking for the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, Keenan Irish shared that the organization is opposed to the measure due to the county-wide hotel tax and the feasibility of the project.

“We just have concerns about the feasibility of the project and what happens if the revenues are not enough to pay for the bonds,” Irish said. “Who's going to have to pay them off and who's going to bear that responsibility?”

In a separate statement to The Center Square, Irish said the proposal could leave local, county and state taxpayers on the hook to pay for the project, even if the planned projects don’t succeed.

Irish explained to lawmakers that the proposed hotel tax increase is a 3% hike, raising the tax paid on a hotel room from 14% to 17%, noting that Springfield hotel tax rate would then be the second highest in the state, only behind the City of Chicago.

In a separate hearing Thursday, an initiative being considered for the state budget would adjust where state hotel tax funds go.

Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau President and CEO Cory Jobe told lawmakers that the portion of the state’s hotel tax that is put back into tourism in the state has remained flat since 2020, despite what he said is a significant return on investment for state taxes and benefit to small businesses.

“The tourism sector plays a vital role in Illinois' economy, driving job creation, economic growth, and supporting our small businesses and communities across the state,” Jobe said.

Jobe said 73% of all hotel tax funds are put back into the state’s general revenue fund, and another 22% of the revenue goes toward paying off debt related to redevelopment of Soldier Field in Chicago – which the state has been contributing to since 2002.

The final state budget is expected to pass by the end of this weekend.

(The Center Square) – Constitutional concerns surround state legislation aimed at verifying the age of internet and social media users.

Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, said House Bill 5511 is focused on protecting children in the digital age.

“This legislation creates an age assurance system that allows platforms to identify whether a user is a minor without unnecessarily collecting excessive personal information,” Preston told the Senate Executive Committee.

HB 5511 calls for age verification from internet-enabled device providers and “covered providers,” limits notification hours and prohibits the automatic playing of media to a covered minor by default.

NetChoice Director of Policy Patrick Hedger urged lawmakers to reject the measure.

“While we share this committee’s concerns for children’s online safety, this bill would trample on the speech rights while endangering online safety of users of all ages,” Hedger said.

Hedger said Illinois could face costly legal challenges after NetChoice secured permanent injunctions against digital ID mandates in Arkansas, Louisiana and Ohio.

Hedger said HB 5511 is unconstitutional because it regulates activity outside of Illinois.

The bill is supported by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently signed legislation requiring social media companies operating in his state to ensure they obtain “verifiable parental consent” for children under 16 looking to make a social media account.

NetChoice testified against the Minnesota bill, saying it would compromise data security, restrict constitutionally-protected speech and unleash a wave of litigation.

When Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, raised questions about the age verification process, Lindsey Volz from Pritzker’s office said the bill does not stop children from having apps or seeing content.

“Children have the right to download Snapchat and chat with their friends or any of these social media sites. It would just limit the use of the addictive algorithm,” Volz said.

Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, asked Preston why a provision was removed that prohibited pornography on digital platforms for minors.

“Are you or the governor’s office saying that you support allowing pornographic material on platforms for minors to see?” Rezin said.

“Absolutely not,” Preston said.

Preston said some colleagues cited speech rights and had challenges with the provision.

“Whether that was correct or not, we decided to make sure that we limited this bill to what its original intent was, which was to protect children online from addictive feeds and being preyed upon,” Preston said.

Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, wondered why the bill places obligation on device manufacturers and not just social media platforms.

In response, Volz said California passed a device-level age assurance bill last year.

After several senators expressed concern about private right of action, Preston said the intent is to not have a private right of action and he would be happy to bring forth an amendment to clarify it.

Committee chair Castro said the bill needs further clarifications.

“There’s a confusion between device level and operating level. I understand you’re going to put an agent in a device, but how does the device speak to you if you open up Safari,” Castro said.

“What is a covered platform?” Castro asked.

In addition to Pritzker’s office, proponents of the bill include Common Sense Media and the Greater Chicagoland Black Chamber of Commerce.

Opponents include the ACLU, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

Castro agreed to let HB 5511 pass out of committee with the understanding that it would come back for further discussion.

Elyse Apel contributed to this story.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois Senate has passed legislation allowing high school students to take Career Technical Education classes as an alternative to the foreign language mandate starting in 2028.

Senate Bill 3070 now heads to the House after it received unanimous approval in the Senate on Thursday.

HOUSE ADVANCES MICROMOBILITY REGULATION BILL

Amended legislation to regulate e-bikes, motorized scooters and other micromobility devices will go to the state Senate for concurrence after clearing the Illinois House on Wednesday night.

Senate Bill 3336 would require a person to be at least 16 years old, licensed to drive, and to register certain electric devices with the state before they can be legally operated.

Sean Reed contributed to this story.

MAN SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL WEAPON POSSESSION WHILE ON COURT-SUPERVISED RELEASE

A Chicago man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun on a train while he was on court-supervised release for a prior drug trafficking conviction.

Prosecutors say Gerald Pittman, 39, was arrested aboard the CTA Blue Line last July while drinking a beer, smoking and holding a red shopping bag that contained a loaded handgun.

Pittman had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

PROGRAM ALLOWS NEW ATTORNEYS TO EARN CREDIT FOR PRO BONO WORK

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced a rule amendment allowing newly-admitted attorneys to earn Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by participating in a pro bono pilot program.

The court said in a press release it hopes to address unmet legal needs and help foster a career-long commitment for new attorneys to pro bono service.

Under the program, an attorney may earn one MCLE credit hour for every two hours of pro bono participation in Illinois Free Legal Answers.

TURKEY HUNTERS LOG RECORD HARVEST

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 20,821 wild turkeys during the state’s spring turkey season, surpassing the previous record of 18,189 birds harvested in 2025.

The top counties during the 2026 season were Jefferson and Jo Daviess counties, each with 646 birds harvested. Marion County was next with 530 turkeys, followed by Pike with 525.

Hunters bought 94,704 permits this year compared to 89,580 last year.

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign two bills headed to his desk that give the state power over auto and home insurance rates.

“I look forward to signing these common-sense protections into law,” the governor said in a statement released on Wednesday night.

The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 714 to regulate the auto insurance industry and House Bill 4273 to regulate property insurance.

State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, said SB 714 would bring consumer protection and affordability to residents.

“We want to make sure that the auto industry comes into compliance with the Department of Insurance. We want to make sure that rate review happens,” Jones said.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias campaigned aggressively in favor of the legislation and held eight virtual town hall events last year targeted at urban areas around the state.

“We’re going to treat this like a political campaign,” Giannoulias said when he announced his “Driving Change” initiative last July.

State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said Giannoulias could lower rates now by applying license renewal tests to people who have had tickets or accidents.

“The secretary of state has this within his power, yet he wants this as quill in his hat so he can run for another office,” Keicher said.

Giannoulias is rumored to be considering a run for mayor of Chicago next year.

Keicher said SB 714 would cause uncertainty and drive insurance rates up. He said auto insurance rates decreased in the first half of 2025 while national numbers were still increasing.

“The market is working in the state of Illinois,” the Sycamore Republican said.

Keicher cited U.S. News & World Report ranking Illinois sixth-lowest in the nation for auto insurance rates.

Jones sponsored HB 4273 to regulate property insurance.

“This is a great bill for affordability for our consumers. This has been negotiated as perfectly as we could with the industry, adding their language to this bill,” Jones said.

The Illinois Insurance Association, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies issued a joint statement in response to the passage of SB 714 and HB 4273.

“Proponents of the measure claim the bills will protect consumers from rising insurance costs, but in reality, the bills do nothing to address the factors contributing to higher premiums, such as higher repair costs, more severe weather, and legal system abuse,” the statement said.

The industry groups said Illinois residents would likely experience higher costs and fewer options for coverage.

(The Center Square) – At the height of state budget negotiations, Republican lawmakers have said Democrat leaders have again pulled their seat from the table.

Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers have continued a push for more new taxes on specific sectors of the state’s economy, which they said will give them the ability to fund programs Illinoisans rely on that face federal funding cuts.

The four state Senate Republican budgeters, including Sen. Donald DeWitte, R-West Dundee, warned that a 3,178 page version of the budget previously introduced isn’t close to resembling what is likely to be the final product.

“I would have to describe this year’s conversations as amicable and courteous,” DeWitte said “While this session has been interesting and different in many ways, I would say the budget process is rolling out similarly to previous years.”

Also among the budgeteers was Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Carol Stream, who was critical of the Democrat's introduced version of the budget – which is a collection of all state agency budget requests compiled together into a single bill.

Lewis described the move to introduce a preliminary version of the state budget as not truly transparent, despite Democrats claiming it was.

“Between now and the overnight hours of May 31, we’ll see an amended budget that has hundreds of additional pages that details where that $2 billion in spending and tax and fee increases are going to go,” Lewis said.

Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Champaign, further discussed the group’s issue with proposed state spending plans, which he said would require the state to significantly increase revenue to address a major gap between the governor’s budget plan and forecasted state revenue for the coming year.

Early this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggested a delay in the motor fuel tax increase set to take effect in July could be included as part of the final budget.

“We in the state can look at what I already did a few years ago, which is to suspend the automatic increase in the gas tax, the automatic increase, and look at other ways to lower gas costs,” Pritzker said.

If the fuel tax increase is delayed, it would be a partial victory for Republicans, who have been calling on the governor to temporarily suspend the tax completely and eliminate the increase since prices began to rise in late February.

Sen. Sally Turner, R-Lincoln, criticized an initiative to impose a digital advertising tax, which is likely to be included in the budget.

“That cost is not going to stay just with large tech companies, it's going to get passed down to small businesses that rely on affordable online advertising to reach customers to grow their business base,” Turner said.

Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, defended her legislation to impose a tax on digital ads earlier in the day.

“This is not a tax on small businesses. This is not a tax on working people. This is a proposal focused on the largest tech corporations, corporations making enormous profits off our personal data, our online activity and targeted advertising,” Hernandez said. “These billionaire companies have built massive industries off of our communities while contributing very little back into public systems.”