* Crain’s…

The Electronic Payments Coalition is releasing a new television ad as part of its last-ditch effort urging Springfield lawmakers to repeal a controversial credit card fee law before it takes effect July 1.

The ad takes aim at the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, a law backed by the retail industry that exempts state and local taxes and tips from so-called swipe fees charged by credit card processors. Since its passage two years ago in a late-night legislative session, the landmark law has been under near constant attack from lawsuits and financial industry lobbyists who claim it would upend the payment ecosystem across the state.

The issue is coming to a head, with oral arguments in an appellate case scheduled for next week and the General Assembly set to adjourn at the end of the month even as two bills calling for repeal languish in committee.

Credit unions are not prepared for the change due to the complex nature of the payment system, which unites consumers, merchants, banks and credit card companies, said Libby Calderone, president and CEO of the Illinois Credit Union League, part of the coalition of banking trade groups trying to repeal the law. Calderone noted it took 14 years for payments using microchip technology to be synchronized across the financial system.

* WAND…

The Illinois Senate Executive Committee approved a bill Wednesday restricting where the federal government can put ICE detention centers.

This plan states detention and processing facilities cannot be located within 1,500 feet of any home, apartment complex, school, daycare center, public park, or church. […]

House Bill 5024 passed out of the Senate Executive Committee along partisan lines. The measure now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.

This proposal previously passed out of the House on a 72-35 vote with two representatives voting present.

* Sen. Elgie Sims…

Taking a step toward rectifying a serious flaw in the justice system, State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. is leading a landmark measure to help exonerees rebuild financially and make a smoother transition back into their community. […]

Since 1989, there have been over 600 exonerations in the state. The current law has resulted in inconsistent and inadequate compensation for these individuals, with an average award of $11,190 per year of wrongful imprisonment. According to the Illinois Innocence Project, one exoneree who was wrongfully imprisoned for nearly 27 years received an annual award of $5,985, while another who was wrongfully imprisoned for less than three years was awarded $35,562 per year.

Beyond financial compensation, many wrongfully convicted individuals struggle to reintegrate into society after having lost irreplaceable years – including years of work experience and paychecks. The impact is felt beyond the individual, causing financial and emotional hardship for families and entire communities who lose not just a loved one’s income but their presence in the home.

Sims’ measure seeks to address the harms of wrongful imprisonment by bolstering state compensation for people who have been exonerated. The legislation would provide compensation of up to $50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, including time spent in pre-trial detention or a juvenile detention facility before a wrongful conviction, and $25,000 per year wrongfully spent on probation, parole or the sex offender registry. […]

House Bill 3663 passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday.

* WAND…

The Illinois Revenue Alliance told reporters in Springfield Wednesday that families are suffering while billionaires and giant corporations avoid paying their fair share.

Democrats have plans to create a billionaire wealth tax and close corporate tax loopholes. They argue a billionaire tax could generate $916 million for the state, and closing corporate tax loopholes would generate $700 million.

“It’s straightforward,” said Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago). “Billionaires would report the value of their holdings at the beginning and end of each year, and the increase would be subject to the same rate that everyday Illinoisans already pay on their income.”

Progressives have also filed a plan to create a digital advertisement tax to help low-income families. The Illinois Revenue Alliance believes this tax could rake in $1.1 billion for Illinois.

* Press release…

Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) was joined by Assistant Senate Republican Leader Sally Turner (R-Beason) and Budgeteer Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) to express serious concerns about several new tax increases being pushed by the Illinois Democratic lawmakers and the Illinois Revenue Alliance.

During a Capitol press conference ahead of a Senate Revenue Committee hearing, Republican lawmakers warned that repealing key provisions of the Blue Collar Jobs Act and imposing new taxes, such as a digital advertising tax, would drive up costs, discourage investment, and put working families at risk.

“Illinois doesn’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem,” Curran said. “Endless tax increases are pushing businesses out. If we want to be a welcoming state, we need to welcome businesses.”

Curran pointed to lagging economic indicators as evidence that current policies are not working.

“We rank near the bottom nationally in job growth, and tens of thousands of residents are leaving our state each year,” he said. “That is not a coincidence. It is the direct result of policies that prioritize more spending over economic growth.”

Among the proposals discussed was Senate Bill 3353, which would create a new tax on digital advertising. Lawmakers warned that the cost of the tax would ultimately be passed on to small businesses and consumers.

“This is a tax on the small business owner trying to grow,” Curran said. “It will be paid by the mom starting a home bakery, the local shop printing team t-shirts, and families already stretched thin trying to afford everyday essentials.”

* Sen. Dave Koehler…

State Senator Dave Koehler is sponsoring legislation to strengthen press protections for public media produced at state-supported colleges and universities in Illinois. […]

House Bill 4420 would modify the College Campus Press Act to define public media produced at a state-supported institution of higher learning. The measure states that public media at these institutions would not be subject to prior review by the institution’s public officials, and expression by employees or agents producing the media would not be considered speech attributable to the institution itself.

The bill would also allow an employee or agent of an entity that creates or distributes public media at a state-supported institution of higher learning to bring a civil action for injunctive or declaratory relief if the act is violated. […]

HB4420 passed the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday.

* The Daily Northwestern…

First introduced in January 2025 by State Rep. Kevin John Olickal (D-Skokie), House Bill 1429, or the Local Regulation of Unsheltered Homelessness Act, seeks to prohibit a local government unit from creating or enforcing policies or ordinances that impose fines or criminal penalties against people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

The bill would bar local governments from penalizing “life-sustaining activities” on public property so long as they do not physically block pedestrian or vehicle traffic in a manner that prevents a hazard to others. Activities listed in the bill include resting, sleeping, eating and storing personal belongings necessary for shelter. The bill also sets procedural guardrails around encampment removals. […]

In April, the Illinois House Housing Committee approved the bill 11-4. It remains pending in the Illinois House after being rereferred to the House Rules Committee following several proposed amendments. […]

Foluke Akanni, the housing policy organizer at Housing Action Illinois, said that following the decision, municipalities across Illinois began passing ordinances targeting homeless individuals. According to Akanni, the state’s recent bill was introduced in response to that trend, aiming to curb what she described as “quick fix” policies that penalize homelessness without addressing its root causes.

“You’re actually just penalizing somebody and creating additional barriers for someone to actually have access to affordable housing,” Akanni said.

* More…

* Journal Courier | Aging-services advocates ask for more money to deliver meals to seniors: State agencies that provide free meals for seniors were in Springfield on Wednesday to ask for an increase in funding beyond what’s proposed for fiscal year 2027. Agency directors warned that without at least $10 million in additional funding, the number of meals being delivered to seniors statewide could drop.

* WAND | IL House committee approves bill prohibiting private schools from banning religious hairstyles: Rabbis asked state lawmakers to file a bill to protect Orthodox Jewish students with beards. “Some Orthodox men are prohibited by Jewish law from shaving entirely, while others maintain a beard as religious custom,” said Rabbi Shlomo Soroka from Agudath Israel of Illinois. “Additionally, a Jewish student or educator may appear at school during certain periods unshaven, not because of a lack of hygiene, but rather because the Jewish calendar demands it at that time.”

* Press release | Sen. Murphy advances bill to keep airport sounds insulation program updated: Murphy’s Senate Bill 4041 would require O’Hare and Midway airports to conduct studies every five years on eligibility for residential sound insulation programs. The studies would use modern modeling techniques to collect data, aiming to ensure every household exposed to excessive noise from the airports is eligible for sound insulation assistance.

* Press release | Sen. Joyce advances bill to protect crematory operating standards: House Bill 4695 would expand the Comptroller’s powers to investigate a licensed crematory, their records or any other aspects of crematory operation as the Comptroller deems appropriate. It would permit the Comptroller to perform an unannounced inspection of the premises. As part of its investigations, if the Comptroller finds any violation or wrongdoing under the grounds for dismissal that constitute an imminent danger to the public, the Comptroller could suspend the crematory’s license. The bill also implements additional penalties for violations.