* Tribune…

The Senate is also expected to take up legislation that would give the state more authority to reject excessive homeowner and auto insurance rate hikes. The bill passed the House 66-40 in March. The push follows State Farm’s announcement last year that it was raising homeowners’ insurance premiums by more than 27%, citing rising repair costs and extreme weather, a move Pritzker publicly opposed.

The insurance industry has pushed back, arguing the bill would ultimately make coverage less affordable by impeding accurate pricing.

“Instead of targeting insurers with legislation that misses the root causes, states should work with the industry to lower risks for homeowners,” the Insurance Information Institute said in a policy brief.

State Sen. Michael Hastings, a Democrat from Frankfort and the main Senate sponsor, expressed confidence in the homeowners’ insurance language but said the auto insurance provisions, which were added in the House without Senate input, need more work.

“I spent two years studying, researching homeowners’ insurance policies. I am confident that the language we sent over for homeowners’ (insurance) was the right answer,” he said. “On the auto insurance side, it’s something that was just thrown on us and given to us.”

* WAND…

[A] bill could require an online portal detailing utility charges to consumers separate from delivery and supply charges. The website should include the laws that allow them to charge customers and break down what fees are paid to the state or kept by the utility company.

Sponsors are currently working on amended language with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

“Rather than them posting it all the time, we would ask them to post it semi-annually,” said Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro). “They would also be allowed to include links that could take you to other sites to find information that has already been gathered.”

House Bill 5524 passed unanimously out of the Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee Thursday and now heads to the Senate floor. The measure previously passed unanimously out of the House.

* Capitol News Illinois…

In March, Aurora enacted ordinances that would require data center developers to conduct and submit studies dealing with noise, water consumption and energy needs. The ordinances also require future data centers to meet standards for noise, vibrations, water use and energy use. They will also need to get power from renewable energy sources.

“We also realized that while Aurora did our best to address these concerns locally, we need to be acting regionally as a state,” Laesch said, encouraging state lawmakers to pass regulations like those found in the POWER Act, a major bill currently being debated in the General Assembly.

The bill would require data centers to pay for their own energy and the infrastructure to generate it, mandate transparency from data centers about their water use and obtain permits from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for how data centers handle wastewater and meet efficiency standards. It would also require community benefits agreements that promote transparent engagement with the public.

Despite three hearings in the House and one in the Senate, it’s unclear whether the bill will pass this spring or if there’s more work to be done.

* Sen. Rachel Ventura…

At 10:30am today, May 11, State Senator Rachel Ventura and local advocates will host a press conference to call for local and state action on unchecked data center development. After the Joliet City Council approved what will be Illinois’ largest AI data center in late March, local advocates are calling for state lawmakers to pass the POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513) to ensure this project doesn’t move forward without critical guardrails.

WHEN: Monday, May 11, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. CT

WHAT: press conference to call for local and state action to protect communities like Joliet from data center harms

WHERE: Joliet City Hall, 150 W Jefferson Street Joliet, IL 60432 and live-streamed via facebook.com/ILCleanJobs/live_videos.

SPEAKERS:
Emcee: Lucy Contreras, GreenLatinos
State Sen. Rachel Ventura
Griselda Chavez, Warehouse Workers for Justice
Noah Martinez, Joliet Residents for Responsible Growth

* Sen. Omar Aquino…

State Senator Omar Aquino is advancing legislation to address ‘junk’ fees as a part of a broader effort to ease the financial burden on Illinois families amid the national affordability crisis.

“Junk fees are a deceptive practice that quietly drain thousands of dollars from Illinois families each year,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “Requiring businesses to disclose the full price of a good or service upfront isn’t unreasonable – it is a basic standard for transparency and honesty that consumers in Illinois deserve.”

House Bill 228 would make it unlawful for any business to advertise, display or offer a price for a good or service that does not include all mandatory fees or surcharges before taxes.

According to a Consumer Reports analysis, junk fees cost an average family of four close to $3,200 each year.

“At a time when families are struggling to afford basic necessities, especially with federal funding cuts threatening vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid, Illinois must act to protect consumers and promote fair business practices,” said Aquino. “Families are paying more at the pump and the price of everyday goods continues to go up. We must focus on affordability measures that allow families to make confident financial decisions, and this bill puts money back into the pockets of working families, where it belongs.”

House Bill 228 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

* Sen. Don DeWitte…

In response to growing opposition from municipal leaders across Illinois to the BUILD plan currently being pushed by Governor Pritzker and legislative Democrats, State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) has filed comprehensive alternative legislation that preserves local control over zoning and housing development decisions while also focusing on housing affordability, infrastructure investment, and property tax relief.

The new proposal, filed on May 7 as Senate Bill 4200, is known as the Reducing Expenses and Advancing Local Housing (REAL Housing) Act. It was developed in cooperation with the Illinois Municipal League (IML), which represents close to 1,300 cities, villages, and towns throughout Illinois.

DeWitte said concerns over the stripping of local control found in the BUILD plan have become the most common issue raised by mayors, village presidents, and municipal managers throughout his district and across the state. […]

Key components of the legislation include:

- Preserving local authority by explicitly stating that nothing in the legislation requires municipalities or counties to approve developments, change zoning ordinances, reduce parking requirements, or adopt specific housing policies.
- Establishing a voluntary Middle Housing Incentive Program that allows municipalities and counties to opt in if they choose to support housing options such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units.
- Providing incentives, not mandates, for communities that pursue locally tailored housing strategies, including access to infrastructure grants, technical assistance, planning support, and priority consideration for state funding programs.
- Creating a state sales tax exemption on building materials used in qualifying residential developments to help reduce construction costs and encourage more affordable housing.
- Supporting property tax relief by allowing local governments to receive additional Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) revenue above a certain threshold if those dollars are used to provide property tax relief to residents.
- Offering grants and assistance for comprehensive planning, zoning modernization, housing studies, infrastructure planning, and redevelopment of blighted properties.
- Expanding workforce development initiatives tied to housing construction through partnerships with community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs to address skilled labor shortages.
- Extending the Veterans Property Tax Relief Reimbursement Pilot Program and dedicating additional funding to help reimburse local governments for state-mandated veterans’ property tax exemptions.

* More…

* Press release | Sen. Holmes measure sets statutory guidance for courts resolving pet custody in democratic partnerships: House Bill 4540 would update existing law centered solely on pet possession in divorce cases with no explicit language dealing with pets belonging to unmarried partners. The measure would let courts issue temporary custody and visitation orders for companion animals, prioritizing their caregiving history and well-being during disputes. This bill would modernize state law to reflect the emotional bonds people develop with companion animals and would apply to anyone involved in a pet custody dispute in Illinois. This includes divorcing couples, separated partners and others with contested claims to companion animals. […] House Bill 4540 passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Now it moves to the full Senate for further consideration.

* WAND | IL Senate passes bill accelerating lead service line replacement, sends plan to House: This plan ensures utility companies and contractors can access service lines located on private property at no cost to the property owner. It also expands who can authorize and perform the replacement. “We worked with environmental groups, trade groups, and municipalities to streamline lead service line replacement given the dangers of lead, but also the deadlines that have been put in place to replace the hundreds of thousands of lead service lines in our state,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago). Senate Bill 4025 passed unanimously out of the Senate Thursday. The measure now heads to the House for further consideration.

* WCSJ | Jed Davis opposes Illinois mega-projects bill: 75th District State Representative Jed Davis says he does not support the Illinois mega-projects bill that could help keep the Chicago Bears in the state. Davis says the bill would place long-term freezes on property taxes for such projects, leaving taxpayers to take the brunt as property values increase. “That’s a horrific piece of legislation,” Davis said. “That has a lot more to do than just with the Chicago Bears. It is a mega projects bill for anything in the state that would be classified as a mega project, and it provides property tax relief to that project. It literally locks in their property taxes for a forty year period on the undeveloped condition.”

* WAND | IL Senate passes bill requiring transparency from third party hotel booking sites: The Illinois Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday to require transparency for third party hotel booking websites to protect customers. Sponsors said many people use these sites thinking they are booking a room directly with the hotel, but they often find extra fees, errors or other issues after they pay. “What this legislation does is provide transparency and addresses the problem by making sure these third party booking services clearly disclose that they have a lack of affiliation with the hotel before a consumer reserves a room,” said Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford).