Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Blaze Foley will play us out…

Smokin’ cigarettes in the last seat
Tryin’ to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all

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Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Fran Spielman interviewed House Speaker Chris Welch today…

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch on Friday defended the revenue choices state lawmakers made to deliver a $1.5 billion mass transit bailout that he believes will serve as a long-term fix for Chicago area transit agencies. […]

Welch said the toll hike was the price that needed to be paid for labor support.

“It was important to them, if they were going to agree to give up almost a billion dollars a year from the road fund, that they can point to something that will help keep working people working and keep roads getting repaired,” the speaker said. “I believe it’s a very minimal fee: 45 cents on passenger vehicles per toll to help keep our toll roads some of the best in the country and still some of the lowest fees in the country.” […]

The mayor came up empty again, but Welch believes Johnson is “getting a better footing here in Springfield” with “a lot more presence” than he had at the start of his administration.

* Two federal judges have ruled the Trump administration must tap into emergency funds to partially cover food stamp benefits. NYT…

In his ruling from the bench in the SNAP benefits lawsuit, Judge John J. McConnell, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, told the Agriculture Department that it “must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the Nov. 1 payments to be made.”

His order came mere minutes after another federal court in Massachusetts handed an early victory to about two dozen states, which similarly had sued to force the release of food stamp funding. In that case, Judge Indira Talwani, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, gave the administration until Monday to explain how it would fund benefits.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | ICE has powerful facial recognition app Illinois cops are barred from using — with little apparent oversight: The Trump administration has contracts with Clearview AI, a firm banned from doing business with Illinois police agencies. “This is what dystopian nightmares are made of, this kind of continual expansion of surveillance without any real oversight or restrictions,” says Jeramie Scott of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Shaw Local | State senate OKs bill to transfer Joliet prison land to Will County forest preserve district: Ventura, D-Joliet, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 1698, which was approved by the Senate on Wednesday. “This transfer will bring much-needed oversight and cleanup to land that has been neglected for too long,” Ventura said in the lease. “Management by the forest preserve will not only enforce proper use of the land, but will also expand access and accountability to the local community.”

* Shaw Local | DeKalb Park District’s proposed 2025 property tax levy would see residents owe about $120 more on bill: A tax levy is a tool that determines how much money a governing body will collect in property taxes each year. Other measures that contribute to the funding formula include the equalized assessed valuation of the taxing body and the tax rate. The levy amount makes for an estimated 20% increase for the district over the prior year’s aggregate extension of roughly $6.5 million, park board documents show. Under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, the district is limited to a 5% increase, or the consumer price index, or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, plus new construction.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Massive oily asphalt spill in Chicago canal leaves environmental threat months later: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has overseen the removal of almost two tons of oil-based asphalt that the agency says spilled from Petroleum Fuel and Terminal Co., a Forest View business operating along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. While the company has been ordered by the EPA to modify its safety practices to avoid future spills into the water, the agency hasn’t issued any penalty or even a notice of violation almost nine months after the problem was detected. The business is responsible for the cleanup, however. Officials with St. Louis-based Apex Oil Co., which owns Petroleum Fuel and Terminal, did not respond to repeated requests for an interview.

* Block Club | As ICE Targets Home Depot Stores, Advocates Say Company Is Failing To Protect Day Laborers: The company’s stores have historically been a place where day laborers, including many immigrants, have gathered outside to look for work from contract companies — but those workers have now been repeatedly targeted by federal agents. Organizers have said Home Depot isn’t doing enough to deter ICE and Border Patrol and to protect day laborers. “As a larger-scale corporation, you would hope that they would want to protect the life of their company: people who patronize it, people who work there and even folks who use their materials to be able to work,” Miller said.

* Crain’s | Former Mayor Daley creates merchant bank with son and longtime associate: The new venture, called Great Lakes Global Partners, combines Daley’s Tur Partners, which focused on advising distressed companies, and Great Lakes Global Holdings, an investment firm led by Adam Hitchcock. “GLGP focuses on the kinds of complex transactions traditional financial institutions cannot pursue on their own — opportunities that demand an understanding of government and finance,” Daley told Crain’s in an email. “It is the right platform for this moment, and I am proud to be part of it.”

* WBEZ | Harrison Ford recognized for environmental advocacy at Field Museum ceremony: Framed by dinosaur fossils and elephant taxidermy, Harrison Ford recalled his childhood in suburban Chicago, spending his weekends at the Lincoln Park Zoo and wandering outdoors during his free time. It was on one of those adventures in his neighborhood that he came face-to-face with a red fox, and that encounter led to a revelation, the actor and environmental activist said during a Field Museum conversation Wednesday evening.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Asleep at the wheel? Driver cited after self-driving Tesla rear-ends police SUV: Fresso, the report states, later admitted he had fallen asleep with his vehicle in self-driving mode and woke up too late to avoid the collision. Two South Barrington officers and the truck’s driver were taken by ambulance to Ascension St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries. They were later released.

* Daily Herald | Schaumburg gives apartment buildings more flexibility on switching between heating and A/C: While the benchmark dates remain, trustees’ unanimous vote allows landlords the ability to decide for themselves when to switch systems within 30 days of those dates. The complaints mainly have been about heat. The change means air conditioning could return as early as May 1 and linger as late as Oct. 15 each year.

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Prosecution team in Sean Grayson’s trial breaks silence, urges judge to give max sentence: “At the sentencing hearing, we will be asking for the maximum sentence of second-degree murder,” State’s Attorney, John Milhiser, told NewsChannel 20. A jury found Grayson guilty of second -degree murder yesterday. He shot and killed Sonya Massey inside her home last July.

* Capitol News Illinois | ‘They are literally targeting people.’ ICE comes to southwest Illinois: When Jose Jeronimo Guardian showed up at a Spanish language traffic court this week, he didn’t expect to be detained and face expulsion from a country he’d lived in for more than two decades. Guardian, 48, was scheduled to appear Monday in a courtroom where a county-provided translator would aid communication with about a dozen Spanish-speaking defendants who face charges from traffic infractions like his — two charges of driving under the influence of alcohol — to serious felony charges.

* WSIL | RHI breaks ground on expanded clinic in Metropolis, IL: Rural Health, Inc. (RHI) has started construction on a new clinic in Metropolis with a groundbreaking event on Thursday. The facility will be located at 1521 East 5th Street. The new building will be just under 11,000 square feet, offering services like Family Medicine, Behavioral Health, General Dentistry, and an in-house pharmacy. This expansion is due to RHI outgrowing its current location at 1003 East 5th Street.

* WGLT | ‘Oh, hi Mark’: Actor Greg Sestero presents ‘The Room’ and ‘Big Shark’ at Normal Theater: Fans of the cult classic independent film The Room have the chance to say, “Oh, hi Mark” to Mark, played by actor Greg Sestero, at Normal Theater on Nov. 8. Sestero recalled that he started his creative projects around the age of 12 after seeing the movie Home Alone. “I just sat down and started writing a screenplay about Kevin McCallister getting lost in Disney World, getting on the wrong plane and meeting his long-lost best friend, who now lived at Disney World,” Sestero said.

* WCIA | U of I professors go viral after catching students using AI: When they started getting apology emails, they noticed nearly 100 emails all starting with “I sincerely apologize.” That’s when they knew students were using AI to write apology emails. […] “The first person was very apologetic,” Flanagan said to her students. “They said, ‘Dear Professor Flanagan, I want to sincerely apologize.’ And I was like, thank you, they’re owning up to it. They’re apologizing. and then I got a second one, and a third. And then everybody started ‘sincerely apologizing’ and suddenly it became a little less sincere.”

*** National ***

* AP | Young adults turn to Quakers’ silent worship to offset — and cope with — a noisy world: It has been called the “Westminster Abbey of Quakerism.” Yet for years, attendance at Arch Street was so low, and its historic 300-seat West Room felt so empty, that the few people present began to meet in a smaller room. But recent years have produced an unprecedented surge in the number of attendees at Sunday worship — from about 25 before the coronavirus pandemic to up to 100 today. “One of the things that I’m very excited about is the number of people that we have coming to meeting, and the fact that the majority of them are young,” says Hazele Goodridge, Arch Street’s clerk.

* 404 Media | You Can’t Refuse To Be Scanned by ICE’s Facial Recognition App, DHS Document Says: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not let people decline to be scanned by its new facial recognition app, which the agency uses to verify a person’s identity and their immigration status, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document obtained by 404 Media. The document also says any face photos taken by the app, called Mobile Fortify, will be stored for 15 years, including those of U.S. citizens.

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Statehouse to Bears: Which part of the word ‘No’ do you not understand?

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Bloomberg…

The Chicago Bears will now have to wait until the new year for a chance to get enough support to build their $3 billion suburban stadium.

The football team, which has been trying to move to a new stadium for about four years, is leaving the Illinois fall legislative session empty-handed. Without the funds and support it needs from the state, the dream of a new home is delayed until at least the first half of 2026, when lawmakers will be back in session.

The setback underscores how the Bears’ high-stakes effort to move out of Soldier Field — the National Football League’s oldest stadium, which opened in 1924 — has stumbled at nearly every turn. It also leaves one of the league’s founding franchises and the third-largest media market stuck with an outdated stadium and fans longing for a new football coliseum.

* Their offer of pocket change for pork projects didn’t move the needle at all this week. Sun-Times…

Representatives for the Chicago Bears were poised to leave Springfield Thursday yet again without any help from state lawmakers in their drive for a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

Not even a proposed $25 million payment from the team to benefit the city of Chicago was enough to get them past midfield as the clock wound down on the Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session. […]

Sources close to the team’s lobbying effort said the $25 million — which would be given to the state for lawmakers to parcel out for projects in Chicago — wasn’t intended to meet Gov. JB Pritzker’s suggestion that the team should find a way to pay off the $534 million in public debt that’s still outstanding from Soldier Field’s 2003 renovation.

In the letter, the team asserted it “has paid its contractual share toward the 2003 stadium renovations and has no obligation to repay” the state bonds that are backed by a 2% hotel tax.

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Bill allowing terminally ill patients to obtain medication to end their lives will head to the governor

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sponsor of Senate Bill 1950…

Senator Linda Holmes’ two-year pursuit to allow terminally ill adults in Illinois to choose to end their suffering on their own terms was passed by the Illinois State Senate Friday.

Senate Bill 1950 would allow a qualified patient with a terminal disease to request a physician to prescribe aid-in-dying medication, allowing the patient to end their own life in a peaceful manner, if and when, they choose.

“I lost both of my parents to terminal cancers, and can’t forget the helpless feeling of being unable to relieve their suffering,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “This measure is about allowing qualified, terminally ill patients an option to consider ending their pain and distress.”

The bill would include multiple specific measures to ensure a patient is eligible for the program, and protect them from potential coercion by anyone who may attempt to take advantage of the patient. It would let adults who are 18 or older – whose terminal illness diagnosis gives them six months or less to live – to receive prescribed medicine to end their lives.

Patients would be assessed by physicians and mental health professionals to ensure they are of sound mind, and only the patient can request this aid – not a surrogate, proxy or via an advance health directive. Under Senate Bill 1950, no physician, health care provider or pharmacist would be required to participate in the law.

Senate Bill 1950 passed the Senate and heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.

* GOP Rep. Bill Hauter…

In the early hours of the morning, while most families were sleeping, the Senate passed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide, prioritizing this controversial measure over the need to address critical issues such as lowering taxes, fixing pensions, and providing relief for skyrocketing electric rates, according to State Representative Bill Hauter, MD, (R-Morton).

“This is just another example of a corrupt and cowardly process that advances legislation of this consequence without warning in the dead of night without any input from stakeholders that have fought so hard to protect the miracle of life. As a State Representative and physician dedicated to preserving life and alleviating suffering, I stand firmly against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide,” Hauter said. “The very foundation of medicine rests upon the principle of ‘do no harm.’ This legislation inherently violates our sacred oath and forever alters the patient-physician relationship. We should be a society that values life instead of one that celebrates death.”

Hauter noted that Canada has seen a troubling expansion of assisted suicide, with recent reports indicating that it has become increasingly accessible, leading to concerns about the potential for abuse and the erosion of the sanctity of life. In 2023 alone, Canada reported more than 10,000 medically assisted deaths, raising alarms about the moral implications and the value placed on human life. Hauter said this should serve as a warning sign for Illinois.

“As physicians, our role is to heal, to comfort, relieve suffering, and advocate for our patients,” Hauter asserted. “Allowing patients to choose death goes against everything the medical community represents. This is why the Illinois State Medical Society opposes this dangerous legislation. Our focus should be on building a healthcare system that truly supports patients facing the end of life. We are not just heading toward the cliff; we are sliding down it.”

* Proponents…

Early this morning, the Illinois Senate approved and sent to the Governor’s desk Senate Bill 1950, also known as Deb’s Law, a measure that allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live the option of obtaining a prescription medication that they can decide to take so that they can die peacefully and end their suffering. If Governor JB Pritzker approves the measure, Illinois will join 11 other states and the District of Columbia as jurisdictions that permit medical aid in dying – the first state in the Midwest to approve the practice.

In response to the vote in the Senate, Compassion & Choices and the ACLU of Illinois, who led the effort for passage of this measure, issued the following statement. It can be attributed to Callie Riley, Regional Advocacy Director for the Compassion & Choices Action Network and Khadine Bennett, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director at the ACLU of Illinois:

“We are grateful this morning to the thousands of people across Illinois who have participated in the effort to move Deb’s Law to Governor Pritzker’s desk. Each of these people has been moved by a common commitment to ensuring that everyone in Illinois has the ability to access all options at the end of life. We also are grateful to all the legislators – especially our sponsors, State Senator Linda Holmes and State Representative Robyn Gabel – who supported the legislation after conversations with constituents and advocates leading up to the vote. We encourage the Governor to sign the measure into law at his earliest opportunity.

“Our hearts are with the families and individuals who have courageously shared their stories in the effort to advance this legislation. Their honesty and openness will make life better for Illinoisans once the law is implemented. Finally, we are thankful today for Deb Robertson, who, while facing her own cancer journey, has given freely of her time – and her name – to move this proposal forward. We are heartened that this measure will carry her name moving forward so that future residents of the Land of Lincoln may understand her determination and concern for others. Thank you, Deb.”

* Catholic Conference of Illinois…

With the passage of legislation to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois, the Illinois General Assembly has put our state on a slippery path that jeopardizes the well-being of the poor and marginalized, especially those in the disability community and have foreseeable tragic consequences. With all the assaults on human dignity and the growing number of vulnerable people we see every day, sadly the leaders and members of the General Assembly who voted for this offer us suicide as its response.

The bill now goes to the Governor, and we ask him not only to veto this bill in totality, but also to address humanely the reasons why some view assisted suicide as their only option and to heed the impact of similar legislation on other states and nations.

Many lawmakers chose to ignore the real advances in palliative medical care as an alternative to assisted suicide. Rather than signing this bill, we ask the Governor to expand and improve on palliative care programs that offer expert assessment and management of pain and other symptoms. These programs support caregivers and help ensure patient care is coordinated with other services. And they represent a compassionate and morally acceptable alternative to assisted suicide.

Today, we face real and immediate threats to human life and dignity, many from the very institutions created to protect them. The government shut down, a growing number of private and government sector layoffs, the terrorizing and deportation of our neighbors, and the loss of food and medical assistance for the poor and vulnerable are immediate problems that need attention, not enacting assisted suicide.

Let us also consider the impact on impressionable young people of legalizing suicide in any form. According to a 2022 United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for U.S. teens and young adults 10-34. It is the second-leading cause of death for those 10-14. And, according to the National Institutes of Health, suicide contagion is a real risk to these young people after exposure to suicide. Add to that the ready availability of firearms in the U.S. and this is a tragedy we do not need to compound.

It defies common sense for our state to enact a 9-8-8 suicide hotline, increase funding for suicide prevention programs and then pass a law that, based on the experience of other jurisdictions, results in more suicide.

Join us as we continue to pray for all those who are sick and at the end of life, their caregivers and for all who feel life is no long worth living and need our support.

Discuss.

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Advocates sue over “black box” ICE facility in Broadview, claim detainees denied counsel, basic care

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WTTW…

Detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in suburban Broadview have been blocked from speaking with legal counsel and subjected to “inhumane” conditions during their incarceration, a new lawsuit alleges.

The suit, brought on behalf of Broadview detainees Pablo Moreno Gonzalez and Felipe Agustin Zamacona by the MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois, claims ICE officials have “cut off detainees from the outside world” by preventing them from making confidential phone calls to their lawyer or a prospective lawyer.

“By blocking access to detainees inside Broadview, Defendants have created a black box in which to disappear people from the U.S. justice and immigration systems,” the lawsuit states.

* From the complaint…

Broadview is meant to be a “holding” facility, a way station where people are briefly held for processing before being moved to a longer-term detention facility. Historically, people were held for a few hours in the holding cells that occupy a portion of the first floor. But in the wake of Midway Blitz, Defendants are now warehousing people at Broadview for days on end. The consequences have been dire, and wholly predictable.

Plaintiffs and the putative class members are immigration detainees who have been arrested by officers operating under Defendants’ command. They are being confined at Broadview inside overcrowded holding cells containing dozens of people at a time. People are forced to attempt to sleep for days or sometimes weeks on plastic chairs or on the filthy concrete floor. They are denied sufficient food and water. They cannot shower, they are denied soap, hygiene items, and menstrual products, and they have no way to clean themselves. They are often denied a change of clothes. The temperatures are extreme and uncomfortable.

* Block Club Chicago…

“DHS personnel have denied access to counsel, legislators, and journalists so that the harsh and deteriorating conditions at the facility can be shielded from public view,” Kevin Lee, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement.

“These conditions are unconstitutional and threaten to coerce people into sacrificing their rights without the benefit of legal advice and a full airing of their legal defenses.”

“They treated us like animals, or worse than animals, because no one treats their pets like that,” one woman said in the lawsuit.

* The Tribune…

Meanwhile, the complaint says, officers are coercing people to sign documents that relinquish their rights, as officials try to deport them without going before an immigration judge.

“Defendants are transferring people to distant detention facilities—or sending them out of the country outright—before their attorneys can locate them and intervene,” according to the complaint.

* More…

Sun-Times | Broadview ICE facility a ‘black box’ where immigrants denied access to lawyers, medicine: lawsuit:

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Soybean deal with China won’t erase trade war damage, Illinois Ag Director says

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The AP yesterday…

American farmers welcomed China’s promise to buy some of their soybeans, but they cautioned this won’t solve all their problems as they continue to deal with soaring prices for fertilizer, tractors, repair parts and seeds.

The Chinese promise to buy at least 25 million metric tons of soybeans annually for next three years will bring their purchases back in line with where they were before President Donald Trump launched his trade war with China in the spring. But the 12 million metric tons that China plans to buy between now and January is only about half the typical annual volume.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China also agreed to remove all its retaliatory tariffs on American ag products, which should open the door for sales of other crops and beef. Plus, China promised to resume buying U.S. sorghum, which is another crop largely used for animal feed that depends on that market. More than half the sorghum and soybean crops are exported every year with much of that going to China. […]

Trump had promised to offer farmers a significant aid package this fall to help them survive the trade war with China, but it’s been put on hold because of the ongoing government shutdown. Rollins said that aid package is still in the works, but she promised the administration is ready to “step in the gap” and address any sort of harm the trade war has caused farmers.

“We’ll see what the market does and we will be ready to continue to step in if in fact, we believe it’s necessary,” Rollins said.

* I reached out to Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello, who’s been critical of the trade war, to get his take. From Costello…

Today US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported that the agreement reached will have China purchasing 12 million metric tons of soybeans by January with 25 million tons purchased annually the next three years at minimum. That might be more reassuring if China had followed through on the purchases they were supposed to make under the 2020 trade deal, which the United States Trade Representative Office is currently investigating.

To put in perspective how the first Trump administration tariffs worked, below are the numbers directly from the USDA. The Trump 1 tariffs were instituted in 2017 and drastically impacted 2018 sales.

[From Isabel: 2023 should be million not billion!]

Currently, the Trump 2 tariffs (taxes) have caused input prices to skyrocket.

- Tariffs on nitrogen are up 10%.
- Tariffs on herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides are up 20%.
- Tariffs on ag equipment are up 13%.
- Tariffs on new tractors are up 16%.

All of this in roughly 9 months.

If you drive down the interstate and see white bags by grain bins, that’s temporary storage - which cost farmers even more money. This is visible evidence that commodity prices are too low to be sustainable. Prices on commodities have been way below costs with Illinois inputs averaging $11.60 - $11.65/bushel for soybeans and $4.50 - $4.65/bushel for corn.

Many farm equipment dealers are down 70% to 80% from year over year sales, and John Deere has laid off or dissolved thousands of jobs, even closing a plant in large part due to the economic chaos caused by the Trump administration.

Farms have been lost, lives ruined, and prior to this chaos, farmers were already 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide than other occupations. The bank won’t cash promised agreements. We are almost at the end of harvest. Bills are due.

It also takes 30 to 40 days for a cargo ship to reach China after departing from the Gulf of Mexico.

Let’s not forget that feeder cattle prices are down close to 15% in less than a week after the President announced quadrupling beef purchases from Argentina. This drove down prices for domestic beef producers after the President also announced investing tens of billions of US tax dollars into Argentina. Cattle production was the one bright profitable spot for a diversified farm.

This is no different than an arsonist setting fire to your house and then returning with your hose to connect to your water expecting a “thank you” for extinguishing the flames. You’re still left with damages and cleanup you never should’ve endured in the first place.

The facts are that experts are already warning that “Commercial purchases would also require China to roll back tariffs on US soybeans imposed earlier this year, a move that is widely expected by the market but which Beijing did not make explicit,” and that “China has switched to taking more Brazilian soybeans and recently purchased record volumes from Argentina, part of its strategy to diversify supply.”

So anyone who wants to be part of this masochistic victory lap, which at its very best only aspires to pre-(second)trade war sales levels, be my guest. As we all know, Albert Einstein is famous for saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Thoughts?

* Related…

Reuters | China to buy 12 million metric tons of US soybeans this season, Bessent says:

* WJRT | Mixed reactions from Michigan farmers on new soybean deal: “The idea that there has been a significant gain here is woefully misstated,” Thompson said. Thompson, whose organization represents more than 500 farmers across Michigan, expressed being ‘cautiously optimistic’ but emphasized the importance of follow-through. “I think that it’s well known that statements are made and then sometimes the follow through isn’t as strong as we would like,” Thompson said.

* Des Moines Register | China pledge of soybean purchases ‘great news’ for Iowa farmers, state ag secretary says: “This is great news for Iowa farmers and our ag economy,” Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said in a statement. “Expanded soybean purchases by China will make a meaningful impact at a time when many farmers are feeling the pain of a tough farm economy. The announcement “addresses many of the concerns around market access to China following months of stalled purchases and uncertainty,” said Tom Adam, an east-central Iowa farmer and president of the Iowa Soybean Association.

* KWCH | 5th-generation Kansas farmer shares thoughts on soybean deal with China: “Until we can get some agreement signed and get some teeth into it, I don’t really know that we have anything solid that we can plan on,” Winter said. With all the recent changes between China and the U.S., many farmers are wondering if soybeans are still a safe crop to plant next year. “It really makes a person stop and think and scratch their head a little bit about, ‘Do I really want to pant these crops?’” Winter said. “However, I revert back to, ‘All these crops are part of my crop mix, they’re part of my program.”

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Lawmakers approve $1.5B transit funding package without statewide tax increases. Capitol News Illinois…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | Senate OKs energy bill that includes billions for battery storage and nixes nuke ban: The Illinois House passed the legislation yesterday. It now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker, who called it “an important step that will help lower utility bills and make our electrical grid stronger.”“This legislation takes two routes toward affordability,” the governor said in a statement. “First, it will accelerate clean-energy projects with new grid-scale batteries and other clean-energy technology to increase the available electricity supply. Second, it will require utility companies to help their consumers to lower their utility bills and access energy efficient resources.”

* Tribune | Illinois lawmakers pass bill to tackle constitutional violations in immigration raids, ban courthouse arrests: The legislation came in response to what one of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic state Sen. Celina Villanueva of Chicago, described as “the reality of the pain and the cruelty and the inhumanity that’s being inflicted on my community, on my district, on the communities in this state — that are also American — for the simple fact of looking the way that I do.” “I’m going to fight back,” she said on the Senate floor late Thursday, shortly before the bill passed 40-18. The Illinois House passed the legislation 75-32 a little more than an hour later.

*** Statewide ***

* Daily Herald | ‘Progress, not just achievement’: State emphasizes growth over proficiency in new Illinois Report Card data: When looking at student learning, proficiency and growth, each tell an important part of the story, officials say. Proficiency shows what a student knows and can do at a single point in time. It’s a snapshot of performance measured against the state’s learning standards. Growth shows how much a student has learned in comparison with peers who started at the same level.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Illinois Sen. passes Clean Slate Act to seal criminal records for crimes not considered serious: “The Clean Slate Act is about creating pathways to opportunity for people who have earned a second chance,” State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) said in a release. “By automating the sealing process for eligible records, we’re removing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that keep people from finding employment, securing housing, and fully reintegrating into their communities. At the same time, we’ve been deliberate in maintaining strong public safety protections and ensuring law enforcement has the access they need.”

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board approves controversial $175 million pension payment to the city: The Chicago school board voted Thursday to make a pension reimbursement to the city after 18 months of controversy and leadership turmoil stemming from the payment. But there is one catch. The board voted unanimously to authorize the $175 million payment to the city to support a municipal pension fund that covers city workers and some non-teaching district staff — but only if the entire $552.4 million tax surplus boost for Chicago Public Schools that Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed comes through.

* Tribune | Thousands Of City Buildings Are Overdue For Fire Code Inspections, Watchdog Report Says: The report found that only 17 percent of buildings are up to date on fire code inspections. Fire Department leaders say the Fire Prevention Bureau is understaffed and under-resourced due to city budget cuts.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Sun-Times demands DHS remove social posts using its photos without permission: A letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Thursday says the government used three Sun-Times photos without permission to promote its immigration enforcement campaign. The newspaper threatened to file an intellectual property right infringement lawsuit if the posts aren’t taken down.

* Block Club Chicago | Pilsen’s Massive Ofrenda Returns For Día De Los Muertos: This year, Hernandez’s ofrenda, 1340 W. 19th St., features about 400 photos of people that were shared by Pilsen neighbors. To the side, Hernandez built a smaller altar dedicated to about 40 pets, including cats and dogs, who also deserve to be honored because “they are family,” she said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* The Record | ICE activity confirmed in Wilmette. Number of arrests remains unclear: Resident Chad Boomgaarden told The Record that he spoke with at least one border patrol agent around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in an alley between Park and Prairie avenues near his home. Boomgaarden, who shared photos supporting the encounter, said he inquired about federal jurisdiction on and near private property, among other topics. He was walking his dog and was not pleased to see men in “face masks, camo, tactical gear and long rifle weapons” just feet from his backyard.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County Board members balk at clerk’s request for more funding: The two-term clerk, who is up for re-election next year, obliged and showed up at a finance committee meeting this week. Her message, however, was not welcomed by board members “We simply cannot finish fiscal year 2025 on the funds allocated, which were considerably less than our request last year,” DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek told board members Tuesday. “We absolutely will not be able to fund 2026 on the proposed amount budgeted for our office.”

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora again pushes back purchase of police equipment: One of Lawrence’s concerns was that the device would be used to surveil residents’ cell phones, in particular by seeing whose cell phones are within a certain area, without needing a warrant. But Aurora Police Det. Darrell Moore told The Beacon-News that the device, called a “drive test scanner,” is not able to do that.

* Daily Herald | Cook County to hold hearing on improving rush-hour congestion on Quentin Road in Palatine: Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways met with residents this week to explain why a combination of factors led to their preferred solution being the addition of just a turn lane and a traffic signal. What the residents of the two Dunhaven Woods subdivisions want — and the village has also endorsed four times since 1996 — is a continuation of Quentin Road’s four-lane configuration that exists north and south of them as well as a turn lane.

*** Downstate ***

* WMBD | On the Record: Special education cuts haven’t affected Central Illinois, yet: Those layoffs, the continued government shutdown, and further budget cuts to the Department of Education, have made Peoria County and McLean County regional superintendents anxious. “The concern is that special ed funding in particular for students is a large portion of a lot of our district’s budgets,” Peoria County Regional Superintendent George McKenna said.

* WSIL | Fulton County Transit expands services to Calvert City residents: “The expansion of Fulton County Transit Authority into Calvert City ensures that our residents have access to essential services and the freedom to travel where they need to go,” said Calvert City Mayor Gene Colburn. FCTA offers same-day “Demand Response” trips within Region 1, available Monday through Friday. Medical trips can be scheduled in advance to cities like Louisville and Nashville.

* WGLT | Demand softens but prices remain high across Bloomington-Normal housing market: It cost around $213,859 on average to buy an existing home in 2021. Now, it’s $287,107. That’s a 34% increase in just five years. “What we are seeing is, with fewer houses available, a lot of buyers right now are getting discouraged and exiting the market,” said Dawn Peters, a Realtor with Keller Williams. “And so the demand is softening a little bit while the supply still remains low. Prices are still holding because of that.”

*** National ***

* NYT | Big Tech’s A.I. Spending Is Accelerating (Again): Last week, the Bank of England wrote that while the building of data centers, which provide computing power for A.I., had so far largely come from the cash produced by the biggest companies, it would increasingly involve more debt. If A.I. underwhelms — or the systems ultimately require far less computing — there could be growing risk. “This is a fast-evolving topic, and the future is highly uncertain,” the bank wrote.

* Reuters | Daylight saving time bill stalls again in US Senate: he U.S. Senate briefly took up a long-stalled effort on Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly practice of switching clocks, but again failed to reach consensus. […] Cotton said that the bill’s proponents are pushing Congress to repeat a prior mistake that would create absurdly late winter sunrises and force children to go to school in darkness in much of the country.

31 Comments

When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retailers take risks. Eric Williams, founder of Hyde Park’s The Silver Room, wants politicians and policymakers to know most retailers open their stores out of passion and to fill a creative need, not to become wealthy. Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Silver Room is part clothing boutique, part music venue, part community hub, and part artists’ studio. The Silver Room is as diverse as the community it serves.

Findings of a recent economic study are clear: the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product.

Policies that support small businesses help communities thrive as retailers like Eric are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.

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Good morning!

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* It’s 6:40 am as I write this. We’ve been up all night covering the veto session. I’m gonna try to get a few hours’ sleep. Isabel, who’s young and can handle it, is in charge for the rest of the morning…

I can’t stop my brain

* How are you this fine morning?

12 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Friday, Oct 31, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…

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End of veto session news coverage roundup (Updated)

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Senate stands adjourned

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

* Transit is a done deal…

Transit reform/funding bill approved in the Senate. This is final passage pic.twitter.com/GDB2gZ1kuo

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

* Click here for some background. This was final passage…

Medical aid in dying (SB1950) passed with the bare minimum https://t.co/wHW9EMG5FW pic.twitter.com/xawijfqKeW

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

* Press release…

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Friday upon the conclusion of the fall legislative session:

“House Democrats came into this session guided by a refrain we’ve heard in our communities and throughout our state: Every day shouldn’t feel this hard. Opening a utility bill shouldn’t be so scary. You shouldn’t have to worry about being late for work because a bus didn’t show up or your route got eliminated. We shouldn’t live in fear because of masked troopers marching our streets.

“Our work over these weeks made these voices heard and delivered major wins and continued our work to build the communities we can afford, the communities where we feel safe, and the communities we deserve.

“This work saved, funded, and strengthened public transit—without new taxes on food delivery, without new taxes on streaming services, and without new taxes on home sales. This work cut the cost of home energy and protected seniors struggling with inflation from rising property taxes. This work pushed back on the violence and chaos Donald Trump is perpetrating.

“But our work is not done. We know Washington wants everything to be a crisis, so they can use emergency powers to do things they know voters and the constitution will never permit. But we know that Illinois will never settle for that increasingly fevered vision where everything gets more expensive and every day is a struggle. We’ll keep taking charge of the things we can control, and we’ll keep working to build a brighter future for Illinois.”

House has adjourned

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

* Transit…

Mass transit funding/reform bill passes House, heads to the Senate pic.twitter.com/S2tCJTPdbf

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

* Crain’s | Illinois lawmakers bring forth latest plan to overhaul Chicago-area public transit as deadline looms: Legislators are considering a last-minute $1.5 billion transit-rescue package that will rely mainly on transportation-related revenue sources. The potential deal, which also includes a steep increase in highway tolls, was hammered out during late-night negotiations that carried into today on the final day of the fall veto session, but still faces the hurdle of being approved by both the House and Senate. The deal would authorize over $860 million from a motor fuel sales tax. Theannual interest that is generated from the state’s road fund would also flow towards mass transit. The revenue split from the motor fuel sales tax would be 85% to the Chicago region and 15% to downstate transit. The road fund interest would be a 90% to 10% split.

* Tribune | Illinois lawmakers bring forth latest plan to overhaul Chicago-area public transit as deadline looms: During the hearing Thursday evening, the proposed measure faced pushback from lawmakers who suggested the bill would fund Chicago-area transit at the expense of downstate infrastructure. Opponents also expressed frustration that they were asked to debate the proposal without a version of the bill ready to read. … The bill introduced Thursday would hike tolls collected by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority for commercial and passenger vehicles. It would increase the tolls for commercial vehicles by 30% and raise the toll for passenger cars by about 45 cents per toll. The revenue from the toll hike would generate between $750 million and $1 billion annually and be put back into the tollway and not be used directly for mass transit. But the move was intended to offset the money being diverted from highway projects and appeared to have won the blessing of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, which opposed a springtime effort to use a toll hike to fund transit.

* Sun-Times | Illinois Democrats wrangle over ways to pay for $1.5B legislative package to buoy mass transit: But some downstate representatives said the amended bill took them by surprise, that it doesn’t allocate enough money outside of the Chicago area, and that the bill should be held for another day.

* CNI | Latest Chicago transit funding plan appears to avoid statewide tax increases: Downstate lawmakers in both parties worried they drew the short straw in the bill, however, as only $129 million would go toward operational expenses at downstate public transit agencies. The agencies and advocates hoped to receive $200 million. “This is a devastating and extensive change for the district I represent,” Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, said. The downstate lawmakers also worried the bill tapping into Road Fund money removed a critical funding source for road construction projects. Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea, who led a coalition of labor unions in negotiations over the bill, spoke in support of the proposal on Thursday. Unions have typically fiercely opposed any measure that diverts from the Road Fund but support this measure because of its importance to union employees at transit agencies.

* Homeowners’ insurance reform passed the Senate and then unexpectedly failed in the House, even after an internal roll call was taken…

Insurance industry defeats governor's homeowner insurance reform proposal in House pic.twitter.com/uFL5vTxUhh

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

Concurrence is a renewable motion, so she can call it again. We’ll see.

* Immigration…

Tribune | Illinois lawmakers push to tackle constitutional violations in immigration raids, ban courthouse arrests:

Four votes more than needed for immigration bill. Fiery, fascinating debate pic.twitter.com/NNScUf29X5

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 31, 2025

Senate President Don Harmon: "This law will be challenged. We know that it will. But that doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do." It heads over the to House.

— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) October 31, 2025

* Bears…

Sun-Times | Bears’ $25M offer to help Chicago doesn’t move ball forward in Springfield for new stadium:

This post will be updated.

…Adding… Energy…

Sun-Times | State lawmakers pass an energy bill. Is it a fix for skyrocketing electric bills?:

* CSI | Lawmakers OK sweeping energy reform package that governor pledges to sign: Battery storage. The core of the bill is a new incentive structure for energy storage projects. The incentives are broadly similar to how the state funds renewable developments like wind and solar power. They will result in new charges to ratepayers, although proponents say that savings from more storage on the grid will offset costs. Energy efficiency. The bill adds new requirements for energy efficiency programs at natural gas and electric utilities. These are aimed at reducing energy demand and proponents of the measure say they will lower prices for consumers. Nuclear power. The bill lifts a longstanding moratorium on large-scale nuclear power plants, but it also hikes fees for nuclear plant operators. New authority for regulators. The Illinois Commerce Commission, the state’s utility regulator, would gain new authority for “integrated resource planning,” a way of setting long-term plans to control both supply-side issues, like plans for electric generation, as well as managing demand. Labor protections. New requirements for community solar projects would close a loophole that some developers were using to avoid hiring union labor. This was a major priority for organized labor groups during negotiations. Data centers air regulations. The bill places new requirements on the backup generators used by data centers, which require always-on power to operate. Virtual power plants and time-of-use. The bill requires large utilities to create “virtual power plant” programs and time-of-use rate plans. This allows utilities to use small-scale residential solar and battery projects to deliver energy throughout the day. Geothermal energy. The bill outlines a program to fund geothermal heating, a technology which uses naturally occurring heat from underground to offset the need for electric or fossil fuel-based heating. Thermal energy networks. A new state-backed loan program would fund thermal energy network projects. These use water-filled pipes to transfer heat between energy-intensive buildings, wastewater systems and bodies of water. They can also use geothermal energy to manage heat.

* Center Square | Energy bill opponents say increases IL electric bills by $8 billion passes: Republicans protested that SB 25 did not include price caps to protect consumers. “Katy bar the door! You took the caps off!” State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, shouted. State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, questioned why battery storage developer BlackRock could not finance the project with low-interest loans as it did in other states, instead of adding another line item to Illinois ratepayers’ bills.

* WAND | IL Senate Democrats pass Clean & Reliable Grid Affordability Act, send bill to Pritzker: “We’ll incentivize an estimated 1.8 gigawatts for virtual powerplants, which is energy storage, demand response and other technology at homes and businesses,” Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) said. “This will be about 5% of our peak load.” The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association stressed their members need reliable and affordable energy to produce goods consumers rely on, including food, pharmaceuticals, machinery and household products. IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler said this proposal repeats mistakes of the past by raising costs on manufacturers and working families without addressing underlying capacity and supply issues that are projected to lead to energy shortfalls. “While there are some provisions of the legislation we support, including lifting the moratorium on nuclear facilities, more work needs to be done to strengthen our state’s energy marketplace, protect consumers and encourage long-term economic investment,” Denzler said.

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2025 veto session cheat sheet

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** Awaiting action in both chambers ***

*** Awaiting action in second chamber ***

* HB1843 - Zoning reform - In Senate

* HB3564 - Rental regulation - In House

* HB3799 - Homeowners’ insurance reform [Failed in House with 56 votes]

* HB2724 - Decatur Racino - In House

*** Passed both chambers ***

* SB2111 - Transit reform

* SB25 - Energy

* HB1085 - Insurance mental health coverage

* HB1312 - Immigration

* SB1911 - Decoupling/STAR Bonds/Film tax credit

* SB1950 - End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act

* HB1437 - Sunset extensions

You can see press releases about bills as the evening progresses by clicking here.

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End of session starts to take shape

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* They’re also apparently working on a tollway capital component…

NEW: Mass transit funding proposal from IL House Dems includes using the gas tax designated for the road fund and also granting authorization for the RTA to vote on a $0.25 tax.
Look for floor debate 6:30p tonight #twill

— Mary Ann Ahern (@MaryAnnAhernNBC) October 30, 2025

The RTA tax is a sales tax. Unlike current law, local governments will not be allowed to divert that new money for first responders, etc.

There’s also word that some of the interest on the Road Fund might be used for transit. This was a Republican idea.

…Adding… Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone until the three tops make the final decision.

…Adding… The 2019 capital bill gradually phased-out transferring sales tax on motor fuels to the General Revenue Fund. By now, it was supposed to be all heading to the Road Fund. But this budget (again) delayed that final phase-out and used the money for transit. That practice was supposed to end, but apparently, they’re gonna use that cash for transit going forward.

…Adding… The plan is actually to transfer all sales tax revenues on gas/diesel to transit, for a total of roughly $750 million a year. Add that to the quarter point increase of the RTA tax and the annual interest on the Road Fund for transit capital ($175 million a year right now) and you’re at about $1.5 billion for transit. I’ll have more for subscribers in the morning.

…Adding: 6:46 pm… House Exec is now holding a subject matter hearing on the transit bill, but no bill has been posted online as of yet. From sponsoring Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado…

* No fare increases for the first year to “allow the agency to stabilize its system.”
* Sales tax on motor fuel and redirect that to transit operations.

~~$890 million is the number they’re using. 85 percent for northern Illinois ($756 million) and 15 percent for downstate.~~

(She has since revised that number to $860 million, which is $731 for the RTA region and $129 million for downstate).
* Road fund interest for transit capital, shared statewide (about $200 million, with a 90-10 split between RTA and downstate).
* RTA sales tax increase of 0.25 percent ($478 million).

…Adding… Downstate Laborers’ union is opposed because the plan reduces overall money for road projects. Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) wants Downstate’s sales tax share bumped up to $150 million per year. Rep. Delgado says that can’t be done without additional revenues.

* Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) is justifiably complaining that they’re debating a bill without any actual language.

…Adding… As I noted above, Rep. Delgado says there will be a tollway hike of 45 cents for passenger vehicles and 30 percent for commercial vehicles, with CPI increase capped at 4 percent a year. That money will only be used for roads. Local 150 says this will generate up to about a billion a year in revenues to fund a $10 billion ten-year capital program, but with CPI it could be significantly higher.

…Adding… Not mentioned yet in the committee debate is that, according to Local 150 of the Operating Engineers, the split in the state’s road/bridges spending has been about 65-35 favoring downstate. It’s only supposed to be 55-45, but the state has been working on a ton of downstate roads and bridges. And it’s projected to remain 65-35 during the next five years.

…Adding: 7:47 pm… House Exec has finished debating the transit bill. Recessed until call of the chair.

——————————–

* Meanwhile, the House Revenue Committee has approved an amendment to create a sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds program (SB1911 HA3). A similar bill passed the House last spring with 100 votes, but it wasn’t called in the Senate. The bill prohibits sports teams from using STAR bonds. The proposal allows developers to use sales tax money to finance big projects. Unlike the old STAR bonds program, this one has a lot of state oversight. The amendment is part of a larger revenue package, which includes the decoupling from recent federal tax code changes.

This post will be updated.

…Adding… The House Executive Committee is holding a subject matter hearing on HB3799, which is the insurance regulation bill currently in the Senate. The insurance industry is hotly opposed, with one testifier claiming that it will increase homeowner insurance rates higher than California’s.

…Adding… House Exec could also hold a subject matter hearing on the immigration bill that’s still in the Senate: HB1312 SA2. As subscribers know, the language was changed a bit from yesterday. Some background is here.

…Adding: 5:56 pm… House Speaker Welch is now testifying in favor of the immigration-related bill. Click here.

…Adding: 6:20 pm… The insurance regulation bill is being heard on the Senate floor. It’s expected to pass.

…Adding: 6:44 pm… The Senate has approved the insurance regulation bill. HB3799 now goes to the House for consideration.

…Adding: 8:09 pm… The Senate has passed the Energy bill. SB25 now heads to Gov. Pritzker.

…Adding… Press release…

Today, Gov. Pritzker released the following statement on the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act:

“For far too long, private grid operators have been hiking up rates that are making it harder for Illinois families to pay their utility bills. At the same time, the Trump Administration has been blocking the ability to bring lower-cost energy options online. Illinois is taking action to address these concerns and has passed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act – an important step that will help lower utility bills and make our electrical grid stronger.

“This legislation takes two routes toward affordability. First, it will accelerate clean energy projects with new grid-scale batteries and other clean energy technology to increase the available electricity supply. Second, it will require utility companies to help their consumers to lower their utility bills and access energy efficient resources. This bill will build upon the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, positioning Illinois to keep growing our clean energy economy and creating good-paying jobs in communities across the state.

“Illinois is leading an ambitious clean energy effort that will make our electrical grid more resilient, power our economy, and make energy more affordable for everyone. I am grateful for working with the Illinois General Assembly and I look forward to signing this bill into law and help Illinoisans keep costs lower and keep the lights on.”

[We’re moving over to our usual format of an end of session cheat sheet. Click here. Also, you can see press releases as the evening progresses by clicking here.]

24 Comments

Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* CNN…

A federal judge in Boston indicated Thursday that she will intervene in a high-stakes fight over the Trump administration’s decision to not tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to help cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.

“Right now, Congress has put money in an emergency fund for an emergency, and it’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency when there’s no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits,” US District Judge Indira Talwani said near the end of a hearing, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps.

Though the judge’s options vary, one possibility is that she issues an emergency order that essentially compels the administration to tap into the emergency funds. While she indicated from the bench that she was likely to issue a ruling favorable to a group of Democratic attorneys general and governors who sued the administration earlier this week, she acknowledged that benefits, which should start being sent to recipients on November 1, will be delayed.

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*** Statewide ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | More Illinois students are proficient, new test scores show. But the cut scores changed.: State officials unveiled the new cut scores in August after gathering input from teachers, school leaders, and advocates. They then applied the new benchmarks to tests students took this past spring. But in releasing a trove of data known as the state report card, the Illinois State Board of Education did not provide data allowing the public to compare proficiency rates from previous years when the cut scores were different.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois school report card continues to show wide achievement gaps: The 2025 report card shows more than half of all students (52.4%) scored proficient or better on English language arts exams, but only 38% met grade-level proficiency standards for math. Those numbers are based on standardized tests that students from third grade through high school took in the spring 2025 semester. They reflect a new scoring system the Illinois State Board of Education approved in August that established new benchmarks for proficiency.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press release | Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces $50 Million Loan Program to Help Federal Workers During Shutdown: The loans will be issued through participating banks and credit unions across Illinois with money made available through the Treasurer’s linked-deposit program. An estimated 153,000 federal employees live and work in Illinois. It is uncertain how many are not receiving their salaries since Oct. 1, when the shutdown began.

* Press Release | Peters measure to create state-run labor mediation program: Peters’ measure would create the Labor Mediation Services Pilot Program to be used in place of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service when the federal program is not available. The FMCS is a small, independent federal agency that provides mediation, training and facilitation to resolve labor-management disputes – disagreements between unions and employers. These efforts help avoid costly disruptions in production, services and supply chains, ensuring economic stability and growth.

* Crain’s | Pritzker signals transit bailout hasn’t gone off the rails — yet: “The transit bill is not dead,” the governor said this morning. “There’s a whole lot of conversation that’s still going on. The work continues.” Pritzker said he met with leaders of the House and Senate yesterday to talk about ways to shore up funding for mass transit, including rail and bus services operated by Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Aldermen balk at Johnson’s head tax but stop short of outright revolt: The letter signed by 27 aldermen sounds the alarm about the head tax as well as a plan to borrow to pay for operational efficiencies and calls on representatives from Ernst & Young to testify on the firm’s audit of city spending. […] “We are gravely concerned that reinstating the ‘head tax’ would discourage hiring, push employers outside city limits and make Chicago less competitive. We ask your administration to model alternative budget scenarios that exclude the jobs tax,” the letter says.

* Block Club | Judge Orders Release Of Cancer Patient’s Father Arrested By ICE, Citing No Criminal Record: During a bond hearing Thursday morning, Immigration Judge Eva S. Saltzman set a $2,000 bond for Torres Maldonado, saying she saw “nothing in the record” indicating he posed a danger to the community. Saltzman cited Torres Maldonado’s strong family and community ties, lack of criminal history and eligibility to apply for cancellation of removal based on hardship to his U.S. citizen family members.

* Sun-Times | Bovino’s Fox News interview leaves judge ’surprised’ at feds’ opposition to daily check-ins: “I did see Mr. Bovino’s interview on Fox News today, where he did state that he was excited to come to court and that this would not impede his activities or his ability to manage the operation at all,” Ellis said. “So I was a little surprised just to see that the government’s position … was directly contradicted by Mr. Bovino.”

* Chicago Reader | The gravediggers of Rosehill Cemetery: Reyes tells me he recently bought the grounds team new shovels, but Sanchez turned down the offer, opting instead for his old, all-steel shovel. He prefers it; it’s more precise. “It’s important,” Sanchez says, “because we’re trying to do it perfect and not make mistakes. We have to do right for the family.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Cook County tax bill delays cause headaches for homebuyers: The roughly 17,000 people in Cook County who’ve bought homes since July 1 may all be feeling the same minor headache, sparked by a months-long delay in property tax bills that could stretch into the new year. The buyers are waiting for reimbursements that, although typically small, usually come three weeks or less after the date the sale closes. Because Cook County officials have yet to announce when the latest tax bills — which were to be mailed July 1, with an Aug. 1 payment deadline — will finally be mailed, there’s no telling when the reimbursements will come.

* CBS Chicago | Scuffle between federal agents, adults spills into Warren Township High School in Gurnee, officials say: Woestman said that he believes the incident happened with an off-campus encounter between federal agents and adults who are not related to the school district. He said the adults then came onto WTHS’s O’Plaine campus, with federal agents following. The agents followed one of the adults through a door into an O’Plaine campus building. The door was open as it was being “used appropriately” by students and staff coming as part of a normal school day, Woestman said.

* ABC Chicago | Rich Township employee stranded in Jamaica without life-saving medication after Hurricane Melissa: Trinette Britt-Johnson is chief of staff to Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan. In 2024, Britt-Johnson was the recipient of a successful kidney transplant after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease years earlier. Officials say Britt-Johnson’s trip to Jamaica a week ago for vacation was the first time she was allowed to really travel due to doctor’s orders. Britt-Johnson is currently stuck in Montego Bay after Hurricane Melissa hit, and is without critical medicine that supports kidney function

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | “It doesn’t look like justice”: “Sean Grayson should be able to get out of jail when my daughter can get out of that burial vault,” Massey’s father, James Wilburn of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, said at a news conference after the verdict. The law would allow the presiding judge, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Ryan Cadagin, to release Grayson and only sentence him to probation, though one of the lawyers representing the Massey family, Antonio Romanucci, said that is unlikely.

* STL PR | Cost of marketplace health plans to soar in 2026, will hit some in southern Illinois especially hard: “Southern rural communities will see much higher increases,” said state Department of Insurance Director Ann Gillespie. “Some [consumers] are going to lose their coverage entirely,” she said. “But everybody is going to be hit by this.” According to data from the nonprofit health organization KFF, a 60-year-old couple making $85,000 annually in southern or western Illinois could see monthly premiums for a benchmark plan increase anywhere from 300% to 535%.

* WJBD | Two more candidates file for Marion County Board seats: Two candidates have filed to run in the Republican primary for Marion County Board seats. Harvey Evans V has filed to run in District One and Jack Riley is running for re-election in District Two. Candidate filing continues through four Monday afternoon at the Marion County Clerk’s office.

* WCIA | State Police squad car struck in ‘Scott’s Law’ accident on I-57 in Arcola: At around 5:50 a.m., a State Police trooper was parked across the northbound lanes of I-57 conducting traffic control for a different crash that involved a commercial motor vehicle, according to a news release from ISP. The trooper had turned on the squad car’s emergency lights and was directing traffic to exit at milepost 203 onto IL 133. The driver of a Chevrolet Trailblazer failed to move over and exit, and it struck the front passenger side of the trooper’s squad car. The trooper was outside of the squad car at the time of the crash, but no one was hurt.

*** National ***

* Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson | The burial of Black genius (A.K.A. D’Angelo lives!): Then came Voodoo. Then came everything. That album remade Black music. There’s a before and an after. Its tour was the greatest soul revue since prime Prince — we spent four years studying him; naturally, we wrote our love letter back. […] I have to say, the last weeks with him were probably the best for our friendship. Music was always the template for our communication. Now here we were in the hospital — no soundproof separation booths, no drums, no keys, no instruments, no musicians. Nothing but just the two of us talking.

* ProPublica | Details of DHS Agreement Reveal Risks of Trump Administration’s Use of Social Security Data for Voter Citizenship Checks: Instead, experts say, the sweeping data-sharing agreement authorizing DHS to merge Social Security data into SAVE could threaten Americans’ privacy and lead to errors that disenfranchise legitimate voters The details of the agreement, which haven’t previously been reported, show it contains alarmingly few guardrails to ensure accuracy and scant specifics on how the data will be kept secure, election and privacy lawyers who have reviewed it say. Further, it explicitly does not bar DHS from deploying the SSA data for other purposes, including immigration enforcement.

* NYT | Candy Companies Are Quietly Cutting Down on Cocoa to Save Money: Almost no one noticed when, sometime over the last few years, the packaging on Almond Joy, Mr. Goodbar and Rolo was updated to remove the words “milk chocolate.” The edits were easy to miss: The description on the front of the Mr. Goodbar wrapper changed from “milk chocolate with peanuts” to “chocolate candy with peanuts.” Almond Joy is now marketed as a “coconut and almond chocolate candy bar.” Rolos are now wrapped in “rich chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate.”

1 Comment

Keep ROFR And Anti-Competitive Language Out Of The Energy Bill

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Voters and the Governor already rejected lawmakers’ push for anti-competitive “Right of First Refusal” (ROFR) bills that handed transmission contracts to incumbent utilities.

Now, the same principles that would raise costs on ratepayers are back. They are trying to rebrand ROFR and pretend it’s about protecting Illinois.

As energy legislation is finalized in Springfield this month, let’s keep ROFR and anti-competitive language out of bill.

Let’s remember Illinois voters:

The message is clear: voters want more competition, not less.

Voters’ concerns about higher energy prices are only on the rise. Since this poll, they’ve endured a sizzling summer with skyrocketing prices, and a new report says the cost of heating a home this winter is expected to jump nearly 8%.

Voters have made their voice clear: Say no to energy inflation. Don’t hand more power and control to ComEd and Ameren. Say no to ending cost-cutting competition. And say yes to policies that provide lower cost to consumers.

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Pritzker on Tier 2 pension bill: ‘whole lot more work that needs to be done’

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We Are One Illinois press release from yesterday…

Today, the Illinois House of Representatives Executive Committee voted to pass SB1937 as amended out of committee by a vote of 8 in favor to 4 opposed. The legislation reforms the state pension funding ramp to address Illinois’ long term pension funding problems and the IRS “safe harbor” concern while making modest improvements to pension benefits for Tier 2 public employees. Because the legislation taps expiring bond funding, along with generating savings via a modified funding schedule, it will not significantly impact the state’s budgetary situation and does not require additional revenue increases.

We Are One Illinois spokesperson Pat Devaney responded to the news of committee passage:

“For years, public sector unions, lawmakers, and watchdog groups have sounded the alarm about the long-term financial stability of our state’s pension systems. Today, state lawmakers took the first step toward addressing these concerns once and for all by passing SB1937 out of the House Executive Committee. This is a critically important bill to strengthen our state’s finances, address the ticking ‘safe harbor’ time bomb, and help ensure we can recruit and retain the public employees necessary to provide high quality services to Illinoisans statewide.

“This legislation is the result of years of study, discussion, and negotiation with state lawmakers, the governor’s office, and interested parties. It includes Gov. Pritzker’s pension funding reforms to save taxpayers millions and makes modest improvements to benefits for Tier 2 public employees like teachers, firefighters, and nurses, who provide the same vital services as their Tier 1 colleagues while receiving a diminished pension that does not provide an adequate retirement.

“SB1937 taps into a portion of expiring bond funding to ensure our promises to state employees are kept in a fiscally responsible, credit neutral manner that does not require new revenues or damage the state’s budgetary situation. The bill also addresses the so-called ‘safe harbor’ issue, which could be weaponized by Trump’s IRS at any moment.

“Our members have made their voices clear through more than 100,000 calls and emails in the past year: this issue must be addressed, and it is not going away. We will continue to meet with lawmakers and Gov. Prtizker’s office to address their questions as we seek their support. We applaud lawmakers for making important progress during the veto session, and we urge them to finish the job and pass this bill through the General Assembly during the 2026 Spring session.”

BACKGROUND:

SB1937 makes a number of improvements, including:

• Improving the Tier 2 final average salary calculation to the average of the highest 6 of an employee’s final 10 years on the job.
• Lowering the Tier 2 retirement age to age 62 if the employee has maxed out their pension, 65 with 20 years of service, or 67 with 10 years of service.
• Improving the Tier 2 cost of living adjustment to 3% simple interest per year.
• Adjusting the Tier 2 pension salary cap to match the Social Security Wage Base, addressing the so-called “Safe Harbor” problem.
• Reforming the pension funding ramp to reach 90% funding by 2045 and 100% funding by 2049.

Click here to read the COGFA financial analysis of the legislation (please note this analysis lists the bill number as HB2540, a prior vehicle for the legislation).

* Gov. Pritzker was asked about the bill today…

It’s still being worked on. There was a committee hearing it, and, no, there’s nothing that that’s going to be signed in this or passed in this legislative session.

[Is the current language good enough for you?]

Oh, I think there’s a whole lot more work that needs to be done. Remember, I’m not going to sign anything that’s credit negative for the state. We are making a lot of progress in the state. Many of you know, we just got our 10th credit upgrade. It’s more credit upgrades than any state has received anytime in the last 25 years, than we received in the last five years. We need to keep on with that progress, and so whatever it is that we end up doing needs to make sure that isn’t taking us back.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Quick session updates

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Credit Unions Step Up During Government Shutdown

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

When the federal government shuts down, thousands of workers face missed paychecks and mounting stress. Illinois credit unions are stepping in to help. During the shutdown, credit unions across the state offer emergency relief to impacted federal employees - proving once again that they put people before profit.

From skip-a-payment programs and low-interest emergency loans to waived fees and financial counseling, credit unions provide a lifeline to those caught in the crossfire of political gridlock. These not-for-profit financial cooperatives are owned by their members, not shareholders, which means their focus is on service - not earnings.

The Illinois Credit Union League (ICUL) coordinates these efforts statewide, ensuring that federal workers - from TSA agents to postal employees - have access to compassionate, practical support. This response reflects the credit union philosophy of “people helping people,” especially in times of crisis.

As policymakers debate financial regulations, remember that credit unions are more than lenders - they’re community partners. Their proactive support during the shutdown is a powerful example of how member-owned institutions can respond swiftly and humanely when their communities need them most.

Learn more at: https://www.icul.com/advocacy/2025-government-shutdown/

Paid for by Illinois Credit Union League.

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Noem to Pritzker: No

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Gov. JB Pritzker is asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and top ICE officials to suspend immigration enforcement operations throughout Chicago for three days so children can safely celebrate Halloween.

The request, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, comes four days after ICE agents fired tear gas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood as families and children walked to a Halloween parade. And it came a day after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis told Border Patrol commander-in-chief Gregory Bovino on the stand that a “sense of safety was shattered” for children who witnessed the deployment.

“Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear,” Pritzker wrote in the letter sent on Wednesday. “No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick or treating in their own neighborhood.”

Pritzker said he is “respectfully requesting” the pause from Friday to Sunday in and around homes, schools, hospitals, parks, houses of worship and other community gatherings where Halloween celebrations are taking place.

* Response…

Q: Gov. Pritzker has asked for Operation Midway Blitz to be paused for the holiday weekend. Are you willing to do that?

NOEM: No, we're absolutely not willing to put on pause any work we will do to keep communities safe. The fact Gov. Pritzker is asking for that is shameful. pic.twitter.com/bQSIDN02r1

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 30, 2025

* Full transcript…

Question: Governor Pritzker has asked for Operation Midway Blitz to be on pause for the holiday weekend. Are you willing to do that? And if you’re not, why not?

Noem: No, we’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe.

The fact that Governor Pritzker is asking for that is shameful and I think unfortunate that he doesn’t recognize how important the work is that we do to make sure we’re bringing criminals to justice and getting them off our streets, especially when we’re going to send all of our kiddos out on the streets and going to events and enjoying the holiday season. We want to make sure that they’re safe. And if you see even up here, we have individuals that we picked up off the streets with our ICE officers and CBP officers that have assault against a child, child pedophiles, rapes. Those individuals don’t deserve to be on our streets, and we’re certainly not going to let our kids be victimized by it.

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US Supreme Court requests more information regarding Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Illinois

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Sun-Times…

President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops within Illinois will likely remain on hold through mid-November after the U.S. Supreme Court sought more information from lawyers Wednesday.

The request ended 12 days of silence from the justices. The Trump administration asked the high court on Oct. 17 to undo an order from U.S. District Judge April Perry that’s blocked the troop deployment since Oct. 9.

Perry’s order was originally temporary and set to expire after two weeks. However, Justice Department lawyers agreed last week to let it stand until a final judgment in her courtroom, and pending the Supreme Court’s review.

Litigation around National Guard deployment in Illinois, Oregon and California has centered on a federal law that allows the president to call into federal service members of any state’s National Guard if there is an invasion or rebellion — or if the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

* SCOTUSblog…

Although the court had directed the challengers to respond in just three days, suggesting that it might act quickly, nine days passed before the justices issued an order in the case – but they did not rule on the government’s request. Instead, they ordered both the Trump administration and the challengers to file new briefs discussing whether, for purposes of the federal law on which Trump relied to call up the National Guard – which allows him to do so when (among other things) he cannot “with the regular forces … execute the laws of the United States” – “the term ‘regular forces’ refers to the regular forces of the United States military, and, if so, how that interpretation affects the operation” of the law.

The new briefs, the court said, should be no more than 15 pages long and should be filed by Nov. 10, with 10-page reply briefs to follow a week later – a much less expedited timeframe than the court had set for the original briefing.

* Reuters…

The administration has said that the words “regular forces” mean that the president can call up the National Guard if non-military federal agents who regularly enforce federal laws cannot properly do so.

In an October 10 written ruling, [Judge April Perry] said that historical sources indicate that “regular forces” means only members regularly enlisted in the military, including the Army and Navy, as opposed to the National Guard.

Perry wrote that “in order for the President to call forth the militia to execute the laws, the President must be incapable with the regular forces - that is, lacking the power and force with the military alone - to execute the law.”

Trump’s administration “made no attempt to rely on the regular forces before resorting to federalization of the National Guard,” Perry said, adding that there are other limits on the use of the military for domestic law enforcement purposes.

* Related…

* The Guardian | Revealed: Pentagon orders states’ national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’: The memo, signed on 8 October by Maj Gen Ronald Burkett, the director of operations for the Pentagon’s national guard bureau, sets thresholds for the size of the quick reaction force to be trained in each state, with most states required to train 500 national guard members, for a total of 23,500 troops nationwide. As authority, Burkett cited Donald Trump’s August executive order that deployed the guard to fight crime in Washington DC. The same order required the secretary of defense to create “a standing National Guard quick reaction force … available for rapid nationwide deployment” in “quelling civil disturbances”.

* Politico | Trump’s National Guard DC deployment extended into 2026: National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., will stay in place until at least February, a defense official said — but the extension is open-ended until the mission is considered complete. The orders to stay in Washington were likely to lapse in November, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the extension this week, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the orders.

* The Hill | DOJ admits National Guard was briefly sent to Portland despite court order: “We’ll discuss later whether that’s contempt and in direct violation of my TRO, but we’re moving on,” the judge said. It was not clear how many soldiers were sent or what they were tasked to do. Lin said they “completed the shift.” U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the National Guard troops who have been federalized, declined to provide additional information or comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

* The Texas Tribune | Majority of Texans oppose National Guard deployment to cities out of state, poll finds: The survey, conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, Austin between Oct. 10 and Oct. 20, found that 43% of Texans “strongly oppose” the move and 8% “somewhat oppose” it. Forty-one percent of Texans supported the move.

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Clean And Reliable Grid Affordability Act (SB25) Is The Only Bill This Veto Session That Can Slash Skyrocketing Electric Rate Increases

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

This fall veto session, only one bill can reduce spiking electric rates – the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act.

If enacted, CRGA would direct the state to procure battery energy storage and finally implement the kind of long-range planning that will help stabilize the grid and lower costs for ratepayers. Government (Illinois Power Agency) and private sector (The Power Bureau) studies agree CRGA will save consumers on monthly bills and slash tens of billions in costs.

Want more proof? Look to Texas where consumers saved an estimated $750 million in 2024, sheltering them from demand-induced price spikes and preventing blackouts in the process. These are benefits Texas saw from storage even as the state reduced its gas generation capacity by 166 MW last year.

The solutions offered in CRGA are nimble enough to address growing data center power demands and meet other electrification-related power needs. It’s the only bill in Veto that can lower rates for consumers and ensure economic development efforts are set up for success. After all, if we lack power and capacity, we can’t add the jobs that come with new data centers and other large power users.

Without action, prices will continue to rise with no end in sight. It’s time for the General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act.

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Pritzker leaves door open for RTA sales tax hike

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor Pritzker was asked about the House transit bill during an unrelated press conference this morning…

Reporter: Governor, you met with Speaker Welch and President Harmon last night, was there any agreement to hold off on some of the revenues in the House transit bill?

Pritzker: It’s clear that both the Senate President and the Speaker and I want to come together around a bill that will work for the state of Illinois. Most importantly, for funding a world-class transit system. And so that’s what many discussions that took place yesterday were really all about. And there was progress there.

Reporter: Did you give them any guidance or leadership on what revenues you wouldn’t like not to be in the bill or to be in the bill?

Pritzker: Well, each of us had views that were brought to the table and put in the middle of the table and worked on together to make sure that there was an understanding about what could pass. That’s the important thing. In the end, you’ve got to get members of both chambers behind it. And to make sure that we can do it as expeditious of fashion as possible.

* On if the bill can get done during veto session…

Reporter: Governor, is the transit bill effectively dead now for the veto session in your mind?

Pritzker: The transit bill is not dead. I can tell you, there’s a whole lot of conversation and collaboration is still going on. And so the work is continuing.

Reporter: What about a special session? If it doesn’t happen now would that be called for that? And would you also include remapping?

Pritzker: We’re going to do what’s necessary to get a transit bill passed. We all understand how important to fund transit throughout the state of Illinois. And so we’re going to attempt to get it done ASAP.

* On what qualifies as a broad-base tax increase…

Reporter: In the spring, you said you wouldn’t support broad-base tax increases. Does that remain true to this day and include the transit bill?

Governor: When we talk about broad base, [there’s] pretty much three big broad-based taxes that exist in Illinois. That’s what I’m referring to when I talk about broad-base taxes. There’s individual income taxes, corporate income taxes and sales tax, right? That applies to the whole state. Those are the things that I think we should stay away from and indeed I’ve expressed that. And like I’ve said, everybody’s thrown on the table thinks it’s the best way to go about paying for a world class transit.

Reporter: So the RTA sales tax increase, is that off the table?

Pritzker: If you want to talk about that particularly, that is not a statewide broad-based tax. That isn’t something I talked about. I just spoke about three big buckets I said I’d like to avoid. There are lots of things that have been brought up, you’re asking about one in particular. There are really a lot of, a long list of ideas that have been put on the table and you’ve got to get some work. I realize that the Republicans don’t want to pay for anything and they would love to make everything world class but they think it doesn’t cost any money.

And so from my perspective no one likes to have to find revenue to pay for things, but it’s the only way you can actually get something done.

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Big Pharma’s Greed Is On Full Display — And Illinois Patients Are Paying The Price

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

When pharmaceutical giants worth hundreds of billions of dollars go after hospitals that serve low-income families, it isn’t compassion driving them—it’s greed. These companies, earning over $112 billion in profits in just one year, are running a multimillion-dollar misinformation campaign in Illinois to block hospitals from accessing federal drug discounts, just so they can keep overcharging hospitals and patients.

The federal 340B program allows hospitals caring for large numbers of Medicaid and uninsured patients to purchase outpatient drugs at a discount—savings they reinvest into patient care. As Congress enacts deep Medicaid cuts threatening healthcare for nearly 500,000 Illinoisans, Big Pharma is doubling down on deception.

Drugmakers are misleading lawmakers about Illinois’ 340B legislation. Let’s be clear: Illinois hospitals aren’t asking for anything new.

• HB 2371 SA 2 preserves the status quo requiring drug discounts that hospitals pass onto patients and use for essential new service lines.
• Multiple courts have upheld similar laws in 20 states.
• HB 2371 SA 2 expands transparency requirements so the public and lawmakers can see exactly how hospitals use 340B savings.

For Safety Net and Critical Access Hospitals, 340B savings are lifelines funding free and discounted prescriptions, mental-health and substance-use treatment, cancer care, maternity services, and clinics.

Reject Big Pharma’s lies and stand with Illinois hospitals, who deliver care, create jobs, and strengthen communities. Learn more.

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Appeals court pauses order requiring CBP Chief Bovino to meet with judge daily

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Sun-Times…

The federal appeals court in Chicago put a temporary hold Wednesday on U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ requirement that the Border Patrol’s commander-at-large appear in her courtroom every weeknight until Nov. 5.

But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also gave plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit a chance to respond by the end of business Thursday. So there’s still a chance Bovino could be spending more time in Ellis’ courtroom.

* Tribune…

Ellis’ unusual request came as allegations have mounted that agents under Bovino’s command are indiscriminately throwing tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods and using inappropriate force against residents and reporters during protests over Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement push.

During a remarkable hourlong session with Bovino on the witness stand Tuesday, Ellis also instructed the 30-year Border Patrol veteran to get his own body camera and send her every use-of-force report — and accompanying bodycam footage — filed since the operation began nearly two months ago.

While she stopped short of finding any specific violations had occurred, Ellis ordered Bovino to appear before her in open court at 5:45 p.m. each weekday to go over any uses of force from that day. The appearances would be required until at least Nov. 5, when Ellis is scheduled to hold a full hearing on a preliminary injunction.

* Capitol News Illinois…

[A]ttorneys from the Trump administration on Wednesday afternoon appealed the matter to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, calling Ellis’ order for Bovino’s appearances an “extraordinary and extraordinarily disruptive requirement.”

“The order significantly interferes with the quintessentially executive function of ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis,” the motion said.

Though Ellis herself said on Tuesday that she didn’t want to “micromanage” Bovino, Department of Justice lawyers accused her of doing just that in their motion, writing that Ellis had “exceeded (her) judicial role by arrogating to (herself) the role of supervising and micromanaging the day-to-day operations of an Executive Branch law-enforcement agency.”

A couple hours later, the 7th Circuit granted the Trump administration’s motion for a stay on Ellis’ order requiring Bovino’s daily appearances. The end-of-day check-ins were scheduled to end on Nov. 4, the day before a hearing on whether to convert the judge’s temporary restraining restricting riot control weapons to a preliminary injunction.

* The AP…

“We are thrilled this act of judicial overreach has been paused,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Attorneys still met with Ellis in the evening to discuss logistics in the evidence-gathering phase of the case. They agreed to a 9 p.m. deadline to submit body camera recordings of federal agents using tear gas on people in the predominantly Mexican American neighborhood of Little Village last week.

* WTTW…

Bovino still remains scheduled to sit for an hourslong deposition on Thursday morning beginning at 10 a.m. in which he’ll face questioning about how his agents are enforcing the law in and around Chicago.

That under-oath questioning will be done behind closed doors, and it’s not yet clear whether a transcript of the deposition will be made public. Beyond Bovino, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials Russell Hott and Daniel Parra will also be deposed this week.

Those depositions come as part of a lawsuit brought by the Chicago Headline Club, Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, Block Club Chicago and other media organizations who’ve alleged immigration agents have engaged in a “pattern of extreme brutality” that’s part of a “concerted and ongoing effort to silence the press and civilians.”

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Lawmakers Must Reject HB 3799 Before It Raises Costs And Drives Insurers Out Of Illinois

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

SPRINGFIELD, IL — [Oct. 30] — The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies today called on members of the Illinois House to vote “NO” on HB 3799.  The bill would hand the Illinois Department of Insurance unchecked power to retroactively and artificially suppress insurance rates, which will create chaos in the marketplace, drive up premiums, and jeopardize coverage for Illinois families.
“HB 3799 is being sold as consumer protection, but it will do the exact opposite,” said Jennifer Hammer, former director of the Illinois Department of Insurance and external counsel for NAMIC. “Research shows that premiums in prior-approval states average 20 percent more than states like Illinois.

If this bill passes, Illinois will walk straight into the same crisis we’ve seen play out in states like California and possibly worse because HB 3799 goes beyond every other state in price control.” Hammer continued. “The bill gives regulators unlimited authority to pull back approved rates at any time with no deadlines, no appeal process, and no accountability. That kind of uncertainty will force insurers to raise prices or stop writing business in Illinois altogether.”

Today, Illinois’ insurance market is a national success story where consumers benefit from competition, stability, and affordability of rates. More than 200 companies currently offer coverage, and auto insurance rates remain well below the national average. HB 3799 would undo decades of progress and send a chilling message to insurers: Illinois is no longer open for business.

“Governor J.B. Pritzker touted Illinois’ rise to 13th in CNBC’s Top States for Business this summer,” said Erin Collins, senior vice president of state and policy affairs for NAMIC. “But if HB 3799 passes, those gains will vanish fast. You can’t claim to be pro-business while advancing policies that drive investment and jobs out of the state. I hope the governor tells the legislature that HB 3799 is not in concert with his desire to continue Illinois’ rise in the rankings.”

NAMIC urges lawmakers to reject HB 3799 and instead work toward policies that preserve affordability, stability, and consumer choice in Illinois’ insurance market.

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: House passes energy bill amid debate over costs to consumers. Capitol News Illinois…

* More veto session stories…

• WAND: Senate Democrats pass bill to automatically seal nonviolent felony records, send Clean Slate Act to House
• WAND: House Democrats present Chicago transit funding plan, but Pritzker opposes proposed taxes
• WAND: Senate Democrats pass bill to automatically seal nonviolent felony records, send Clean Slate Act to House
• Center Square: Tax proposals draw questions from Pritzker and GOP state rep

***************** Advertisement *****************

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While Ameren Illinois cannot control the price or availability of energy, we can ensure that the system that delivers energy to homes and businesses — electric poles, wires, and technology; and natural gas distribution pipelines and storage fields — is equipped to operate at peak performance to withstand severe weather events, facilitate business expansions that grow local communities, and enable the transition to renewable generation.

We have an opportunity to build an energy system that is smarter, cleaner, reliable, resilient, and affordable for Illinois families and businesses. As discussions on short- and long-term legislative solutions occur this fall, we will continue to advocate for our 1.2 million customers.

If you know of someone who is struggling to pay their energy bill, please encourage them to visit www.AmerenIllinois.com/PathToSavings for information on available financial assistance and energy saving programs.

*************************************************

* Gov. JB Pritzker will hold a 9:30 am press conference highlighting the “worst of the worst” Trump administration actions affecting Illinoisans amid federal deployments. At 1:30 pm, he’ll announce the next round of Regional Site Readiness Program grants. Watch live here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | As SNAP shutdown looms, Illinois will provide $20M for food: Illinois plans to provide $20 million to food banks across the state as federal supplemental nutrition assistance funds are set to end Oct. 31 because of the government shutdown. Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign an executive order tomorrow to mobilize state resources and work with food banks and food pantries, grocers, universities and other community organizations to help limit the impact of the end of SNAP benefits, which help low-income residents purchase food.

* Sun-Times | Gov. Pritzker asks Noem to pause ICE enforcement for Halloween: ‘Please let children be children’: Gov. JB Pritzker is asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and top ICE officials to suspend immigration enforcement operations throughout Chicago for three days so children can safely celebrate Halloween. The request, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, comes four days after ICE agents fired tear gas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood as families and children walked to a Halloween parade. And it came a day after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis told Border Patrol commander-in-chief Gregory Bovino on the stand that a “sense of safety was shattered” for children who witnessed the deployment.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Teachers union pushes Illinois lawmakers for more school funding: Davis Gates said lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker should do more than hold press conferences denouncing President Donald Trump’s policies and she repeated the union’s push to “tax the rich.” “We’re going to spend a lot of time in Springfield creating the lesson plans, the pathways for elected officials to honor the working people, the public servants, and the educators of the state of Illinois,” Davis Gates told a crowd of union members outside the capitol building.

* Crain’s | Lollapalooza ‘at risk’ if state entertainment tax is approved, organizer says: “Events like Lollapalooza and Sueños fuel Illinois’ economy, creating jobs and boosting local businesses,” a spokesperson for the concert organizer said in a statement. “A new statewide event tax and higher amusement tax would drive up ticket prices, putting these events at risk and adding a nearly 20% total tax burden on fans in a city that already has the highest amusement tax in the nation.”

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson tries to beat state to taxing hemp with plan that adds age limit: Johnson argued that Chicago “did not get its fair share” of revenue when the state legalized the sale of marijuana in 2019. This time, the mayor, who has aired his frustrated belief that Gov. JB Pritzker has repeatedly boxed him out of securing new tax revenue, is trying to beat Springfield to the punch. “I don’t want what happened to the city of Chicago during the cannabis debate to happen around hemp,” Johnson said.

* Tribune | Illinois officials should investigate, charge federal immigration agents for state violations, group says: In letters sent this week to Gov. JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, all three of whom are Democrats, and Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling, the Free Speech for People campaign contends “federal agents have repeatedly committed criminal acts that are not immunized by federal law.” “We applaud you for establishing the Illinois Accountability Commission and empowering it to refer” violations to agencies empowered to investigate and enforce such laws, the group’s letter to Pritzker says about the governor’s creation of the new panel last week. “Although the executive order establishing the commission requires it to create an initial status report by Jan. 16, we encourage the commission to immediately refer serious incidents for further investigation by relevant law enforcement officers.”

* WCIA | Governor Pritzker signs new executive order to assist struggling farmers: Pritzker’s new executive order does two things. First, it orders the state to identify and promote domestic markets for Illinois Ag products. It also orders the Department of Agriculture to invest further into the Farm Family Resource Initiative that provides access to mental health resources for farmers. Neither effort will put money in farmer’s pockets right away but Pritzker hopes it is enough to hold them over until trade policy stabilizes.

* WCIA | Darren Bailey announces funeral arrangements for family members killed in Montana helicopter crash: A visitation will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp in Flora. A Celebration of Life for the Bailey family will start at 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, also at Oil Belt. Private burial will take place in Oskaloosa Cemetery.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Trump taps big City Hall contractors for ICE operation Brandon Johnson opposes: Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) is calling for a city review to determine whether Chicago taxpayer dollars should be going to firms working with the Department of Homeland Security and its on-the-ground agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. “We do have to take this seriously and make sure that we are not collaborating by hiring or benefiting companies that are acting against us,” says Rodriguez, who was born in Puerto Rico and represents one of the city’s most diverse wards.

* Tribune | Former aide admits helping Ald. Carrie Austin get home improvement perks from developers: Chester Wilson, 59, pleaded guilty only to one misdemeanor count involving the unrelated theft of “SNAP” state food subsidies, for which he faces up to a year behind bars. But in his plea agreement with prosecutors, Wilson, who served as Austin’s chief of staff admitted that for a three-year period beginning in 2016, he helped facilitate benefits from three people seeking to influence Austin in her official capacity.

* Crain’s | Bears offer $25M to benefit Chicago as team pushes bill for Arlington Heights move: Team officials and their lobbyists are circulating a letter among the Chicago delegation that was previously sent to Rep. Kam Buckner and Sen. Bill Cunningham. The letter commits $25 million to benefit the city and Chicago Park District if the Bears move to Arlington Heights. Buckner has been among the most vocal critics of the Bears’ potential move, introducing a bill this month that would require extensive public review of stadium deals and potentially force a team to repay subsidies if it relocates before the contract ends.

* Tribune | Grant Park Music Festival president Paul Winberg steps down: The Grant Park Music Festival announced Wednesday that its president, Paul Winberg, will step down in the spring of 2026. Winberg has served as president and CEO since 2011. The festival, which puts on Chicago’s free outdoor classical music series every summer at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, said in the announcement that its board of directors has begun a national search for his replacement.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Immigration enforcement officers arrest at least 7 people in Crete, Chicago Heights: ICE officers detained at least three people, including two customers and one employee, in the parking lot outside of Heights Fresh Market on Chicago Road at about 11 a.m. Monday, according to a store manager, who cited store footage. Yadira Banuelos, a store employee, said officers arrested her coworker as he arrived for his shift Monday. Another man who regularly sold Sabritsa chips outside the store was detained then released, according to a statement the market, posted on Facebook at 11:17 a.m. Tuesday.

* Daily Herald | Batavia moves toward ban on ICE using city property: And while some aldermen were passionate about the idea, some questioned whether the city could actually enforce a ban. Alderman Christopher Solfa also questioned the need for an ordinance, saying it would just be a symbolic gesture. He noted that Batavia already complies with the Illinois TRUST Act, which prohibits local police and governments from aiding immigration agents in civil cases, including use of city property.

* Daily Herald | ‘More challenging’: Naperville budget plan includes fewer new programs: During preparations for the upcoming fiscal year, city departments were told to hold the line on operating budgets because of budgetary pressure from increased personnel and health insurance costs. Officials expect to see an 18.5% spike in health insurance premiums. “To be clear, this was a more challenging budget year than we’ve seen in recent memory,” Finance Director Ray Munch said during the second of three city council budget workshops. Among the few new budget requests? An estimated $150,000 that would allow Naperville police to pilot a “Drone as a First Responder” program.

* Shaw Local | DeKalb County administrator issued rodeo permit to man who pleaded guilty to animal abuse: Records: “I permitted an event to an animal abuser. I did,” interim DeKalb County Administrator Derek Hiland said of an Aug. 2 rodeo in Kirkland. It’s the third time that Hiland signed off on a rodeo permit for Cristofer Perez, and the second time that footage of the event is being investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton board prematurely settled sexual assault lawsuit, attorney says: Attorney Eric White, who is representing the plaintiffs said Wednesday the village mischaracterized the status of the lawsuit that is still pending. The plaintiffs include a former village and Thornton Township employee who claims Holmes drugged and sexually assaulted her on a 2023 work trip to Las Vegas, The village declined to provide details of the settlement agreements after they were approved Oct. 6, saying they had not yet been finalized or signed. The lawsuit names Holmes, the village, Thornton Township, and former Dolton Mayor and Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard as defendants.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Massey family reacts to Sean Grayson verdict: After nearly a week of hearing testimony and 11 hours of deliberations across two days, the jury convicted Grayson of second-degree murder and acquitted him of first-degree murder. Emotions were high as the Massey family spoke, saying that they are not happy with Grayson being convicted of only second-degree murder, not first-degree murder. The next steps they want include Grayson receiving the maximum sentence — 20 years in prison.

* WCIA | Watseka police officers on leave since July; State Police investigating: Multiple officers with the Watseka Police Department are being investigated by the Illinois State Police, officials confirmed with WCIA on Wednesday. Watseka Police Chief Eric Starkey was unable to confirm the identities of the officers under investigation, or how many are being investigated. But, Starkey was able to share that the officers under investigation have been on leave since July.

* Rockford Register Star | Rockford considering use of cannabis funds to close deficit despite pleas to keep promise: The city could rescind its policy restricting recreational cannabis sales tax funding to aiding communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana laws and instead tap the funds to help close a projected $3.7 million 2026 general fund deficit. Rockford has $2.6 million in marijuana sales taxes on hand. Combined with the estimated $850,000 it expects to generate next year, it could be spent to avoid a property tax increase or cuts in city services, city officials said.

* WGEM | Pike County Board debates cuts for fiscal year budget: County Chairman Rita Hoskin confirmed the total deficit was $1.8 million. When the floor opened for discussion, Vice-Chairman Tom Lewis questioned a $350,000 proposed cut to the ambulance department. “If you take $350,000 out of [the ambulance department] budget, [the department] will be broke if an incident that causes us to lose the other $250,000 we might have had saved,” Lewis said.

* WGLT | McLean County rebuts agreement default allegations from Bloomington and Normal: County administrator Cassy Taylor also rebutted the town’s allegations point by point in the letter dated Oct. 24, a few days ahead of the Oct. 27 deadline to respond to the notice. The dispute centers on the accumulation of more than $21 million in the County Mental Health and Public Safety Fund [MHPSF]. That money is supposed to fund new public safety information system technology, behavioral health services in the jail and community, and bond debt incurred to pay for renovation and expansion of the McLean County jail.

* WCIA | IL Extension gets $40k to improve, protect Coles Co. water months after Mattoon algae bloom: One part of the initiative, the Watershed Stewards program, will launch in Coles County in 2026. It’ll be led by Extension Program Coordinator Jenny Lee. Anyone can attend the program to learn how to protect local lakes, a spokesperson with Extension said in a release. In the second part of the initiative, participants will have the opportunity to install native plants under native trees. This will help slow stormwater runoff, benefit pollinators and keep excess nutrients from entering local waterways, according to Extension officials. They attributed the “soft landings” concept to Heather Holm and Leslie Pilgrim.

*** National ***

* NOTUS | USDA Quietly Deletes Its Contingency Plan for Funding SNAP: The U.S. Department of Agriculture had a plan to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program running during a government shutdown by using contingency funds — but the document laying out that plan has now disappeared from the agency’s website. “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown,” the plan that was removed, dated Sept. 30, stated.

* Semafor | British newspaper spoke to the wrong de Blasio, not an ‘imposter’: “I’m Bill DeBlasio. I’ve always been Bill DeBlasio,” DeBlasio said in an interview conducted Wednesday evening through his Ring doorbell in Huntington Station, Long Island, from his current location in Florida. “I never once said I was the mayor. He never addressed me as the mayor,” DeBlasio told Semafor Wednesday evening. “So I just gave him my opinion.”

* WaPo | We checked DHS’s videos of chaos and protests. Here’s what they leave out.: Some videos that purported to show the fiery chaos of Trump-targeted cities included footage from completely different states. One that claimed to show dramatic examples of past administrations’ failures instead featured border crossings and smuggling boats recorded during Trump’s first term.

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Good morning!

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Kinks…

There’s a rat under my bed
And there’s a little green man in my head
And he said, “You’re not going crazy, you’re just a bit sad
‘Cause there’s a man in you, gnawing you, tearing you into two”

Holding up so far?

6 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…

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