* ICYMI: Illinois Democrats pass $56B state budget that includes new taxes on prediction markets, crypto. Sun-Times…

- The plan rolls in new taxes on the burgeoning industries of prediction markets, cryptocurrency and fantasy sports, while also dinging digital advertising revenue.
- Budget leaders aren’t yet counting on revenue from all the controversial new levies, which are near certain to face legal challenges — but they are banking on some $200 million from a tax on social media companies similar to the one facing a court challenge in Chicago.
- But a coalition of progressive Democrats said the plan didn’t do enough “to fully fund quality education, accessible healthcare and reliable public services for every Illinoisan.”

* Related stories…

• WAND: IL Democratic lawmakers pass $55.9 billion budget, send plan to Pritzker
• CNI: Details of $55.9B budget begin to take shape with 12 hours left in session
• Tribune: Illinois lawmakers pass $56B budget deal backed by gas tax windfall and some election-year tax breaks

* At 11 am, Governor Pritzker will host a press conference following the passage of the FY27 budget. Click here to watch
.

*** The Bears Bill ***

* The Bears…

To sum up last night/this morning:

The Illinois Senate passed a new stadium bill similar to the one in Indiana, but it was more open-ended and once again left more questions than answers.

The House balked and didn’t even vote on it.

The #Bears’ response is the same: pic.twitter.com/1HoCaDfnDY

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) June 1, 2026

* Capitol News Illinois’ Ben Szalinski…

Just briefly spoke with House Speaker Chris Welch about the decision not to take up the Bears bill. He says it’ll be resolved “sooner than later,” but no special session is planned pic.twitter.com/oNDnRCu4r1

— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) June 1, 2026

* Tribune | Illinois legislature adjourns for the summer without resolution to Chicago Bears stadium issue: The failure to take up the bill, which several House lawmakers said was due to a lack of time to study the proposal, raises questions about the fate of the Bears, who have an offer from the state of Indiana to construct a taxpayer-financed stadium and surrounding mixed-use entertainment district in Hammond, near Wolf Lake, 20 miles southeast of Chicago.

* Capitol News Illinois | Hail Mary effort to keep Bears in Illinois centers around local stadium authority: It is not immediately clear if the parameters of the new proposal would be acceptable to the Bears, who did not immediately return a request for comment over the weekend. Though Cunningham said the team has been briefed on the late play in Springfield. The deal would be closer to the structure of Indiana’s, which calls for more than $1 billion in public subsidies to build a publicly owned stadium. The Bears would keep all revenue generated by the building and have the option to buy it for $1 once bonds are paid off.

* Daily Herald | Bears megaproject bill sacked, but lawmakers draw up new play to keep team in state: Like competing legislation approved in Indiana — and the existing setup wherein the Bears play at the Chicago Park District-owned Soldier Field financed by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — the proposal could enable a new tax-exempt public stadium, as opposed to a private one where the NFL club would be subject to property taxes.

* Sun-Times | Bears blocked in Illinois: House spikes late-session play for new stadium bill that cleared Senate: After his late push for the legislation, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office issued a statement saying he “has always wanted the Bears to remain in Illinois and been open to a sensible deal, so the Governor’s Office needs to carefully review this new bill that was recently made public overnight.”

* CNI | Bears bombshell: City back in mix; team has met ‘repeatedly’ with Chicago over ‘several months’: Cunningham, a top negotiator on legislation aimed at giving the Chicago Bears tax certainty so they could move to suburban Arlington Heights, acknowledged the proposal “does not have the support to pass” the Illinois Senate. Chicago-based lawmakers want to “put the city on an equal plane” to “compete” for a stadium project. “I would say that the PILOT megaproject structure is one we’re having difficulty with and we’re trying to figure out if there’s another way to make sure the Bears build a stadium in Illinois without using that model,” Cunningham said.

* ABC Chicago | Senate files compromise bill to incentivize Bears to stay in Illinois as lawmakers race against time: “I think if people can see that a plan like this is narrowly tailored, but also, as Senator Cunningham said, gives the ability for the city of Chicago to have a part to play in this as well, then, there could be some support, right?” said lead Bears negotiator and Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago. The stadium idea drew mixed reaction from Chicago lawmakers, whose support will be needed to pass it. Some have been concerned about finding a way to help the average taxpayer while helping the Bears. “This seems to solve for that issue, in that individuals don’t have to feel as though, again, an entity is getting a tax break, and they are not,” said Illinois state Rep. Curtis Tarver II, D-Chicago.

*** Statehouse News ***

* ABC Chicago | Rideshare union, cell phone ban during school day bills passed by Illinois lawmakers: Legislation known as the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill passed both the Illinois House and Senate overnight. It gives drivers the right to collectively bargain for better pay and higher standards on the job. The measure now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for signature into state law.

* Crain’s | Drug discount bills pass after clash between hospitals, Big Pharma: Hospitals and drugmakers each claimed a piece of victory yesterday as Illinois lawmakers approved legislation preserving access to a lucrative federal drug discount program while launching a state audit of how providers use the savings. The legislation now awaits action by Gov. JB Pritzker. One bill would prohibit drugmakers from limiting hospitals’ participation in the federal 340B discount program, while a companion measure would require a state audit of how providers use the revenue generated by those discounts.

* CNI | Lawmakers pass bill to shield abortion information from digital medical records: The bills had strong support from abortion advocates who provide care for Illinoisans and nearly a quarter of the 142,000 people who have had to leave their home states for abortion services, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches abortion policy. The first measure, House Bill 5295, is an initiative from the governor’s office and would create the Reproductive Health Privacy Act. It would require the separation of information about abortion services or diagnoses of gender dysphoria from a patient’s digital medical records if a patient chooses.

* Tribune | Illinois lawmakers pass statewide school cellphone ban, handing win to Gov. JB Pritzker: After falling short last year, Illinois lawmakers gave final approval Sunday to a measure that would prohibit students from using cellphones throughout the day at most public and charter schools. The measure, approved in the state House in April, next heads to the desk of Gov. JB Pritzker, who made the issue a top priority during the past two spring legislative sessions. The state Senate last year approved a less restrictive version without opposition, but it was never taken up in the House.

* Center Square | Illinois to require bell-to-bell student phone ban in public schools: “[The amendment] moves the implementation date from 2026-2027 school year to 2027-2028 school year,” Castro said. The senator also said the bill now allows school districts the option of partially excluding high school students from the ban, at least during lunch and passing periods, among other specifics.

* Capitol News Illinois | Property tax debt sale reform will allow homeowners to keep more of their equity: House Bill 4537 makes various changes to the regulations for selling property tax debt. The key change is if a homeowner fails to pay their debt in an initial redemption period, and their property is seized and sold, they will receive any surplus funds left over from the auction. That change will bring Illinois — the last state to do so — into compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court decision Tyler v. Hennepin County. Previously passed by the Senate, the bill will now head to the governor.

* WCIA | POWER Act stalls as Illinois General Assembly wraps up spring session: Knowing the votes weren’t there, hundreds of environmental advocates still traveled to the Illinois Capitol on Saturday to make one thing clear: The fight over data center regulation will continue. Their rally came as lawmakers made it official that neither the Senate or House bill supporting the Protecting Our Energy, Water and Ratepayers (POWER) Act would make it to a floor vote, ending its chance at becoming law in the spring session.

* WAND | Downtown Springfield revitalization plan passed out of the Senate: This plan aims to create the Capital Area Tourism Authority in hopes of building a new state-of-the-art hotel connected to the Bank of Springfield Center. The measure also calls for an expansion of the city’s medical district to lift healthcare, education and research. “Springfield is the home of state government. It’s where Lincoln grew up,” said Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield). “It’s a city full of history, and this is where we’ve actually put politics aside and come together to give Downtown Springfield the attention it deserves.”

* Sun-Times | Illinois lawmakers pass bill to help homeowners catch up with property taxes before losing their homes: After three years of noncompliance with a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Illinois lawmakers have passed a measure that would fundamentally change how counties and taxing bodies in the state can recoup delinquent property taxes. For years, Illinois counties have sold property tax debt to investors who can ultimately seize the properties if their owners fail to redeem the delinquent property taxes. The nation’s highest court ruled it was unconstitutional to withhold the surplus equity from property owners who lose their properties in the process. Illinois is the only state affected by the ruling that has not yet reformed its property tax debt system.

* Press release | Illinois to have an official state bee under Ellman measure: House Bill 4438 would designate the black and gold bumblebee – and known as bombus auricomus – as the official state bee. The species is known for its large size, bright yellow color and role as a prominent pollinator throughout Illinois’ grasslands, prairies and open fields. The initiative originated with eighth grade students at Lincoln Junior High School in in central Illinois, who researched pollinators and worked with the Illinois State Board of Education to organize a statewide student vote on which bee should represent Illinois. After thousands of students participated, the black and gold bumblebee was selected.