Just look at what has happened over the past two weeks:
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House Republicans Expose Public Safety Failures of Gov. Pritzker’s Sanctuary State Policies. Reacting to the murder of a Loyola student by an illegal immigrant on Chicago’s lakefront, House Republican Reps. John Cabello, C.D. Davidsmeyer, Patrick Sheehan, and Patrick Windhorst exposed the public safety failures of Governor JB Pritzker’s sanctuary state policies.
Last week, in a devastating act of violence, a Loyola University student was tragically shot and killed by an illegal immigrant who had an outstanding arrest warrant. It is yet another deadly consequence of Governor Pritzker’s failed sanctuary and public safety policies.
On March 19, 18-year-old college student Sheridan Gorman was shot and killed on the Chicago lakefront, a place Governor Pritzker often claims is safe, by an illegal immigrant with prior offenses who was allowed to stay on our streets.
The alleged murderer, Jose Medina, is a Venezuelan national who was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol and released into the country under the Biden Administration’s Open Border Policy. He was then released again on June 19, 2023, following an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago.
At a Capitol press conference Tuesday, State Rep. John Cabello mourned the death of Sheridan Gorman and called for an end to Illinois’ sanctuary policies.
“So the question before us is simple. Have you had enough yet? Have you had enough of the deadly consequences of Gov. Pritzker’s failed policies?” Cabello asked.
State Rep. Patrick Sheehan, who is also a police officer, said Pritzker called federal law enforcement the Gestapo and Johnson called law enforcement a sickness.
“How will we ever have safe communities in Illinois when the people at the top are undermining law enforcement at every single turn?” Sheehan asked.
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst said Illinois Republicans have introduced legislation to restore public safety.
“Repealing the TRUST Act would allow state and local law enforcement officials and officers to communicate with federal officers to ensure that criminal illegal aliens face deportation proceedings when they are released from jail,” Windhorst said.
Windhorst also outlined proposals to expand the detention net for pretrial release and giving judges discretion when individuals are deemed dangerous.
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer discussed how Illinois got here and detailed the public safety failures of Gov. Pritzker and Democrat leadership in Springfield.
“We need to remember how we got here,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “None of this happened by accident. This is the direct result of years of failed leadership and misguided priorities. If the borders weren’t open, if these violent criminals weren’t here illegally, Sheridan Gorman and other victims would be alive today. You cannot argue that fact.”
This is just the latest example of how Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary policies and the SAFE-T Act are failing Illinois families. Under Gov. Pritzker and Democratic leadership, we’ve seen:
o Failed sanctuary state policies that, combined with Biden’s Open Border Policy, led to a surge of 550,000 illegal immigrants into Illinois
o More than $3 billion in taxpayer funds being spent on health care and other benefits for illegal immigrants
o A string of horrific crimes committed by violent offenders who were in this country illegally
Sheridan Gorman’s murder is not the first such incident of violent crime committed by illegal immigrants:
o Katie Abraham, and her friend Chloe Polzin, were killed in January 2025 in Urbana when a drunk driver who was an undocumented immigrant struck their car.
o Baltazar Perez-Estrada was charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors said he stabbed Maricela Simon Franco, dozens of times, killing her in front of their children.
o Edwin Pacheco-Meza was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after Illinois State Police said a crash killed an Illinois couple.
o ABC7 reported Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, described by DHS as living in the U.S. illegally, was charged with concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse, and obstructing justice after Megan Bos, 37, was found dead in a container on his property.
“Governor Pritzker must be held accountable for these public safety failures,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “On his watch, we’ve seen a steady embrace of anti-police rhetoric and policies leading to open hostility towards law enforcement and ICE agents; sanctuary state policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement; and billions in spending with little transparency or accountability. We cannot continue down this path.
“It’s time to restore balance. It’s time to restore accountability. And most importantly, it’s time to restore public safety in Illinois.”
• Pritzker Admits Illinois Immigration Policies Are Failing
During a recent media availability, Governor Pritzker briefly got one thing right when he admitted there have been “real failures” in immigration enforcement. But once again, he is trying to blame the federal government for problems his own policies helped create.
Governor Pritzker wants to point fingers over the ongoing crisis of illegal immigrants committing crimes in Illinois, but he cannot escape his own record. The Governor attempted to blame Washington for bad immigration policy but under the current administration, border crossings are at their lowest levels in years.
The Governor can blame Washington all he wants, but here in Illinois, he has spent years undermining the very enforcement efforts he now claims are not working.
The Governor also said immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government. That is rich coming from someone who spent the last year attacking federal law enforcement and standing in the way of its operations. Just look at his record:
o Governor Pritzker called federal law enforcement “jackbooted thugs” for enforcing immigration laws.
o He signed the Illinois Way Forward Act, strengthening barriers that prevent federal and local law enforcement from coordinating on immigration enforcement.
o He created ICE-free zones to interfere with federal enforcement efforts.
Governor Pritzker has also argued that local and state law enforcement should be responsible for catching and prosecuting violent criminals. But thanks to the SAFE-T Act, Illinois has failed there too. Consider just a few examples:
o The illegal immigrant charged in the killing of Sheridan Gorman was arrested for shoplifting in 2023 and never showed up to court.
o A woman was set on fire on a CTA train by a criminal who was out on electronic monitoring.
o Another man was punched onto CTA tracks by someone with a long history of violent crime.
It is no surprise that Governor Pritzker is trying to blame others for the consequences of his own policies. But while he points fingers, House Republicans are advancing real solutions. HB 1479 allows the court to revoke pretrial release if a person violates their conditions of release, and HB 1482 would expand detention eligibility for pretrial release.
Illinois families deserve more than excuses. They deserve leaders who will put public safety first.
AGRICULTURE
Welcoming students to FFA Agriculture Legislative Day. It was great to see so many blue and gold jackets (with a few green and white sprinkled into the mix) at the Capitol Tuesday for National Agriculture Day and Agriculture Legislative Day!
Thank you to all the students who came to the Capitol and spent time with us discussing Ag legislation.
CHICAGO BEARS
Reps. Ugaste and Keicher: Bears Deal Must Protect Taxpayers, Not Stick Them with the Bill. The following opinion piece by State Representatives Jeff Keicher and Dan Ugaste appeared in The Illinoize on March 25, 2026.
Recently, the lead negotiator on the Chicago Bears stadium proposal suggested Republicans are trying to have it “both ways,” claiming we oppose the deal while also blaming Democrats for potentially losing the team.
That’s simply not true.
Let’s be clear: we want the Chicago Bears to remain in Illinois. We want a world-class stadium that can attract marquee events like Super Bowls, Final Fours, and national conventions that bring real economic activity to our state. Illinois has already watched too many of those opportunities go elsewhere. This year’s Final Four in Indianapolis is just the latest reminder.
But wanting a stadium and supporting a bad deal are not the same thing.
As currently drafted, this proposal puts additional pressure on Illinois’ already overburdened property tax payers. It allows local taxing bodies to shift relief granted to the Bears onto everyone else. In plain terms, that means homeowners and small businesses could end up paying more to make the deal work.
That is a non-starter.
Large-scale economic development projects should ease the tax burden on surrounding communities, not quietly redistribute it. If a deal requires shifting costs onto already tapped-out taxpayers, it’s not a good deal. It’s a bailout disguised as development.
This moment also exposes a much larger issue: Illinois’ ever-increasing property tax burden. For years, Democrats have responded not with reform, but with task forces and working groups. Meanwhile, property taxes continue to rise.
After decades of control, and supermajorities in the General Assembly for the past seven years, the majority party owns this problem.
Let us be clear: we are open to working with the Democrats. But any solution must address the property tax shift and include simple, common sense reforms that protect all taxpayers. We can start by moving all referendum questions to the November ballot, when voter participation is highest. We must end the use of backdoor referenda that sidestep transparency. We need to have discussions for all taxpayers in Illinois in the public square.
Ultimately, the goal is straightforward: any agreement must protect taxpayers, not stick them with the bill.
Read the rest of the opinion piece here.
EDUCATION
Schmidt, Schweizer Hold Press Conference on Kindergarten Requirement. State Representatives Kevin Schmidt and Brandun Schweizer held a press conference this week, alongside Principal Darla Wall from Annette Officer Elementary School in East St. Louis to discuss their support for a Kindergarten requirement.
HB 4253, filed by Rep. Schmidt and co-sponsored by Rep. Schweizer, would require all students in Illinois to enroll in kindergarten to learn essential skills in reading, writing, and mathematics before entering 1st grade. Currently, Illinois requires public schools to offer Kindergarten programs but does not mandate attendance.
Schmidt says that these early years can set students up for an educational career of success, and all students should be prepared to enter the grade they are going into.
“With my bill, students must have a Kindergarten education prior to entering 1st grade, and they can enter before the age of 6, but must begin Kindergarten no later than age 6,” said Schmidt. “Kindergarten is a crucial stage in education that supports independence, and this bill will strengthen our children’s future through a strong kindergarten experience.”
Schweizer, a sitting member of the Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education Committee echoes Schmidt’s thoughts and reiterated the need for this requirement.
“Early education and intervention are crucial for development,” said Rep. Schweizer. “By age 5, nearly 90% of brain growth has occurred, making Kindergarten a prime point for intervention, when entered by the age of 6. Our nation is facing a literacy crisis, with nearly a quarter of adults being illiterate and nearly 20% of adults facing illiteracy in Illinois alone. By requiring students to attend Kindergarten, we are taking strides to address those gaps.”
Darla Wall, a principal with over 20 years of experience in the classroom encourages everyone to support this legislation.
“In my school district, year-after-year, I see too many young students absent from Kindergarten and missing out on fundamental learning exercises,” said Wall. They are not as prepared as their peers, and their entire educational career can be jeopardized. Kindergarten teaches young children how to work and play with others, while developing basic academics and social skills.”
• 36th Annual Cherry Pie Day: Homeschool Advocates Come to the Capitol
Hundreds of homeschool families came to the Illinois State Capitol this week to advocate for homeschooling and speak to lawmakers about the benefits of this educational pathway. The cherry pies are handed out annually to lawmakers – a sweet tradition celebrating thriving homeschool freedom!
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie had the opportunity to speak to the group at the Illinois State Library. In her remarks, she acknowledged their impressive advocacy and reminded them to stay vigilant in light of poor public policy that came forward last year that threatened to limit homeschool freedom.
“You didn’t just show up last year… you showed what’s possible when people refuse to sit quietly,” said McCombie of the 48,000 voices that stood opposed to HB 2827 last year and stopped it in its tracks.
“Homeschooling works,” said McCombie. “It works because you are invested. It works because it’s focused on the child, not the system. And instead of learning from your success…too many under this dome are still trying to control it.”
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Democracy “Inaction” – Democrats put thumb on House scales. This week was “committee deadline week” in the House, when bills must pass out of House committees with recommendations to be heard on the House floor for discussion and debate. Thousands of bills are introduced in each General Assembly and only a fraction of them get a green light to move forward.
When the House adjourned on Friday, March 27, its committees had reported 500 bills to the Illinois House floor for further discussion and debate. Almost 90% of these 500 bills were sponsored by majority Democrats. Although millions of votes are cast on the Republican side by Illinoisans every election day, only 56 of the 500 bills (11%) were sponsored by Republicans. The is was only one-quarter of the Republican percentage of the vote in the most recent general election for President in November 2024. In this election the victorious Republican candidate, Donald Trump, got more than 2.4 million (43.5% of the total cast) votes in Illinois.
OUTDOOR SPORTS
Spring trout season opens. The Spring 2026 Illinois trout season will open on Saturday, April 4. Possession of a fishing license, plus a trout stamp, is required for almost all anglers who want to cast for trout. Exceptions to the fishing license/trout stamp requirement exist in favor of persons who are younger than age 16, blind, a person with disabilities, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Anglers often head towards one of the lakes and ponds of Illinois that have been stocked with trout. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has posted a list of stocked trout fishing locations.
MARCH MADNESS
University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball Team reaches Elite Eight. In the NCAA 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, UIUC men’s and women’s teams were both invited. With the Western Illinois University (WIU) Women’s Leathernecks, these teams played a series of games that began on Friday, March 20. The WIU women were eliminated last Friday, and the UIUC women’s squad was defeated on Monday.
At the end of this week, the U of I Fighting Illini men’s basketball team had defeated three successive opponents. The Fighting Illini’s “Sweet Sixteen” tournament victory over Houston on Thursday puts them into an “Elite Eight” matchup against their arch-rival Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, March 27.
Governor Pritzker wants to point fingers over the ongoing crisis of illegal immigrants committing crimes in Illinois, but he cannot escape his own record. The Governor attempted to blame Washington for bad immigration policy but under the current administration, border crossings are at their lowest levels in years.
The Governor can blame Washington all he wants, but here in Illinois, he has spent years undermining the very enforcement efforts he now claims are not working.
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Illinois Doesn’t Have a Revenue Problem, It Has a Management Problem. Illinois families are used to hearing the same explanation whenever something goes wrong in state government: we just need more money.
Yet Illinois already has one of the highest overall tax burdens in the country, and state spending continues to grow year after year. This year’s budget again expands spending and government programs.
So if government keeps getting bigger, why do basic services keep getting worse?
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During an interview with Capitol News Illinois last week, Governor Pritzker dismissed state Republicans as “doom grifters” and “carnival barkers,” even suggesting they are rooting for Illinois to fail. The truth is, House Republicans have repeatedly offered real solutions for the challenges facing our state, only to be shut out of the legislative process by the Democratic supermajority.
The governor also made several claims that simply do not hold up to scrutiny. Here are the facts:
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