The Biden administration has once again dealt a blow to Illinois-based Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) and similar agricultural companies with the recent announcement of increased quotas of biomass-based diesel fuel. The quotas include how much renewable fuel must be blended into the U.S. gasoline and diesel supplies.

The EPA is now requiring the usage of 2.82 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel, a 2.2 percent increase from last year. For 2024 and 2025, the quotas have been set at 3.04 billon and 3.35 billion. Overall, the EPA is requiring a record amount of renewable fuel to be mixed into gasoline and diesel over the next three years, up to 22.33 billion gallons in 2025. Biomass is a renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals and is generally made from soybean and canola oil.

ENERGY

Lawmakers look to lift the ban on nuclear energy permits. Illinois lawmakers worked to lift the 36-year-old ban on new nuclear energy construction permits this spring, with Senate Bill 76 receiving bipartisan support and headed to the Governor. Since 1987, Illinois has prohibited new nuclear construction. However, Illinois remains a nuclear power with 11 current operating reactors, the most of any state. Illinois is in the top three states with 54 percent of its energy generation being nuclear, while also having the most generating capacity (11.6 gigawatts) of any state.

Illinois residents already face some of the highest taxes in the nation, with the effective state and local tax rate of over 15 percent the highest in the country, based on median household income. And this summer, the grocery tax returns after a one-year hiatus and gasoline taxes are being raised yet again by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Governor.

Inflation and many other economic factors have contributed to the prices of all goods and services rising at rapid rates, and that includes the entertainment industry. Concert ticket prices have surged, with over 3,000 concerts listed for this summer and fall all throughout the state. The average ticket price is $70, and for the ‘big name’ concerts, those prices are well into the hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

As a general rule, consumer fireworks are not legal in Illinois. The Pyrotechnic Use Act, passed in 1942, bans the sale, possession and use of all consumer fireworks. These items are legal to buy in most other states but not in Illinois:

• Firecrackers
• Bottle rockets
• Roman candles

Illinois lawmakers worked to lift the 36-year ban on new nuclear energy construction permits this spring, with Senate Bill 76 receiving bipartisan support and headed to the Governor. Since 1987, Illinois has prohibited new nuclear construction. However, Illinois remains as a nuclear power with 11 current operating reactors, the most of any state. Illinois is in the top three states with 54 percent of its energy generation being nuclear, while also having the most generating capacity (11.6 gigawatts) of any state.

Small businesses in Illinois face numerous financial challenges, including having to pay an annual franchise tax. The franchise tax is actually three separate taxes, all based on paid-in capital. Paid-in capital is the money investors pay in return for their shares of stock. The paid-in capital is neither revenue nor net worth, it is the equity capital used to build a business.

Malicious actors are people who attempt to access a person’s mobile device or personal information for their own gain. Oftentimes, malicious actors set up ‘honeypots’ or traps that get a user to perform an action that will give the actor greater access to that user's devices and accounts. Many people think that their phones will be able to stop all attacks, or that these tactics would never be used on them. Unfortunately, they are far more common than expected and can compromise serious information about a person’s accounts, information, and life.

House Republicans have made continuous efforts to reduce or eliminate the burdensome ‘Estate Tax,’ known also as the ‘Death Tax,’ with more than a half-dozen bills introduced in the spring 2023 legislative session. And despite Gov. JB Pritzker stating that reducing the estate tax was one of his ‘shared priorities,’ Democrats’ inaction left out any action on all of the bills before final adjournment in May.

Reps. Hauter and Jacobs bring invaluable expertise to legislature

The only two physicians currently serving in the Illinois House are both Republicans, and they bring forth different areas of expertise along with vast knowledge of important issues that affect all Illinois residents due to their medical backgrounds.

Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) was first elected to the House in 2020 to represent the 115th District. After redistricting, he now serves the 118th District in the far southwestern portion of the state. Jacobs is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and for the last 43 years has practiced optometry in several communities throughout southern Illinois. He and his wife, Rhoda, operated a successful winery in rural Jackson County for 27 years.

BUDGET

New ‘balanced’ budget includes more tax increases, expiration of election-year tax relief. The recently passed and signed Fiscal Year 2024 State Budget, which takes effect July 1, contains more tax increases, along with the expiration of the one-year sales tax holiday for groceries and the non-renewal of the back-to-school sales tax holiday. These developments were due in large part to new spending pressures for undocumented immigrants’ health care and were supported by Democrats.

Today, a federal jury convicted the politically connected businessman James Weiss of attempting to pay off two state legislators to pass a bill beneficial to his sweepstakes gaming company and then lying about it to the FBI.

Weiss is the son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor and Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, Joe Berrios. He is married to former State Representative Toni Berrios,

Weiss’ attorney Ilia Usharovich defended his client telling the jury in his closing remarks: “This is a dirty place (the Illinois General Assembly) where the rules seem to be gray, where a contribution can be considered a bribe, a bribe a contribution... It is all messed up.”

Read the entire story in the Chicago Tribune. 

The recently passed and signed Fiscal Year 2024 State Budget, which takes effect July 1, contains more tax increases, along with the expiration of the one-year sales tax holiday for groceries and the non-renewal of the back-to-school sales tax holiday. These developments were due in large part to new spending pressures for undocumented immigrants’ health care and were supported by Democrats.

One way for lawmakers to get what they want without having to be responsible to voters is to abdicate their Constitutional authority to the governor. What a great scheme: Give the governor the power to spend taxpayers’ money without legislative oversight and legislators won’t have to take responsibility with the voters.

Under the state Constitution, the governor introduces the budget and the legislature appropriates the funds. It’s a checks-and-balance system among equal branches of government. Over the years, when there were hard budget decisions to be made, the Democratic-controlled legislature has increasingly handed over more and more of its appropriations authority to the governor. The outcome of this “wink and nod” system is reduced transparency and accountability in our state government. 

Biometrics is a term you may have seen, but what does it mean? Biometrics are measurements related to a person’s unique physical characteristics, including but not limited to fingerprints, palmprints, voiceprints, facial, retinal and iris measurements. A person’s biometric data, which includes their specific measurements, can be used as unique identifiers of that person. And a person only gets one set of biometrics, as even if you change your social security number, e-mail password or credit card number, you can’t change your biometrics. Once the information is out there, it’s there.

BUDGET
Pritzker signs unbalanced FY24 Illinois State Budget. Earlier this week, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Democrat-crafted budget into law. The more than $50 billion budget is one of the largest spending packages in Illinois history. It includes a 5% pay increase for lawmakers, on top of the 16% hike they received in January. It also includes $550 million to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants, which is expected to grow to $1.1 billion by year’s end. Not included is relief for Illinois taxpayers as Democrats siphon off money intended for local governments and reinstate sales taxes on groceries, medicine, and gas to pay for the new programs and legislator pay raises.

The trial for allegedly corrupt businessman Jimmy Weiss began this week in Chicago, and it is yet another example of the rampant corrupt pay-to-play politics that has existed in state government circles in Illinois for decades. Weiss, who is married to former Democratic state Rep. Toni Berrios, stands accused of bribing two Democratic lawmakers in an effort to boost his electronic sweepstakes business.

Yesterday, the Illinois Governor signed the Democrat-crafted budget into law. The more than $50 billion budget contains one of the largest spending packages in Illinois history. It includes a 5% pay increase for lawmakers, on top of the 16% hike they received in January. It also includes $550 million to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants, which is expected to grow to $1.1 billion by year's end. Not included is relief for Illinois taxpayers as Democrats siphon off money intended for local governments and reinstates sales tax on groceries, medicine and gas to pay for the new programs and legislator pay raises.

During the final week of the Spring Session of the Illinois Illinois General Assembly, House Republicans, led by House GOP Floor Leader Patrick Windhorst and State Representative Dan Ugaste, vigorously opposed legislation that would prevent Illinois citizens from filing lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of laws or executive orders issued by the Governor in any county besides Sangamon or Cook County. The Representatives are both licensed attorneys and fought hard against HB 3062 during House Floor debate on the legislation.