Illinois Republicans urge veto of Senate Bill 328, file lawsuit to expose Constitutional Violation.
This week, members of the Illinois House and Senate Republican caucuses joined together to call on Gov. Pritzker to veto Senate Bill 328, legislation that would serve only to enrich trial lawyers at the expense of jobs and economic growth. They also filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County court to enforce the Illinois Constitution’s Three Readings Rule, due to the blatant unconstitutional manner the Democratic Majority rammed the special interest proposal through the General Assembly after midnight on the last day of session.
The legislation would overhaul Illinois’ judicial system and allow out-of-state businesses to be sued by out-of-state plaintiffs in Illinois courts for incidents with no connection to the state. A lesser-known provision in the law allows foreign businesses registered in the state to be sued as well. It was passed using a variety of procedural gimmicks to avoid constitutional requirements and public scrutiny.
“We are answering the call of job creators, good government watchdog groups, and most importantly, our constituents, to stand up for transparency and against this job-killing legislation,” House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said. “Governor Pritzker must veto SB 328 and show not only the people of Illinois, but also businesses around the world, we want to put all of our people to work, not just trial lawyers.”
Despite Democrats’ super majorities in both the House and Senate Chambers, major pieces of legislation continue to bypass the constitutionally required Three Readings Rule to avoid due process, transparency, and public engagement. Senate Bill 328 was passed after midnight with a gut-and-replace maneuver that allowed the majority party to avoid proper due process such as committee hearings and public input, violating the Three Readings Rule required in the Illinois State Constitution.
“This special interest proposal was passed by the Democratic Majority using a shady process that clearly violates the substance and spirit of the Illinois Constitution,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove). “I am calling on Gov. Pritzker to join us in standing up for Illinois taxpayers and promote economic investment in our state by vetoing this anti-business legislation.”
Similar legislation has twice been vetoed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and multiple national and state business groups, including the American Tort Reform Association and Illinois Manufacturers Association, have been echoing the Republicans’ call for a veto.
“There was no deadline to pass Senate Bill 328. There was time to follow the Constitution and Democrats chose not to,” said State Representative Travis Weaver (R-Peoria). “It is up to every member of the General Assembly and citizen of Illinois to hold bad actors accountable to a transparent and constitutional process.”
The bill itself was designed to make it easier to file frivolous lawsuits in Illinois, even in situations where the case has nothing to do with the state. Any out-of-state business could be sued in Illinois as long as the company is licensed to operate in the state. The legislation would encourage businesses not to expand to Illinois, while only serving to help those who make their living through lawsuits.
“SB 328 is government at its worst and sends a clear message that Illinois is hostile to job creators and due process,” said State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville). “As someone from Madison County, which is already ranked one of the worst judicial hellholes in the nation, I have seen how this kind of legislation drives out jobs and rewards trial lawyers at the expense of working families. Illinois deserves better than backroom politics and bad policy.”
Republicans call on Gov. Pritzker to veto SB 328, and the lawsuit seeks to keep it from reaching his desk in the first place.
BUDGET
Gov. Pritzker signs $55.2 billion tax-and-spend budget into law. On Monday, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget for the State of Illinois.
The budget passed by Democratic legislators and signed by Gov. Pritzker will spend $55.2 billion, which is nearly $2 billion more than the FY25 enacted budget. State spending has increased by more than $15 billion, a 38% increase, since Pritzker took office in 2019.
Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), who serves as the chief budgeteer for the Illinois House Republican Caucus, criticized Democrats for their out-of-control spending.
“The tax-and-spend budget that Governor Pritzker just approved is completely irresponsible. It’s a $55 billion budget that relies on $1 billion in new taxes and fund sweeps and hundreds of millions of dollars in Road Fund diversions.
“What’s in this budget? Pay raises for politicians. Nearly $250 million in pork projects for Democratic legislators aka the ‘Democratic Majority Slush Fund’ and an additional $100 million slush fund for the Governor.
“This budget continues to provide taxpayer-funded Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors and other handouts to illegal immigrants, at a cost of more than $110 million to Illinois taxpayers.
“Rather than working with Republicans on a responsible budget plan, Democrats once again chose to go it alone. This tax-and-spend budget is a disservice to my constituents and to families across Illinois.”
Deputy House Minority Leader Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) released the following statement:
“The FY 26 state budget package was passed in the middle of the night after Democrats once again conspired behind closed doors. Their process was so opaque, the Democrats presenting the budget bills couldn’t even answer more than a dozen questions. How are the people of Illinois expected to trust that the government is spending their tax dollars wisely when the process is so lacking in transparency that even the sponsors don’t know critical information?
“Our state has been in an uncertain financial position for decades, thanks to years and years of financial malfeasance at the hands of the Democratic majority, who have maintained their artificial majority to operate in the dark thanks to some of the worst gerrymandering in the entire country. So, it doesn’t surprise me that Democrats again violated their own House Rules to ram through the largest spending plan in state history. A plan that robs the road fund and other funds to pay for standard operating expenses, includes billions in pork spending for Democrats, gives legislators a 5% pay rise, diverts funds meant for property tax relief and slaps the people of the state of Illinois with $1 billion in tax hikes.
“This budget doubles down on years of failed economic strategy that has caused our state to fall behind all our neighbors and, worse, sets the table for more tax hikes down the road. The people of the state of Illinois deserve better from their government.”
State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) issued the following statement in response to the Governor signing the FY 2026 state budget. The $55.2 billion budget is the largest in state history.
“The state budget signed by the Governor is once again reliant on one-time revenues and a billion dollars in tax hikes and fund sweeps. We talk about families struggling in this state, and the Democrats continue to raise taxes despite record revenues already. The process to pass the budget was disingenuous at best, with last-minute bills and amendments filed with no time for review or debate. The process included zero transparency, and that is no way to run a state government and do the work for the citizens of Illinois.
“The budget provides zero property tax relief, which will lead to more personal budgets being strained and more families leaving Illinois,” Ugaste continued. “In fact, the budget paused a $43 million property tax grant relief program designed to help school districts with high property tax rates and low real estate values. Still, I have heard from Democrats that this budget reflects their priorities. Priorities? How about the $40 million included for a new sports complex in Speaker Welch’s district? The bottom line? Life continues to get more expensive for Illinois families under Democrats’ control, with little relief in sight.”
CRIMINAL LAW
Another day, another SAFE-T Act failure. This time, a former teacher accused of sexually abusing a student could not be held pre-trial because of provisions in this misguided law.
The judge in the case stated, “While this case is horrific in nature — it’s shocking, it’s appalling, it’s garnering lots of attention — I do believe under the SAFE-T Act I am tied to whether there are any conditions I can set to mitigate the risk she poses to [the boy] right now.”
Read more from the Chicago Sun-Times.
GAMING/TAXES
Placing a smartphone sports wager through one of Illinois’ highest market-share sportsbooks will soon cost an extra 50 cents. The additional fee announced by FanDuel, and its corporate parent Flutter Entertainment, will be imposed on all Tier 1 and Tier 2 sports wagers placed by FanDuel users who are registered within Illinois and who place bets in Illinois. This supplemental fee, which will not be charged by FanDuel upon bettors in any other state, is a direct response to the passage by the Democrats of HB 2755, the partisan “omnibus” Illinois tax increase bill.
In order to raise money for their record $55.2 billion in spending, Illinois Democrats once again raised taxes on a wide variety of goods and services, ranging from moist snuff and nicotine vapes to sports bets. The FanDuel Illinois surcharge is a direct response and pass-through of the tax increases enacted by the Democrats in the final minutes of the Spring session.