.png)
Soaring summer electric bills in much of Illinois. Many customers throughout Illinois have seen their electric bills double this summer. Monthly Illinois electricity bills carry prices that are partly set by supply constraints. After many Illinois coal-burning electricity generating plants closed down in recent years, utility suppliers were forced to look to generating plants in other states to buy their electricity. The price of electric power that crosses state lines is not, however, set by Illinois law.
Much of this price is determined by the Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), in which all electric service providers are enrolled. An RTO such as MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), has told electrical distributors such as Ameren Illinois that they will have to pay very high prices for electricity this summer. Illinois law allows utilities to pass these high RTO rates for interstate power directly through to consumer bills whenever part of our power supply crosses state lines. Our state has little choice in this matter because many of our coal plants have shut down, and Illinoisans must pay the interstate rates or face brownouts or blackouts.
In May, House Republicans warned of a coming summer energy cost crisis and offered solutions to expand energy production capacity.
House Republicans sent a letter to the House’s Energy & Environment Committee Chair and Vice Chair explaining the urgent need for hearings into the recent results of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) capacity auction which returned a shocking $666.50 per Megawatt-day price across all zones in the summer. That same price just one year ago was $30.
State Representative Dave Severin serves as the House Republican ranking member and spokesperson on the House Energy & Environment Committee. Severin says Illinois’ energy policies are to blame for the recent huge spikes in energy costs for Illinois utility customers.
“House Republicans are concerned for the financial future of our constituents and our businesses, and for the future security, reliability, and affordability of our energy grid. We need answers. The numbers don’t lie. We don’t have enough energy production capacity,” Severin said. “We have artificially and prematurely stifled our coal, oil, and natural gas industries in Illinois. Summer is coming. Weeks and months of 90-degree weather are coming soon. With that weather, we know big energy price spikes are coming.”
State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer, Republican spokesperson on the House Public Utilities Committee, detailed price, capacity, and reliability consequences that have saddled energy producers and customers since the 2021 passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
“Due to misguided public policy like the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, as well as market factors, Illinois’ power generation capacity has taken a significant hit. CEJA opponents, including myself, warned of rising prices and reduced supply when the law was passed nearly four years ago,” Davidsmeyer said. “Under current law, all electricity in the state of Illinois will be required to come from zero-emission sources and nuclear power by 2045. We have literally tied our hands and turned our backs on abundant Illinois coal.”
House Republicans have bills to roll back CEJA provisions and keep Illinoisans working:
HB 4050 – Restores provisions in the Act regarding greenhouse gases to their form before Public Act 102-662. Repeals a provision defining “clean energy.”
HB 1544 – In a provision regarding greenhouse gases, extends deadlines by 5 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent and copollutant emissions by certain electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units.
HB 1545 – In a provision regarding greenhouse gases, extends deadlines by 10 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent and copollutant emissions by certain electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units.
HB 1546 – In a provision regarding greenhouse gases, extends deadlines by 5 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent and copollutant emissions by certain electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units that use coal as a fuel.
HB 1547 – Extends deadlines for reduced or zero carbon dioxide emissions by 10 years for certain EGUs and large greenhouse gas-emitting units.
AGRICULTURE
Nation’s largest outdoor farm show returns to Illinois next week. The Farm Progress Show is an Illinois/Iowa-based trade show that specializes in farmer-to-farmer demonstrations of agriculture craft and technology. Exhibitors show farm tools, machinery, seeds, chemicals, practices, farm software, trading opportunities, and financing opportunities. The Farm Progress Show will be returning to Decatur on August 26 – 28.
Preparations for the 2025 Farm Progress Show included the sowing of 80 acres of demonstration and exhibit fields. Nearly six hundred exhibitors have signed up to participate in the 2025 Show. The Show is highly attuned to the needs of professional agricultural operators, with many participants oriented towards the sale, sign-up, and education of attendees in financial essentials such as machinery and equipment financing, crop insurance, crop financing, new trends in crop risk management, and new trends in land leasing and enjoyment.
HIGHER EDUCATION
IBHE Announces New Statewide Direct College Admissions Program. This week, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) launched One Click College Admit – a statewide direct admissions program for Illinois public universities and community colleges. Through One Click College Admit, high school seniors and community college transfer students in Illinois will receive college acceptances into the state’s public universities by meeting only one criterion for admission: grade point average (GPA). This new program waives applications, application fees, essays and letters of recommendation for students.
High school seniors can begin getting automatic acceptances to Illinois public colleges and universities through One Click College Admit now for enrollment in the fall of 2026 simply by creating a Common App account and entering basic biographical information and their GPA.
Beginning with the high school class of 2027, students can opt in to the program during their junior year of high school through an online form, ensuring they are eligible to receive direct admission offers during the fall of their senior year. By opting in to the program, parental consent is given for the student’s GPA to be shared with ISAC to match with the GPA admission requirements at partner public universities, which will give the student direct admission offers.
While community colleges operate under an open enrollment model and do not hold GPA requirements for admission, One Click College Admit will make sure high school seniors know that enrolling at their local community college is an option to continue their higher education journey.
Beginning in January 2026, One Click College Admit will also serve community college students. To participate in the program, community college students wishing to receive a direct admission offer to an Illinois public university must complete an online opt-in form. By opting in to the program, consent is given for the student’s GPA and required 30 transferable credit hours to be shared with ISAC to match with the admission requirements at partner public universities to identify the direct admission offers.
Visit the One Click College Admit website for detailed directions on how to participate in the program.
JOBS
Pritzker Delivers Windfall to Trial Lawyers at Expense of Job Creators. While working families across Illinois are tightening their belts, Governor JB Pritzker has made sure one group will not be going without this holiday season: his trial lawyer friends. With the signing of Senate Bill 328, now Public Act 104-0352, the Governor delivered a gift-wrapped windfall to politically connected attorneys at the expense of Illinois businesses, taxpayers, and job seekers.
This novel legislation is a textbook case of judicial overreach. SB 328 allows Illinois courts to assert general personal jurisdiction over out-of-state companies even when the alleged injury did not happen here and has no connection to Illinois. If a business is registered or even briefly transacts business in the state, it is considered to have effectively “consented” to being sued in Illinois for 180 days. That is not justice, rather, a legal trap. Trial lawyers can now drag companies into Illinois courts for toxic tort claims that belong elsewhere, clogging our judicial system with lawsuits that have nothing to do with our state.
The flood of lawsuits this bill will unleash is no accident; it is by design. SB 328 was crafted to benefit the Governor’s allies in the trial bar, who stand to profit handsomely from forum shopping and inflated verdicts. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association praised the bill, while Capitol News Illinois reported that critics, including the Illinois Manufacturers Association, warned it will be bad for business. The cost of doing business in Illinois will rise sharply as companies face new litigation risks simply for operating here. Manufacturers, logistics firms, and small businesses alike will be forced to reassess their presence in Illinois. Unfortunately, many will choose to leave. What is worse—when businesses leave, jobs go with them. SB 328 sends a clear message that Illinois is no longer a safe or predictable state to invest in. The bill’s narrow focus on toxic torts is misleading—the definition of “toxic substances” under Illinois law is so broad it could apply to countless everyday products. That means even routine commercial activity could trigger expansive liability. The result? Fewer jobs, slower growth, and a legal climate that rewards political insiders while punishing working families.
If the Governor truly cared about protecting Illinoisans from environmental harm, he’d strengthen enforcement and regulatory oversight, not rewrite jurisdictional rules to benefit his donors. SB 328 erodes constitutional protections, burdens our courts, and undermines the rule of law. SB 328 is not reform; it is a favor.
House Republicans will continue fighting for a fair, transparent legal system—one that supports economic growth, respects due process, and puts Illinois families first. SB 328 fails on every front. While working families across Illinois are tightening their belts, Governor JB Pritzker has made sure one group will not be going without this holiday season.
John Deere announces layoffs of 167 Illinois workers. The layoffs are taking place at the Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois (115 jobs) and the Seeding and Cylinder plant in Moline (52 jobs). The Illinois jobs cuts are part of a John Deere announcement made on Friday, August 15.
The global manufacturer of farm production machinery stated that decreased farmer demand had led to a comprehensive downturn from dealers from many categories of its equipment line. Deere’s reported third-quarter earnings (2025-3Q) were down sharply. Relatively low prices for corn, beans, and many other cash crops have affected John Deere’s customer base. The 167 additional layoffs announced by John Deere in August 2025 come on top of 1,000 jobs cut at the East Moline Harvester Works since 2023.
PENSIONS
CGFA issues another annual warning about unfunded pension liabilities. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) conducts a series of annual reports on the State of Illinois pension systems. These five pension systems cover the retirement benefits promised to teachers and educators, State employees, State universities’ employees, judges, and members of the Illinois General Assembly. These five separate pension systems are collectively known as the “state retirement systems.”
Under pension economics, each pension system is supposed to have enough stored money on hand that, when invested at a reasonable rate of return, the cumulative total will meet the collective payments to be made to persons who are vested in these five systems after they retire. The expected collective payments are the “accrued liabilities” of the systems, and the expected assets of the systems (including reasonable future returns) are supposed to balance these accrued liabilities. Any excess in accrued liabilities over expected future assets must be totaled and counted as the “unfunded liabilities” of these pension systems.
CGFA’s analysis concluded that as of FY24, the five state pension systems had unfunded liabilities totaling almost $144.3 billion. All five of these pension systems have less than one-half of the assets they should have; their collective funded ratio is 45.8%, and their unfunded ratio is 54.2%. This unfunded liability warning matches previous warnings published by CGFA and other observers in past years. Other entities have used different assumptions for expected future returns and expected future liabilities than does CGFA, and therefore generate different numbers. However, every independent individual, group, or panel that has looked at Illinois’ unfunded liability picture in recent years has concluded their analysis with a red-ink number that is greater than $100 billion.
SENIORS
House Republicans Fighting for Seniors. Older adults contribute immeasurably to our communities in a variety of ways. They raised their families, earned a living whether it be by starting a business or pursuing their dreams in one or more career pathways, coached their kids’ sports teams and volunteered in one or more civic, charitable, or faith-based causes. They donated their time, their income, and their individual talents to lift up and enrich the lives of their neighbors and families. Now, they should be able to afford to enjoy their retirement years in Illinois – close to family and celebrating life’s next milestones in the community they call home.
Illinois House Republicans are working to protect seniors’ financial security, health, and independence. Whether you hail from Chicago, the suburbs, one of our bustling Downstate cities, or beautiful rural Illinois, House Republicans believe state government should make life more affordable for you. We have introduced and sponsored legislation this year that puts seniors first:
• Feed Illinois Seniors (HB 1541)
No one should go hungry, especially seniors on fixed incomes. This bill expands access to nutritious food for older adults across Illinois.
• No Tax on Retirement Income (HR 112)
Retirement income should be off-limits for taxation. House Republicans support ending the “add-on” death tax and protecting seniors’ savings.
• Prescription Drug Affordability Act (HB 1697)
Seniors shouldn’t have to choose between medicine and groceries. This act helps lower the cost of prescription drugs statewide.
• Property Tax Relief (HB 1789 & HB 1746)
Seniors should be able to afford to stay in the home they’ve worked so hard for. These bills would expand property tax exemptions and raise the senior freeze income limit from $65,000 to $80,000 – providing meaningful relief for those on fixed incomes.
House Republicans are fighting for older adults in other ways, too. Legislation backed by State Representative Jeff Keicher to curb an ageist state policy against senior citizen drivers passed the General Assembly this spring and is on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature to become law. House Bill 1226, introduced in partnership with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, raises the age for mandatory road tests for older drivers renewing a driver’s license. The bipartisan effort builds upon a proposal Keicher introduced in 2024 to end the discriminatory practice of requiring behind-the-wheel tests for seniors based on age as the sole factor.
Rep. Keicher is the Chief Co-Sponsor of House Bill 1226, also known as the Road Safety and Fairness Act. The bill raises the age for mandatory driving tests for older drivers renewing their license to age 87 (from the current age of 79) and creates a system for immediate family members to submit a request to the Secretary of State’s Office to review drivers if they have seen cognitive or medical declines that could prevent them from safely operating a vehicle, regardless of age. Reports deemed credible could require the driver to take written, vision and behind-the-wheel tests to keep their license. Once signed into law, the bill will go into effect on July 1, 2026.
“Illinois is the only state in the country that requires driving tests based solely on age, even though data has consistently shown older drivers are actually some of the safest on the road,” said Keicher. “Passing this bill is a long-overdue action to respect our seniors, reduce barriers and annual costs for them to maintain their driving privileges, and see each person as an individual instead of making assumptions about them because of their age.
“I still believe we need to do more so that road tests are determined based on more appropriate factors like driving record and ability to safely operate a vehicle, regardless of age, but this legislation is a critical step forward,” Keicher added.
Meanwhile, State Representative Joe Sosnowski filed legislation this year that would cap the annual increase on seniors’ property tax bill (HB 3723) and a bill that would phase out Illinois’ Estate Tax by the year 2030 (HB 2865), which would particularly help farm families hand their land and assets on to the next generation; instead of forcing their children and grandchildren to sell the family farm just to pay inheritance taxes.
“Seniors in both urban and rural communities should be protected from being taxed out of their homes and out of Illinois,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “We want older adults to stay here and continue leading active lives full of purpose – surrounded by family, friends, and the fruits of the contributions they’ve made to their community. They deserve our respect and a state government that meets their needs.”
DU QUOIN STATE FAIR
Southern Illinois’ State Fair will run through Labor Day. The Du Quoin State Fair kicked off on Friday, August 22, and will end on Monday, September 1. The Southern Illinois-based state fair will feature family-oriented musical performances, rides, and events. The fairgrounds’ historic harness track will feature live harness racing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 25 through August 27, with post times at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, the focus of the Magic Mile will switch over to dirt-track motor sports.
“Veterans Day”, August 24, will have a special welcome for U.S. veterans; Sunday, August 31, will be “First Responder Day”; and “Coal Heritage Day/SIU Day”, August 30, will celebrate the region’s coal mining heritage.