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Veto Session Begins Next Week. On October 14, 2025, the Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield after the summer adjournment period comes to an end.
The annual Veto Session, for decades, was used by lawmakers to consider voting to override vetoes leveled by the governor on bills that were passed during the previous spring Session. In recent years, the Veto Session has been used by Democrats to ram through tax increases, erode Second Amendment Rights, and pass new legislation unrelated to veto action. Governor Pritzker has vetoed very few bills in recent years, as Democrats hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate, and rarely pass legislation that would see the governor exercise his veto authority.
This year’s Veto Session is likely to see Democrats work to move on an “omnibus” energy package that is guaranteed to raise already sky-high electricity prices. A looming mass-transit “fiscal cliff” may be addressed through the implementation of any of a number or a combination of unpopular and costly tax increases like a $1.50 per-delivery tax hike on items like Amazon purchases and food delivery or new sales taxes on any of a number of a wide variety of services, such as lawn care, plumbing, home maintenance, and more.
Unfortunately, the Veto Session is also often a time when fresh legislation, that really has no place being considered during the annual gathering of lawmakers, is rushed through the process.
Illinois citizens would be smart to stay tuned closely to the actions of the General Assembly. The first day of the fall Veto Session is Tuesday, October 14, lasting through Thursday, October 16. The second week of the Veto Session begins on Tuesday, October 28, and concludes on Thursday, October 30.
Interested citizens can follow all the action by visiting ilga.gov/House/AudioVideo.
CORRUPTION
Madigan to report to federal prison next week. After former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan was convicted in February 2025 on a series of federal corruption charges, a series of sentencing-phase presentations and hearings culminated in his June 2025 sentencing to serve 7.5 years in federal prison. The sentencing federal judge stated that this was an appropriate term for him to spend behind bars, one that was firmly based upon the pattern of bribery and corrupt conduct – as displayed in evidence presented to a jury in a court of law – shown by the onetime power broker and by members of his political inner circle.
Mr. Madigan has been ordered to report to federal prison no later than Monday, October 13. Seeking to remain free during his criminal appeal, the longtime head of the Illinois Democratic Party and his counsel filed papers in a federal appeals court to stay enforcement of his imprisonment deadline. However, in an appellate order filed on Friday, October 3, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected this plea.
BUDGET
Illinois says it's already facing a $267 million budget shortfall. Just a few months into the new fiscal year, the state of Illinois already has bad budget news.
It expects a $267 million deficit for the fiscal year that ends June 30, in large part because of tax cuts passed by Congress.
The new forecast puts additional pressure on already shaky state finances. Legislators scrambled to balance this year’s $55.1 billion budget with tax-law changes and one-time funding sources. Gov. JB Pritzker already has told state agency leaders to look for ways to hold back spending by 4%.
The Governor’s Office of Management & Budget now forecasts the state’s largest revenue sources — income tax and sales tax — to be $827 million lower this year than previously expected. But that shortfall is offset by other revenue, winnowing the deficit to $267 million.
Read more from Crain’s Chicago Business.
CRIME
Governor Pritzker Thinks Crime is Something to Laugh About. On Thursday night, Governor JB Pritzker joined late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel to mock the very real crime crisis facing Chicago.
In another tone-deaf display, Governor Pritzker took to the streets with Kimmel and made light of the violence that families across Chicago face every day.
If the Governor stepped outside the Loop, he would see that Chicago is still suffering from a violent crime epidemic. When the bar has been set so low for so long, even the smallest dip in crime gets spun as progress.
The facts tell a different story:
o Over Labor Day weekend this year, nearly 60 people were shot, eight fatally.
o Just this past weekend, 25 more people were shot, five fatally.
o For the thirteenth straight year, Chicago has had the most homicides of any U.S. city.
Even Democratic leaders have acknowledged the problem. One alderman recently admitted that Chicago has a serious crime issue.
While Governor Pritzker spends his time making appearances with TV hosts who mock the deaths of Republicans, House Republicans are focused on solutions. State Representative John Cabello, a retired Rockford police detective, has filed HB 1028 to repeal Governor Pritzker’s SAFE-T Act.
“While violent crime continues to plague our cities, Pritzker and his Democrat allies have tied the hands of police, weakened accountability, and opened the door to complete chaos,” Cabello said.
Illinois House Republicans will continue working to make communities across the state safer, even as the Governor treats serious issues like a punchline.
EDUCATION
Expanding Educational Opportunity for All Illinois Students. Education is the single greatest lever we have for hope. But in Illinois today, families who want a better fit for their children’s schooling face needless barriers. A new federal law has handed us a chance to expand educational opportunities in Illinois, if Governor Pritzker has the courage to act.
In 2025, Congress passed what’s formally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). Within that bill is the Educational Choice for Children provision, a federal tax credit allowing individuals to receive a dollar-for-dollar credit (up to $1,700) on their federal taxes when they donate to state-approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Those SGOs in turn can allocate scholarship funds for qualifying education expenses: tuition, fees, tutoring, special needs services, books, transportation, technology, and more.
The state must opt-in by January 1 of each year (beginning 2027) and must submit and publish a list of SGOs it approves. Only in states where that opt-in occurs can residents’ donations be routed to benefit children. If Illinois does not opt-in, donations by Illinois taxpayers must go to SGOs in states that opted in, and those funds would benefit students elsewhere.
Eligibility for scholarships is available to students whose family income is up to 300% of the area median income. That opens the door to a very large portion of Illinois households.
Illinois is not starting from zero. For years we had the Invest in Kids Act, a state-level tax-credit scholarship program that, at its peak, served tens of thousands of students. But lawmakers let it expire in 2023.
That expiration left Illinois among a shrinking group of states without any meaningful private-school choice or scholarship program. A recent report describes Illinois as “among the few states to offer no private school choice scholarships” after letting the prior program lapse.
Meanwhile, neighboring states are gaining ground in choice and educational flexibility. Illinois risks falling further behind unless the Governor acts.
Let’s be clear about the consequences:
o If Illinois fails to opt-in, our taxpayers’ donations will skip over Illinois children to benefit kids in opt-in states.
o Illinois children will lack access to new scholarship funds made available as a result of federal law.
o Illinois’ competitiveness in retaining and attracting families may suffer.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie has filed HB 4099, the Education Choice for Children Act. The bill would amend the School Code to authorize and direct the State Board of Education to opt the state of Illinois into the federal tax credit provisions by certifying and submitting a list of SGOs annually, and require publication of that list by January 1, 2027.
HB 4099’s findings cite the 2024 NAEP results: 62% of Illinois 4th graders were below proficient in math, 70% below proficient in reading; likewise large shares of 8th graders lagging.
HB 4099 also highlights that over 40,940 scholarships were awarded under the now-expired Invest in Kids program (per Illinois Department of Revenue). The bill warns that failing to opt-in would place Illinois at a disadvantage relative to states likely to adopt federal choice provisions.
So far, the governor has given signals of opposition or skepticism. In recent comments, Gov. JB Pritzker called the federal program a “major setback for students across the nation.”
Now is the time for clarity: Governor Pritzker must decide whether to step in and allow this path of opportunity or to stand aside while other states reap the benefits.
Critics will argue that choice drains resources from public schools or lacks accountability, but the design of HB 4099 and federal law includes built-in guardrails:
o SGOs must spend at least 90% of contributions on scholarships, and limit administrative costs.
o SGOs must verify income eligibility and report annually on recipients.
o The state board has authority to certify SGOs and can set rules for documentation and eligibility.
o Because participation is voluntary and revisited annually, Illinois retains flexibility.
It’s also worth noting that the federal law does not cap total credits or limit participation heavily. That introduces uncertainty in scale and cost.
For lawmakers and parent advocates, the path is clear. Push HB 4099, build awareness, and demand the governor to make the opt-in decision. Illinois cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while other states capture resources, innovation, and momentum in education. We have a chance to restore and expand choice.
Governor Pritzker, the question is before you: will Illinois accept this invitation to create more pathways for children, or let families in this state lose this tremendous opportunity to expand educational opportunities?
IMMIGRATION
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, rest of state. A federal judge in Chicago on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to the city and state as part of its ongoing immigration enforcement push, saying she had no faith in the government’s claims of out-of-control violence and that it was federal agents who started it by aggressively targeting protesters with tear gas and militaristic tactics.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry is the latest setback for President Donald Trump, who has claimed ongoing violence and clashes between protesters and immigration agents in Chicago and other U.S. cities justified sending federalized troops onto the streets as a security force, even as local and state officials accused the president of manufacturing a crisis to justify unnecessary — and unprecedented — force.
The temporary restraining order issued by Perry, which took effect immediately, bars the president from deploying federalized National Guard troops from any state to any location in Illinois. A written ruling would be issued Friday, she said.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune.
Governor Pritzker Preaches Unity, Practices Division
At a press conference last week, Governor Pritzker tried to blame Republicans for inflaming rhetoric, while refusing to take responsibility for his own divisive record.
“Governor Pritzker’s words have only deepened tensions here at home,” said House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. “Just last week he called ICE agents ‘jackbooted thugs,’ urged Illinoisans to ‘fight it with everything we have,’ and told them to ‘ask for badge numbers and record everything.’ These remarks don’t calm the waters, they pour gasoline on the fire.”
When it comes to toning down the rhetoric, Governor Pritzker should start by looking in the mirror. His record speaks for itself:
o March 2025: “What we really need is to become street fighters.”
o April 2025: “Donald Trump is okay if people in Chicago die.”
o April 2025: “These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
o April 2025: “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption — but I am now.”
And when confronted about comparing Republicans to Nazis, the Governor tried to rewrite history. But again, his own words tell the truth:
o February 2025: “Everything he has done has been tearing down constitutional democracy — and that’s what happened in Nazi Germany.”
o February 2025: “We’re talking about the death of a constitutional republic. That’s what happened in Germany in 1933 and 1934.”
o August 2025: “The Nazis in Germany in the ’30s tore down a constitutional republic in just 53 days. It does not take much, and we have a President who seems hell-bent on doing just that.”
Even more troubling, Pritzker has encouraged bystanders to confront federal law enforcement during operations last month, calls that have coincided with days of chaos at an ICE facility in Broadview, where demonstrators blocked cars, launched fireworks at officers, and were arrested with firearms in their possession.
Governor Pritzker continues to preach unity but practice division. If he’s serious about lowering the temperature, he should stop pointing fingers and start holding himself accountable.