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Gov. Pritzker signs bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Illinois. On Friday, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation allowing assisted suicide to become law. The legislation, SB 1950, faced significant objections from coroners, medical experts, religious communities, and disability-rights advocates. Throughout debate, concerns were raised about the bill’s lack of guardrails, the exclusion of key stakeholders, and the potential risks it creates for vulnerable families.
In response to today’s bill signing, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement:
“This is an emotional and deeply personal issue for many families, including mine. When my mother passed at home, I know she would have chosen this path to ease our pain, not her own. That’s exactly why strong safeguards matter.
“This bill goes too far without the protections Illinois families deserve. Coroners, who will be responsible for determining causes of death, were never brought into the conversation. Stakeholders raised red flags that were brushed aside. Those gaps pose real and dangerous consequences.
“I opposed this legislation because compassion must be paired with caution. Illinois should have taken a more responsible, inclusive approach before moving forward.”
Representative Bill Hauter, a practicing physician, released the following statement on the signing of Senate Bill 1950, a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois.
“Everything about this bill has been outrageous: from the contempt it shows for the most vulnerable in our society to the shady way in which it was passed in the middle of the night. This bill is bad for Illinois. It tells the disabled, the poor, the terminally ill, those with mental health issues that they are a burden and that they have a duty to die. It is ripe for coercion and abuse by unscrupulous actors.
“Thousands of Illinois physicians represented by the Illinois State Medical Society oppose physician-assisted suicide. Physicians have the primary responsibility to preserve life, to heal and to relieve suffering. Our ancient oath, which has been passed down for generations, has always contained the phrase ‘First do no harm.’ Assisting a patient in killing themselves is fundamentally incompatible with this sacred oath. This bill irrevocably changes the principles, purposes and practices of medicine in Illinois.”
State Representative Regan Deering issued the following release after Governor Pritzker signed SB 1950 into law, legalizing physician-assisted suicide. The new law allows physicians to prescribe self-administered medication that would end the life of terminally ill patients that have a prognosis of 6 months or less to live.
“As a pro-life legislator, I am extremely disappointed in Governor Pritzker’s decision to sign this bill into law which compromises the sanctity of life,” began Rep. Deering. “Aside from my moral objections, it has serious practical problems. Since this medication is self-administered, once it leaves the pharmacy, there is no telling who will have access to the fatal medication. That gravely concerns me, considering the ongoing mental health crisis affecting our communities.”
In addition to issues with who can access the prescription, Rep. Deering raises concerns regarding coercion of the most vulnerable populations and the precedent this new law sets in Illinois.
“I am also worried about how this new law will affect conversations with the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill populations,” continued Rep. Deering. “With the option to prematurely end the lives of our most vulnerable, I worry of an influx of coercion and abuse tactics to get these individuals to take the medication. The safeguards included in the new law simply don’t go far enough and that can lead to a very dangerous and slippery slope.”
State Representative Charlie Meier issued a statement following the Governor’s signing of SB 1950, which legalizes physician-assisted suicide in Illinois.
“I am deeply disappointed in Governor Pritzker’s decision to sign physician-assisted suicide into law today. I am pro-life from beginning to end. Allowing people to be given medicine to end their life raises serious ethical and moral concerns. Given all the work I’ve done for people with disabilities, I worry for those who cannot make decisions for themselves and their ability to access the life-ending drugs. We need to value all life in Illinois, and this new law starts us down a dark path.”
IMMIGRATION
Despite opposition from law enforcement, Pritzker approves expansion of Illinois’ failed sanctuary state policies. During the fall Veto Session, the Democrat supermajority acted against the federal government’s effort to crack down on illegal immigration in Illinois. Democrats passed, and this week Gov. Pritzker signed into law, House Bill 1312 which further expands Illinois’ failed sanctuary state policies.
Due to the Biden Administration’s disastrous open-border policy, there are now 550,000 illegal immigrants living in Illinois. At President Trump’s direction, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, recently conducted an immigration enforcement action know as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Illinois Democrats responded to the DHS/ICE operation with the passage of HB 1312, which expands Illinois’ failed sanctuary state policies by creating Immigration Enforcement-Free Zones in and around courthouses, daycare facilities, hospitals, and college campuses. It allows illegal immigrants to sue police and immigration agents, including allowing immigrants to recover punitive damages from law enforcement and immigration officials.
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie spoke with WGN’s Sean Lewis about recently signed legislation, HB1312, and the unintended consequences the pro-immigration bill will have on law enforcement at the state and federal levels.
“I think it’s going to end up being a bill that puts local law enforcement in a bad position with the feds,” Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie said. “We have a couple folks in law enforcement in our caucus, and they were quick to state the federal government is going to do what the federal government is going to do.
“This really just ties the hands of, again, local law enforcement in assisting and aiding federal law enforcement, when it’s necessary. That’s what we really should be talking about—fixing the TRUST Act so local law enforcement can work with the feds.”
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst says Governor JB Pritzker’s signature on a major expansion of the State of Illinois’ Sanctuary State law (HB 1312) is a mistake that will harm public safety and cost taxpayers more money. Windhorst voted against the legislation during the October 2025 Veto Session.
“This legislation establishes the ability to sue anyone who violates someone else’s Constitutional Rights during immigration enforcement action. While this legislation is largely aimed at ICE agents and law enforcement officers who are trying to do their job in deporting criminal illegal immigrants, it will also mean local and state law enforcement officers can be sued,” Windhorst said. “The Governor has made a regular practice of resisting anything the Trump administration is for. In this case, that means the Governor is standing up once again for the rights of illegal immigrants over the rights and public safety of law-abiding Illinois taxpayers, who have already paid billions of dollars to prop up the Sanctuary State policies of Illinois through premium healthcare, cash payments, and other types of assistance to those who entered the country illegally.”
The legislation will also place new requirements on hospitals, childcare facilities, and higher education institutions on how they work with law enforcement on their premises and restrictions on what information they can share with law enforcement, with potential penalties for those institutions that fail to comply.
Windhorst offered sharp criticism for the process that led to the bill’s passage on the final day of the fall Veto Session, pointing out that Republicans weren’t even given a chance to read the final bill before it was brought for debate and a vote on the House Floor.
“As the House GOP Floor Leader, I asked that we be given at least one hour’s notice to read the bill when the amendment was filed,” Windhorst said. “Disappointingly, but maybe not surprisingly, House Democrats voted to suspend their own rules and passed the bill in the middle of the night, giving the Republicans in the House and the public no time to review the bill’s contents. This is a major expansion of the TRUST Act, or what is better known as our Sanctuary State policies. I maintain my belief that this law is unconstitutional, and that its implementation will hurt morale in our law enforcement community, stifle recruitment, and cause people to retire or choose other professions. I voted NO.”
Read more about the recently signed law here: Gov. JB Pritzker signs bill protecting immigrants from federal enforcement in Illinois.
· Governor Pritzker’s Sanctuary Illinois Released More than 1,700 Criminal Illegal Aliens Including Murderers, Pedophiles, and Kidnappers
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul calling on him to put the safety of Americans first and honor ICE arrest detainers of the more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in the state’s custody including murderers, sexual predators, and those convicted of or charged with weapons offenses.
Illinois' failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. The crimes of these aliens include 5 homicides, 141 assaults, 23 burglaries, 4 robberies, 24 dangerous drugs offenses, 15 weapons offenses, and 10 sexual predatory offenses.
There are currently 4,015 aliens in the custody of an Illinois jurisdiction with an active detainer. The crimes of these aliens include 51 homicides, 1,134 assaults, 107 burglaries, 36 robberies, 275 dangerous drugs offenses, 120 weapons offenses, and 813 sexual predatory offenses.
In September, ICE sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul asking for cooperation in honoring ICE detainers on criminal illegal aliens. His office did not respond.
“Governor Pritzker and his fellow Illinois sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, pedophiles, and kidnappers back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We are calling on Governor Pritzker and his administration to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in Illinois’ custody. It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”
ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD
Deployed ‘Blackhawk Battalion’ guardsmen begin to return home. In February, about 550 unit members from the 2nd “Blackhawk Battalion” of the 130th Infantry Regiment within the Illinois Army National Guard were mobilized for deployment to the U.S. Central Command. Mobilization ceremonies took place on February 8 and February 9. After duty training at Fort Bliss, Texas, they were stationed in seventeen locations throughout the Middle East.
After completing their overseas duty, 265 soldiers of the Battalion returned home for Christmas. They were welcomed back to Illinois on Saturday, December 6. The Illinois Army National Guard reported that the remaining 250 members of the Battalion would come back to Illinois “at a later date.”
The returning soldiers stood as security sentries and carried out base defense operations. Their service duties included duty stations in Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Their vigil included the period of the Twelve-Day War (June 13 – June 24, 2025) between Iran and Israel, a period classified as creating combat conditions.
The 130th Infantry Regiment traces its lineage back to what is now Southern Illinois in 1809. It was first mustered into federal service four years later, and the regimental crest includes a “War of 1812” military blockhouse. The battalion’s nickname, the “Blackhawks,” honors Chief Blackhawk as the regiment’s adversary in 1832. Headquartered in Marion, Illinois, the battalion includes units based in Effingham, Litchfield, and Mt. Vernon.
JOBS
Illinois’ unemployment rate was 4.4% in September. The jobs report, issued by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), showed Illinois’ total number of nonfarm payroll jobs in slight decline in early fall 2025. With 6,162,600 Illinois jobs reported in September, the headcount of paychecks was down 2,200 from the previous month. Two of the chief job sectors of the Illinois economy, Health Services and Government Services, showed declines in September 2025; this dragged down overall Illinois numbers. Key private-sector jobs segments, headed by (a) Trade, Transportation and Utilities, (b) Information, and (c) Leisure and Hospitality, showed small increases during the same month.
For Illinois in September 2025, the unemployment rate was 4.4%. This matched the nationwide unemployment rate, also 4.4% for the same month. Illinois’ jobless rate dropped 0.6% from the 5.0% rate posted in September 2024, one year earlier than the reported month. In their release of these September 2025 numbers, IDES mentioned a delay in reporting them; these numbers usually come out in mid-to-late October. The Department stated that the 43-day-long U.S. federal government shutdown had affected the flow of data needed to produce this jobs-and-joblessness report.
PENSIONS
Special CGFA report shows unfunded liability of more than $144 billion. The report from the General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), summarizes the accounting status of the five State-managed pension funds. As in previous years, the spreadsheet of assets and liabilities shows that these five funds are continuing to operate in a framework of massive liability, with current and future liabilities owed to vested pension members running far ahead of actual and expected future assets. The gap between these two totals, called the “unfunded liability,” was over $144.5 billion as of June 30, 2025.
The five State-managed pension funds cover promised pension benefits to five categories of public-sector employees. In order of size, they are: (i) school teachers and educators, (ii) State workers, (iii) teachers and employees at State universities, (iv) members of the Illinois judiciary, and (v) members of the Illinois General Assembly. While all five of these pension funds are legally separate from each other, they have all been severely underfunded for many years. As “defined benefit” pension funds, these pension systems owe liabilities to vested members that can be projected forward with relative precision. An examination of these five systems, and the demographic profiles of persons with vested status inside them, showed a collective State-managed pension accrued liability of more than $274.9 billion. This was the total expected future cost of the benefits to be paid out to all persons with vested status in these five systems on June 30, 2025.
For a well-managed pension universe, the system or systems would have enough assets already deposited and invested so that the total sum to be enjoyed, comprising current assets plus prudent future investment gains, would also equal $274.9 billion. However, with the State of Illinois systems, when examiners looked at what was already on deposit as of June 30, 2024, plus future earnings, they found less than $130.4 billion. The difference between these two numbers, $144.5 billion, are the “unfunded liabilities” referred to above.
The unfunded liabilities of State of Illinois-managed pension funds are moral obligations of the State and its taxpayers. As such, they weigh upon the State’s credit rating, and multiply the amounts that Illinois taxpayers must pay in interest whenever bonds are sold for essential public purposes such as road repair or State Park reconstruction. The major New York-based credit rating houses have assigned the following credit ratings to Illinois general obligation bonds:
Fitch Ratings A-
Moody’s Investor Svc A2
S&P Global A-
These ratings are a long way from the AAA ratings enjoyed by our neighboring State of Indiana. While Indiana pays low interest rates for its debts and is able to keep its roads and bridges in largely good repair, the prevailing picture in Illinois is of high interest rates and perpetual construction projects, dragged out by shortages of funds and credit.