Illinois Insights: An update from Cozen O’Connor (4/9)

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE

Pritzker signs Illinois trade agreement with the United Kingdom 

“Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a trade agreement with the United Kingdom, in addition to an agreement with the State of Mexico signed last week, in an effort to strengthen economic ties with global trading partners,” by MyStateline.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million in campaign cash, election authorities say 

“Illinois Democratic Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million more in political contributions than allowed under campaign donation laws he championed years ago, according to the State Board of Elections,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Lawmakers seek ways to prevent data centers from straining Illinois’ power grids 

“Illinois has been at the forefront of the data center boom, but state lawmakers are working to gauge and mitigate the impact these centers have on climate and energy consumption,” by Capitol News Illinois.

Illinois teachers unions are pushing changes to the state’s pension system this spring 

“Teachers unions, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Illinois Education Association, alongside other public sector employee unions are advocating for state lawmakers to make a change to retirement benefits for newer educators,” by Chalkbeat Chicago.

House approves new abortion protection, plan to ease college admissions 

“The Illinois House took its first step Monday in passing legislation responding to proposed actions by the Trump administration,” by Capitol News Illinois.

CHICAGO

MORE FROM CITY HALL

Mayor Brandon Johnson sounds alarm on Chicago city budget, but critics say he’s late to the game 

“Mayor Brandon Johnson is looking down the financial road from City Hall, and sounding an alarm of sorts for members of the Chicago City Council. From the city’s own looming budget deficit to instability on Wall Street and in Washington, it’s setting up to be a challenging budget year in 2026,” by CBS Chicago.

City Council targets predatory towing companies that still ‘run rampant’ in Chicago 

“Four years after the city implemented a licensing system for tow truck operators, Ald. Gilbert Villegas wants to allow police to impound tow companies that troll for crash scenes and hold vehicles hostage,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Vendor responses cool to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request they volunteer to accept less 

“The city of Chicago’s request to vendors to accept 3% cuts to their contracts to help balance the city’s books has fallen far short of its goal while yielding a handful of incredulous and scathing responses, according to emails,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Public Schools starts work on its capital budget as $3 billion in ‘critical’ repairs loom

“If Chicago Public Schools were to tackle all the building repairs and upgrade projects on its list, that would cost $14.4 billion. Just the ones the district considers “critical”? About $3 billion,” by Chalkbeat Chicago.

Cook County to expand guaranteed income after end of taxpayer-funded pilot 

“Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the formation of a committee to guide the next phase of guaranteed income after saying the county’s pilot program was successful,” by The Center Square.

Cook County Board to consider $1,000 payments to help homeowners pay property taxes 

“Cook County is considering offering one-time payments of $1,000 to residents who have had the biggest hikes in their property tax bills. The county has budgeted $15 million for the program this year, which would benefit about 13,600 people. The county estimates that about 112,000 households are eligible,” by WBEZ Chicago.

FEDERAL

Cozen Currents – Trump’s Goes All In on Tariffs

President Trump has sought to reverse what he perceives as decades of unfair treatment of the US by its trading partners with his sweeping reciprocal tariffs, roiling financial markets, and sparking economic concern and calls for relief. However, immediate reversals seem doubtful despite the president’s openness to negotiations.

Senate Republicans passed a budget resolution last week that procedurally advances the GOP’s top legislative priority of extending (and expanding) Trump’s tax cuts, but it relies on controversial accounting and leaves many substantive issues unresolved.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is evangelizing his Make America Healthy Again movement with significant implications for the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Read the Cozen Currents here.

Beltway Briefing – US Tariffs Spark Global Backlash, Economic Uncertainty

Trump’s tariff announcement disrupted global markets, catching international leaders and the business community off guard and fueling economic anxiety. Why the surprise? How can they still engage the administration productively? The news of the tariffs, along with elections in Wisconsin and Florida and Senator Booker’s marathon speech, gave Democrats a chance to show momentum. Did they present a fresh vision or fall back on the usual anti-Trump narrative? Featuring Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Patrick Martin.

Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.

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