Illinois Insights: An update from Cozen O’Connor (5/19)

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE

As IL GOP slams possible tax hikes, Pritzker says ‘funding is there’ for budget 

“When legislators return to the Illinois State Capitol Tuesday, they’ll have just 11 days before the deadline to pass an annual plan on how to spend taxpayers’ money. Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed his budget of nearly $55 billion in February. If approved, that’d be the most expensive spending plan in state history,” by The Center Square.

Speaker removes Democratic Rep. Fred Crespo from committee chairmanship for ‘not communicating’ 

“House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch made the extraordinary move of removing an appropriations committee chair on Wednesday with two weeks left in the legislative session and a tightening fiscal landscape,” by Capitol News Illinois.

Illinois considers lowering scores students need to be proficient

“Illinois education officials are considering lowering the scores students need to get to be classified as proficient in a subject on a state standardized test. They say the current benchmarks are too high and the results often don’t accurately reflect whether high school students are college and career ready,” by Chalkbeat.

Federal DEI crackdown threatens Illinois graduate student scholarship program 

“The Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives threatens an Illinois program that provides scholarships to minority graduate students who agree to stay in the state and work in the education field,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois lawmakers weigh funding asks as budget comes up short 

“State lawmakers are trying to balance the 2026 budget, weighing the tough decisions of what to prioritize when there’s less money to dole out,” by Axios Chicago.

Illinois state government headcount rises 

“The number of state workers has risen to the highest level since 2008. The Department of Central Management Services says the total headcount is now 55,340. That’s compared to 50,544 in 2019 — about a 9.5% increase,” by NPR Illinois.

CHICAGO

MORE FROM CITY HALL

Justice Department investigating Mayor Brandon Johnson for alleged racially motivated hiring

“The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into Mayor Brandon Johnson Monday over allegations of race-based discrimination, citing his recent remarks at a Woodlawn church in which he emphasized how many Black people he’s hired in his administration,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Brandon Johnson’s budget group begins work on $1B shortfall 

“A budget working group led by Loop Capital founder Jim Reynolds will begin work this weekend on the herculean task of finding the right mix of spending cuts and tax increases to garner the political will necessary for Chicago to tackle a projected $1 billion budget shortfall,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Member of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget group out amid Israeli hostage poster backlash 

“Ishan Daya, a former candidate for 32nd Ward Democratic committeeman, was one of about 20 Chicagoans who agreed to join a mayoral task force to brainstorm fiscal and revenue solutions ahead of what is sure to be a tough city budget season for 2026, per a Friday announcement. But later in the afternoon, he announced he won’t be participating,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Battles ahead in Brandon Johnson’s ‘cut the tape’ initiative

“Mayor Brandon Johnson and city officials brought out the ceremonially oversized scissors today at an event celebrating the one-year anniversary of his Cut the Tape initiative, but much of the heavy lifting is still to come,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s team defended failed property tax hike plan to investors

“Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration stressed his attempts to increase property taxes in his 2025 budget in a presentation to city investors this week, his team told reporters Friday,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Safety reforms could be coming for Chicagoland transit, but funding still up in the air

“With just over two weeks to go before their spring adjournment, lawmakers in Springfield are facing a tight deadline to pass major reforms to Chicagoland’s transit system — but officials have released few concrete details of the plan they say is taking shape,” by Capitol News Illinois.

FEDERAL

Cozen Currents – The Shifting State(s) of Regulation

Amid President Trump’s deregulatory agenda and congressional inaction on tech issues, states are stepping into the void.

States are moving quickly to fill the regulatory void left by the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but a number of regulatory gaps are poised to remain in place.

Both the Trump administration and the states are competing to open the floodgates for autonomous vehicles, colloquially known as self-driving cars, to hit the roads.

Read the Cozen Currents here.

Beltway Briefing – Middle East Deals, Reconciliation, and Birthright Citizenship

As Republicans continue negotiations to finalize the reconciliation package and the Supreme Court takes up oral arguments on birthright citizenship, Trump heads to the Middle East to pursue a series of economic deals—from AI chips to a Qatari jet. Meanwhile, Biden launches a media blitz to repair his image. Featuring Public Strategies’ Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Meagan Foster.

Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.

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