Illinois Insights: An update from Cozen O’Connor (8/6)

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE

Pritzker says Illinois remap is possible as DNC chair vows to fight Texas GOP efforts ‘tooth and nail’ 

“Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday opened the door further to a potential mid-decade congressional remap in Illinois, as Texas Democrats continued their Midwestern refuge and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin vowed to fight GOP efforts “tooth and nail,” by the Chicago Sun Times.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul warns Texas politicians that police can’t just come to Illinois to arrest Democrats

“Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a stern warning to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas Republicans who said they will send law enforcement to arrest Democrats who left the state over the GOP redistricting plan,” by CBS News.

RTA warns: Fare hikes are coming, one way or another

“The RTA can’t order the individual transit agencies to raise fares, but it can reject their budgets. To address the looming fiscal cliff, the RTA created a budget committee with members from the three agencies that met publicly for the first time last month. It meets again next week,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Lawmaker ‘all ears’ for transit funding while facing opposition to tax proposals

“An Illinois state senator says he’s “all ears” when it comes to funding public transit, but he insists on $1.5 billion from taxpayers and plans to continue pushing his tax proposals. Regional transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff of at least $760 million in 2026. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said reforms have been negotiated at length and he has put his funding plan forward in House Bill 3438,” by The Center Square.

Billions in profits, millions in unpaid claims: Medicaid insurers leave Illinois providers struggling, patients losing care 

“Small clinics and hospitals are drowning in denied and delayed claims from Illinois Medicaid managed care organizations. To cope, some have stopped accepting Medicaid altogether. Meanwhile, MCOs see increasing profits, but aren’t meeting patient care metrics,” by Capitol News Illinois.

CHICAGO

MORE FROM CITY HALL

Brandon Johnson says city and state finances are at a ‘point of no return’ 

“Mayor Brandon Johnson sounded the alarm today, saying Chicago and Illinois are at the “point of no return” in a quest for new revenue to address structural budget problems, mounting pension debt and funding shortages for transportation and education,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Mayor Says COPA Should Investigate If Police Assisted ICE With Immigration Raid 

“The Mayor’s Office is recommending the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigate when there are allegations police helped federal immigration officers — which could finally spur an investigation into the Police Department’s actions during a controversial June 4 immigration raid in the South Loop,” by Block Club Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson says police, fire pension sweetener will make Chicago finances ‘far more difficult’ 

“Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday acknowledged a controversial pension sweetener for Chicago cops and firefighters signed into law late last week by Gov. JB Pritzker will significantly set back Chicago’s fiscal health but maintained both his and the governor’s hands were tied,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Strong O’Hare, tourism stats show Mayor Johnson is ‘pro-business’ and ‘pro-worker,’ he says 

“Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday cited strong tourism and O’Hare Airport travel numbers to promote himself as “pro-business, pro-growth and pro-worker,” even as he demands that businesses and wealthy Chicagoans ‘put more skin in the game,” by the Chicago Sun Times.

Chicago expands Sustainable Community Schools initiative even as budget worries grow

“At a press conference at the South Shore Cultural Center, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and district and union leaders hailed the program’s expansion, even as they acknowledged significant fiscal challenges that make its sustainability uncertain. The district is gearing up to unveil a 2025-26 budget in the face of a $734 million budget deficit,” by Chalkbeat Chicago.

FEDERAL

Cozen Currents – The Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is searching for a path out of the political wilderness after being locked out of power on the federal level in last year’s elections.

The crypto industry notched its first major legislative victory with the passage of a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins. Now, both industry and lawmakers are turning their attention to the more expansive effort to create a regulatory framework for non-stablecoin digital assets.

Read the Cozen Currents here.

Beltway Briefing – In-Conversation with RealClearMarkets Editor John Tamny

RealClearMarkets editor John Tamny joins host Howard Schweitzer to share his counter-conventional thinking on today’s most pressing economic debates. From fiscal policy to the national debt, Tamny challenges widely held assumptions and urges business and political leaders to think differently. Featuring Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ CEO Howard Schweitzer and RealClearMarkets’ John Tamny.

Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.

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