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Federal law blocks the state of Illinois from prohibiting both banks from outside Illinois and payment card servicers, like Visa and Mastercard, from charging so-called "swipe fees" on sales taxes that are charged or gratuities added on when customers use a credit or debit card to make a purchase, a federal judge has ruled.
Some bad proposals were weeded out of the budget package. The Local Government Distributive Fund, which Gov. JB Pritzker proposed cutting by $60 million, was left alone. Individual income tax revenues shared with localities will remain at the current 6.47 percent rather than being trimmed down to 6.23 percent and putting upward pressure on property taxes.
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch believes the legislature will tackle the stadium question “sooner than later,” but not in a special session. But in a statement released minutes later, the Bears said they have no plans to adjust their timeline for deciding on a future home.
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U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall in February ruled that the law could take effect, based largely on her interpretation of administrative rules written by the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an independent subsection of the U.S. Treasury. But the OCC, in a pair of April filings, rewrote the language at question and issued an order specifically preempting Illinois’ law.
State residents paid an average of $8,339 per capita in FY2023, $1,301 (18.5 percent) over the national average, data from the Tax Foundation show.
Jim Dey: "With just two of the Big 3 in positive growth territory for the fiscal year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislators have to be nervous about next year’s revenues. That’s one reason why they raised taxes by $800 million and ordered a series of fund sweeps before finalizing the $55.9 billion state budget that takes effect July 1."
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said, among other things, "... Taxing the rich is very important to me. … To those who much is given, much is required. And I fought very hard for a surcharge tax on millionaires to go on our November ballot. It came up just short in the House. The Senate president and I agreed to keep talking this summer and find ways to come to an agreement on that language that we can probably look at in 2028.”
During floor debate at the Illinois Capitol last weekend, state Sen. Jason Plummer said House Bill 5093 would drive up the tuition costs for Illinois families. State Sen. Celina Villanueva, revenue committee chair, responded, “Senator, I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from, but I can tell you that based off of my conversations with universities, the cost is going to be negligible."
According to the state law, the Illinois State Board of Education will distribute property tax relief grants to applicant school districts based on which districts have the “highest adjusted operating tax rate.” ISBE will still be required to publish a list of school districts around the state that will qualify for the funds.
More students could qualify for in-state tuition at Illinois colleges and universities under a bill that will soon be sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. House Bill 5093 would loosen one of the requirements for paying in-state tuition by making it available to students who attended Illinois high schools for at least three years, even if they established residency outside the state before enrolling.
Illinois has added a net of only 9,400 private-sector jobs since JB Pritzker became governor in January 2019. A net 36,600 jobs have been added in state and local government in that time. That total of 46,000 is an increase of only 0.75%, ranking Illinois 44th in the country since Pritzker took over and the lowest growth rate among the 20 largest state job markets.
Federal grants to Illinois increased 75% from 2019 to 2024, the 8th highest percentage growth in the nation.
While most of Pritzker’s legislative housing package failed to make it out of the General Assembly, lawmakers did pass the governor’s proposal for about $250 million in capital funding related to housing, which will go to a mix of local infrastructure, middle and affordable housing financing and down payment assistance programs, some of it through programs previously on the books.
“We are continually picking fights with the federal government,” said Republican House Floor Leader Rep. Patrick Windhorst. Failing to “work together with the federal government to resolve the issues, particularly related to immigration and enforcement of our laws, has resulted in huge problems in our state.”
Banking associations have sued the state to fight the law. A federal judge upheld parts of the law in February, but the plaintiffs appealed. Plaintiffs include the Illinois Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, America’s Credit Unions and the Illinois Credit Union League. Last month, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals sent the case back to a lower court.
Under the bill, massage therapists convicted of crimes including prostitution, rape, sexual misconduct, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, battery of a patient, and any crime that subjects the a licensee to comply with the Sexual Offender Registration Act will have their massage therapy license revoked immediately. In the past, it has taken months to get licenses revoked.
“I warned that there would be truly unprecedented challenges because Donald Trump and the Republican Congress are costing the state over $8 billion,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “It's hurting families and businesses alike and that puts a greater burden on our state budget.”
State lawmakers failed to reform the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion this legislative session despite bipartisan criticism of its performance and calls to disband it. Moreover, the seven highly paid commissioners who lead it are getting raises of about $5,000 apiece, and their requested $5.6 million budget was approved.
As for the megaprojects tool nixed by the Senate: “We still need that, by the way,” Gov. JB Pritzker said, reiterating his charge that Illinois is “behind the curve” given how 38 other states have a statewide mechanism for large developers to negotiate property taxes. “It’s just in Illinois where we have had a disorganized, dysfunctional endeavor forever, and now we’re trying to organize it and make it work, so that businesses will want to come.”
The first act of the board was to buoy CTA, Metra and Pace with a quarter-percent sales tax increase.
According to the governor's office, a "back-to-school sales tax holiday" will return to Illinois Aug. 7-16 During that time, families shopping for school supplies, clothing, computers and other necessities "will not pay sales tax," at all the release said. Also included in Illinois' FY2027 budget was a six-month pause on the state's gas tax, starting July 1.
State Rep. Brad Halbrook, a member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus, said the General Assembly goes back to the same failed playbook year after year: “Spend beyond our means, refuse to tell Gov. Pritzker 'no' and create yet another budget problem, then turn around and demand taxpayers bail Springfield out once again."
Rep. Bill Hauter, a physician, called the bill “unworkable and unnecessary” during final House floor debate on Sunday. “This bill fundamentally misinterprets and mischaracterizes what the medical record is for — a private, protected communication between healthcare professionals to take care of patients,” he said.
Rideshare drivers say a union is necessary because under federal law, they’re defined as independent contractors, despite having little control over work practices while working for companies like Uber and Lyft. That makes a statewide union their only option to collectively bargain and form a labor agreement, they say.
In addition to the increase in EBF money, the budget includes increases in certain categories of transportation costs and other kinds of “mandated categorical” spending. It also nearly triples funding, to $26 million, to help fund free breakfast and lunch programs.
"Illinois lawmakers will say they gave drivers a break, but the planned suspension of an increase in the gas tax is far outweighed by a plan to use $150 million in additional sales tax revenue from high gas prices to cover the state’s budget shortfall."
Researcher Kasia Tarczynska said while Illinois does disclose some information, it doesn’t include annual incentives for local facilities. In states that do provide this information, she said revenue losses are soaring, with three states already losing $1 billion or more per year.
Illinois would ban social media companies from using addictive algorithms for youth, stop on-platform location sharing and prohibit scam financial transactions with strangers online.
Top Chicago Stories
The $21 million program is funded by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond that was approved by the City Council in 2024. A spokesman said it’s a one-time funding effort for HomeGrown, but the city may revisit the program if it proves successful.
"No civilized society can tolerate the incarceration of truly innocent persons for crimes they did not commit. Nonetheless, the opposite concern is equally serious: When courts vacate murder convictions and release defendants convicted of brutal killings, victims’ families and the public deserve confidence these decisions were reached only after rigorous, individualized investigations grounded in evidence — not through blanket assumptions, political expedience, or informal understandings reached behind closed doors."
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"Beyond the neighbouring public housing, you can also see a clutch of new luxury apartment towers that have shot up in the last decade – a result of the Obama gentrification effect that local residents accurately feared the new centre would bring. ... Just like his presidency, the Obama campus was no doubt conceived with the best of intentions. And, as with his time in office, the impact of this mighty stone monument to hope looks set to be equally mixed."
This will be Mendoza's second run for the fifth floor of City Hall. She also ran in 2019, entering the race a couple of months after Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced he was not seeking a third term. At the time, Mendoza had just been re-elected as state comptroller. She came in fifth in a wide field.
"Mayor Brandon Johnson came to this office with something genuinely rare — authentic credibility in the communities most affected by this crisis. That connection is real, which makes the gap between his instincts and his execution all the more frustrating. ... The snap curfew veto had defensible grounds. But a veto without an alternative is a position, not a solution."
The accused killer of a Chicago police officer was ordered back into custody Tuesday in a separate carjacking case, after the same judge came under fire for releasing the seven-time convicted felon on electronic monitoring before the alleged murder. Authorities said Alphanso Talley was unaccounted for in the electronic monitoring system when he allegedly gunned down Officer John Bartholomew, 28, and gravely injured another police officer at Swedish Hospital April 25.
The mayor’s relationship with leaders of the mainstream Jewish community has been frayed ever since he cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of a nonbinding resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. It was further strained by the mayor’s refusal to fire his chief lobbyist and remove Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez as chair of the City Council’s Committee on Health and Human Relations for their social media posts viewed by Jewish leaders as antisemitic. Johnson also refused to remove a display at the Cultural Center that a City Council majority viewed as antisemitic.
The “teen takeover” trend has been prevalent in Chicago in the late stages of spring and has officials debating how to address the issue, and the arrival of such “takeovers” in suburbs has departments on notice. The juveniles in this case were arrested on a variety of charges, including battery, assault, illegal possession of cannabis, obstructing identification, and disobeying peace officers.
"On the to-do list is also to ensure within public schools that we are supporting some of the programming for our queer and LGBTQ students in mental health," said King.
"Mayor Johnson has repeatedly signaled throughout his political career he views aggressive policing and incarceration with deep suspicion. ... If fewer shootings are detected, fewer enter the official statistics. If police are sent to fewer scenes, fewer arrests occur. If fewer arrests occur, activists can claim progress against 'over-policing.' Meanwhile, actual residents of violent neighborhoods continue dodging bullets."
"I’m not saying there’s not value in the program, and if there was money, absolutely, we would love to keep it, but there’s a lot of different factors here that play into why it’s not sustainable," Local School Council Co-Chair Amy Zemnick said. "The main one being we just don’t have the money or the kids."
The District’s debt burden is high compared to peer school districts, and its below-investment-grade credit rating significantly increases borrowing costs. These challenges are driven by a combination of factors, including aging facilities, declining enrollment, recurring structural deficits, and years of difficult fiscal decisions made under significant budget constraints.
"Several years ago, the Walgreens just feet from my church on King Drive in Woodlawn closed its doors too. Across the street, the McDonald’s fled as well. I didn’t blame either of them then, and I don’t blame Walgreens now. I blamed the violence in the community, the rampant theft and the declining sales that made it harder and harder for those businesses to survive. What really bothers me is the people talking about everything except the real issue."
Johnson’s comptroller Michael Belsky worked for EKI-Digital as it was pushing City Hall to pay nearly $10 million in questionable invoices. Johnson’s former chief operating officer John Roberson also once worked for the company and was part of a city review of EKI amid billing concerns.
It is not clear how much revenue a new digital ad tax could raise, or whether it would withstand an all-but certain legal challenge. Johnson also praised state lawmakers for following the path blazed by Chicago in the city’s 2026 spending plan, which imposed a tax on social media companies under the city’s amusement tax authority, officials said. That tax has been challenged in court.
"Chicago cannot build a successful school system through permanent political combat. We also cannot build one by pretending legitimate questions about governance, spending, priorities, or accountability are attacks on public education itself. Healthy institutions welcome scrutiny because they believe in their mission."
Jim Dey: "The $30 cost of admission is the highest of these homages to former presidents, but just $1 more than former President Nixon’s library in Yorba Linda, Calif. But there’s more expenses than just admission costs, as The Wall Street Journal recently noted. There are sky-high hotel taxes for out-of-town visitors, plus sky-high parking rates and sky-high rates on anything else one can name in a city that, as the Journal described, is 'known for complex and costly urban development, steep taxes and premium cultural attractions.'"
"Since 1989 three different black representatives in Congress have introduced HR40, a bill to create a commission to explore a federal reparations programme. Five states and some cities have also launched their own commissions. Yet the scheme in Evanston, a multicultural and deeply liberal spot that is the home of Northwestern University, is the only one to have actually paid out money."
An assessment of the property shows the building does need improvements, with “deficiencies” found with the roof, HVAC, windows, and exterior doors, as well as other “deferred maintenance.” The assessment did not include an estimated cost for the repairs.
"For if the media were functioning in Chicago, wouldn’t some intrepid reporter pose an obvious question to (Judge April) Perry: While you were serving as chief ethics officer for the scandal-plagued administration of (former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim) Foxx, what did you think about her vacating the conviction of two illegals in a vicious double-murder case? What did you think about Foxx’s other dubious exonerations? Where was your moral outrage then, Judge Perry?"
"As it turns out, not only was the narrative untrue that CPS’ academic recovery after COVID outpaced other big-city school districts. NAEP data show CPS lost ground relative to many of its urban peers. As writers from the A City That Works blog put it, Chicago’s math declines put CPS on 'the worst trajectory among any of the largest cities in the country.'"
Future programming at the Center in 2026 will include throughout July and August, its “You Are America” summer series of talks, films, and community events honoring the 250th anniversary of America. To celebrate President Obama’s birthday on August 4, the center will host an all-ages celebration with a karaoke DJ set that will invite visitors to join the experience by singing classics from soul, R&B, and contemporary music.
A resident told officers they heard several gunshots around 2 a.m. Saturday but did not call 911. Investigators recovered shell casings at the scene, suggesting the shooting occurred where the body was found. If the shooting occurred when the resident heard the gunshots, the victim’s body lay undiscovered for nearly 10 hours before police were notified.
"In Summer 2025, Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood became a focal point for the D.C. version of Chicago’s teen takeover problem — repeated large gatherings that spurred violence in one of the city’s busiest dining and nightlife districts. After a particularly chaotic Independence Day weekend in 2025, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council had seen enough. Working together, they created a new tool: extended juvenile curfew zones."
"What one thing that binds the writer to the reader is giving the reader a chance to engage in dialogue."
"Reports such as UChicago Justice Project’s should be judged by their methodology, not by how well their conclusions align with a political preference. Too often the media treat such studies as authoritative without scrutinizing their sample windows, control variables, and potential selection bias."
“Markham has an extremely high effective property tax rate,” said Brian Costin, of Americans for Prosperity Illinois. “To think that taxpayers in a community with a lot of lower-income families could potentially be paying for something like a helicopter prom photo shoot is about as far away from public purpose as possible.”
Wirepoints Research and Commentary
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn't you deliver a few bond upgrades, too 
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
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Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do. 
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