“Every American deserves to work in a safe, good-paying job that allows them to support their families and save for a secure retirement, and it is unacceptable that in some states with anti-union laws – or so-called ‘right to work’ laws – some workers aren’t given that same chance,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Northern mayors say it’s not about their beliefs. It’s about about logistics. Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said, for example, the community also would need to mobilize service providers to deal with an influx. “I would hope that prior to something like that happening, we would get a head’s up,” said Mwilambwe. “As you know, I am an immigrant myself and I have been welcomed in this area. So, there is a culture and a tradition of being compassionate towards individuals who have needs. We’ll do the best we can.”

“We are not producing enough nurses to fill the vacancies, so by 2025, the estimation is we are going to be short 15,000 registered nurses in the state of Illinois,” said Susan Swart, executive director of the Illinois Nurses Foundation.

According to ComEd, 2019 was a “turning point” for the data center industry in Illinois, following the passage of new state legislation offering a tax incentive to encourage tech giants and other firms to locate their data storage facilities in the state. In ComEd’s service territory across northern Illinois alone, there are now more than 70 operating data centers, with six under construction and another 13 in early design or planning stages, the company said.

Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center President David Boulay responded to U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood’s pleas for tax credits to boost the manufacturing sector as a national security measure: “Manufacturing is what helps ensure a functioning society and I think there are some real key things that have happened here in the last few years where we start looking at the pandemic and our ability to find and source medical supplies at critical moments.”

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said too many aspects of the law remain confusing, making it unclear how they will work in practice. “We would all agree, and I want to make it clear, I agree, somebody should not be held in jail pending trial just because they can’t afford to post a bond,” said Berlin, a Republican. But, he added, “Without a robust preventive detention statute, yes, we are opposed to eliminating (cash bail) because violent criminals here are going to get out.”

Perhaps the most glaring difference between the states is in price. The much greater competition in Michigan led wholesale cannabis flower prices to collapse nearly 75% since January 2020. Indeed, a recent analysis by industry watchdog Grown In found that Illinois has the highest prices among the nation’s 19 adult-use states. The high prices keep the majority of cannabis sales in Illinois on the illicit market, according to the Anderson Economic Group.

“Mayor Lightfoot, I’ll go back to my farm after I clean up the mess you and [Gov.] JB Pritzker made and restore Illinois,” he said. “In the meantime, get off your elitist high horse and remember who puts food on your plate.”

Ralph Martire, of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability: “All told, the Biden administration estimates the IRA will end up saving the typical family around $500 annually in energy costs. It will also lessen our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Again, lots of moving parts, but it really is hard to see how mitigating climate change and creating 21st-century jobs makes anything worse.”