“A lot of things that we thought would happen from a legislative standpoint really didn’t happen, and we don’t know when it’s going to happen,” said Rick Ringold, who with his wife holds Cannabis Social Equity Licenses to grow, distribute and transport cannabis. He said strict state regulations, high taxes, and limited capital are making it challenging to stay afloat.

State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer said Illinoisans are taxed out, and subsidies for non-citizen health care need to end. “And our citizens will certainly be appalled if they are forced to pay more taxes again to pay for people who are here illegally,” he said.

“The economic uncertainty that has impacted both consumer and business expectations, as well as slightly negative GDP growth in the first quarter, has yet to impact Illinois,” said Fred Giertz, Professor Emeritus, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, which typically backs centrist Democrats, countered that Pritzker could bring a “more stable” version of Trump’s argument that his wealth and success is an asset. Trump’s biggest liability, Bennett said, is “chaos” that negatively affects people’s lives.

According to a press release, “The Illinois No Co-Signer Loan is open to Illinois residents attending an Illinois public or private not-for-profit university or college and is an attractive option for students who have maxed their grants, scholarships, and financial aid and have no access to a co-signer. The fixed annual percentage rate ranges from 7.99 percent to 9.49 percent.”

The next increase is set to go into effect on July 1, but the Department of Revenue has not yet announced what that increase will be. Under provisions of a law passed by the General Assembly, the gas tax rate is tied to the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation.

Asked to comment on Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin’s remarks that Democrats are messaging in a way that doesn’t resonate outside of blue coastal areas, Duckworth said, “You know, you don’t get elected in the Midwest without being able to talk to everyday voters in red counties about the issues that they worry about. To be able to talk about agricultural issues.”

“So I guess, you know, the question is, what can you do in that circumstance?” the governor said. “And the only thing, in my view, that we really can do on a national level is let them know about our displeasure… We’ve got to be out there loud, proud, stand up, speak out.”

The political hot potato promises to create a patchwork of taxes and has already led to finger-pointing between local and state officials. “If local governments believe it is necessary to tax milk, bread, eggs, etc. to fund local services/local government, then they should be responsible and accountable for that decision to local taxpayers,” Illinois Department of Revenue spokeswoman Maura Kownacki said.

A small business advocate says a paid leave proposal in the Illinois Senate would be a direct tax on workers and employers. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, proposed creating the Division of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Illinois Department of Labor with Senate Bill 2413.

The Illinois House Ethics and Elections Committee heard heated testimony over the potential impact of the proposal on Illinois voters and its impact on voters’ ability to vote.

The targets are the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and, by extension, PBS television network, NPR and 1,500 broadcast outlets across the country, including Chicago’s WBEZ and WTTW. Chicago Public Media owns WBEZ and the Sun-Times.

“In Illinois, Medicaid covers 3.5 million people — or 27.5% — of the state’s population. Better yet, the feds subsidize around 69% of Medicaid’s costs, which frees up state-level revenue to cover other core services like education.”