“Illinois’ structural deficit exists because state tax policy is so flawed it doesn’t align with the modern economy. Hence, general fund revenue consistently grows at a slower rate than needed to cover inflation-adjusted increases in the cost of maintaining service levels over time. Worse, Illinois unfairly overtaxes low- and middle-income folks, while under-taxing the wealthy.”

“This budget is a disaster for hardworking Illinoisans,” state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer. “More taxes and fees, another billion dollars in wasteful spending, including hundreds of millions of our tax dollars going to welfare benefits for illegal immigrants. There’s no relief from the high cost of living. There’s no property tax relief or tax cuts for working families anywhere to be found in this budget.”

Illinois is worst, with lots of detail by city and county.

“Now, Illinois faces a growing public service labor shortage. Vacancy rates at state agencies are at record highs, with between 5,000 and 8,000 unfilled positions since 2021. Illinois is short 15,000 registered nurses. There are 7,500 unfilled teaching and public-school positions, and surveys of school superintendents have identified ‘retirement system issues’ as a primary culprit.”

The Illinois bill has been nicknamed the POWER Act — Protecting Our Water, Energy and Ratepayers. It aims to shift energy costs related to this growth from consumers to the data center companies, incentivize clean-energy sourcing, limit water use and protect local communities from pollution. It stands out to supporters and opponents alike as particularly wide-reaching.

Dozens of municipalities across the Chicago area have referenda and propositions on the ballot in the 2026 Illinois primary. So far, in the Illinois primary for 2026, all referenda on ballots appear to be advisory referenda.

“The governor’s budget proposal did indeed project $200 million in revenues from imposing a new ‘social media platform fee,’ and the money was earmarked for education. But … evidence-based funding was given only an additional $5 million on top of its (mostly) usual $300 million annual increase.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 calls for a 1.6 percent spending increase, a far cry from past years when base revenue sources were growing at a faster pace. Pritzker said his budget “levels off and in some cases reduces programs that are important to me.”

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Gov. JB Pritzker’s order directs the Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Commerce Commission to look into potential sites for the facilities and to develop a legal and regulatory system to govern them. State officials will not foist the facilities on municipalities but instead let communities make the decision, the governor’s office told Crain’s.

Voters are being asked whether they support raising the county sales tax, increasing property taxes or reducing county services. “If the answer to all of these questions is no and we do expect that to be the answer, we can rest easier at night knowing that voters explicitly said they we’re okay with reductions. Then we can go to department heads and directors fully knowing that voters asked us for those reductions,” County Board Co-Chair Emily Rodriguez said.