In this issue:
- A missed opportunity on ethics reform
- March revenue report shows positive numbers
- IDNR reminds Illinoisans to leave wildlife alone
- Local fire departments receive Small Equipment Grants
A missed opportunity on ethics reform
This week the House heard hundreds of bills, all part of the last-minute crunch before the deadline to advance House bills over to the Senate. Some bills were contentious, some passed unanimously. Bills dealt with many different topics, but one topic which we did not hear anything about on the House floor was ethics reform.
Earlier this year the most powerful politician in recent Illinois history was convicted on corruption charges. This week a state senator, the son of the former Senate President, went on trial charged with bribery. He is just the latest Illinois politician to have his day in federal court in a corruption trial. This would seem like a great moment for Illinois political leaders to reconsider our ethics climate and seek to reform our system.
But we did no such thing.
House Republicans introduced a package of ethics reform bills this spring. We proposed requiring 72 hours of sunlight for the public to review budgets before they are voted on. We proposed a ban on public officials using campaign funds for their own legal defense. We proposed a 3-year revolving door lobbying ban for members of the General Assembly. We proposed all these reforms and more, but the ruling party refused to even allow our bills to be discussed.
Illinois is in serious need of reform. We missed a golden opportunity this week.
March revenue report shows positive numbers
After a down month in February, Illinois tax receipts bounced back in March due mostly to a strong month of Personal Income Tax receipts, though there were gains throughout the state’s revenue picture.
Personal Income Tax receipts were up by $445 million in March. The gain was partially due to growth in withholding tax payments but was largely because of an influx of final tax payments, the specifics of which will become clearer as more data is released later this month. April’s performance will be closely watched, as the tax-filing deadline is next week, meaning that the state will see a large amount of final tax receipts in the coming days.
Corporate Income Tax receipts have mostly underperformed expectations this year, though they were slightly better in March. Sales tax receipts were up by $9 million in March 2025, compared to March 2024. One down area was the amount of funds from the federal government which were deposited into state coffers. Funds from Washington were $213 million below last March’s total.
House Appropriations committees continued taking testimony from state agencies this week as we work to put together a state budget for the fiscal year which begins on July 1. The state’s revenue picture will be an important part of the work of balancing the upcoming state budget.
IDNR reminds Illinoisans to leave wildlife alone
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding Illinoisans that if you encounter wildlife outside this spring, especially babies, it is usually best to leave them alone.
The department says that well-intentioned people may believe they’re helping nature by taking possession of young rabbits, fawn deer, baby birds and other animals that appear to be orphaned or abandoned. However, in nearly all cases, human intervention does more to hurt animals than to help. Young birds and animals are still being fed and cared for by their parents, who usually stay away from nests and dens if humans are nearby.
The Illinois Wildlife Code prohibits keeping wild animals as pets, including many wild birds. IDNR reminds everyone that handling wildlife is not only illegal but also potentially dangerous because of diseases some animals carry which can be passed on to humans.
For more information, visit Wildlife Illinois.
Local Fire Departments receive Small Equipment Grants
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Small Equipment Grant Program. This program is designed to help fire departments, fire protection districts and non-profit ambulance services across Illinois purchase essential equipment to safely carry out their duties.
The OSFM received 347 applications, requesting around $7.7 million in funding for this grant period. A total of 178 fire departments, fire protection districts, and EMS providers were awarded grants of up to $26,000.
Congratulations to the following departments in our district!
Coal City Fire Protection District
Crescent-Iroquois Fire Protection District
Emington-Campus Fire Protection District
Forrest-Strawn-Wing Fire Protection District
Gardner Fire Protection District
Gilman Fire Protection District
Watseka Fire Department
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $1,990,023,660. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.3 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
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EPA opens Sharps Collection Grant opportunity for local governments
Illinois gun rights group asks U.S. Attorney General to review state’s gun laws