VETO SESSION
The first week of Veto Session in Springfield concluded with Democrats not taking action on any issues. On October 28, 2025, the Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield after the summer adjournment period comes to an end.
The annual Veto Session, for decades, was used by lawmakers to consider voting to override vetoes leveled by the governor on bills that were passed during the previous spring Session. In recent years, the Veto Session has been used by Radical Democrats to ram through tax increases, erode Second Amendment Rights, and pass new legislation unrelated to veto action. Governor Pritzker has vetoed very few bills in recent years, as Democrats hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate, and rarely pass legislation that would see the governor exercise his veto authority.
This year’s Veto Session is likely to see Democrats work to move on an “omnibus” energy package (Senate Bill 25) that is guaranteed to raise already sky-high electricity prices. A looming mass-transit “fiscal cliff” may be addressed through the implementation of any of a number or a combination of unpopular and costly tax increases like a $1.50 per-delivery tax hike on items like Amazon purchases and food delivery or new sales taxes on any of a number of a wide variety of services, such as lawn care, plumbing, home maintenance, and more.
Conservative House Republican Chris Miller issued the following statement after listening to Democrats push a false narrative about ICE during Veto Session:
“The truth is, Joe Biden’s administration allowed millions of criminal illegal immigrants to flood into our great Nation and JB Pritzker’s pro-criminal policies have given over 550,000 illegals a free pass in Illinois,” Miller stated. “Pritzker called federal law enforcement officers ‘jack-booted thugs’ for their efforts to protect American citizens at a time when Democratic leaders in Illinois refuse to do so. JB Pritzker should be thanking President Trump for launching Operation Midway Blitz, but instead he is spewing dangerous rhetoric and inciting more political violence.”
Unfortunately, the Veto Session is also often a time when fresh legislation, that really has no place being considered during the annual gathering of lawmakers, is rushed through the process.
Illinois citizens would be smart to stay tuned closely to the actions of the General Assembly. The second week of the Veto Session begins on Tuesday, October 28, and concludes on Thursday, October 30.
Interested citizens can follow all the action by visiting ilga.gov/House/AudioVideo.
CORRUPTION
Madigan to report to federal prison. After former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan was convicted in February 2025 on a series of federal corruption charges, a series of sentencing-phase presentations and hearings culminated in his June 2025 sentencing to serve 7.5 years in federal prison. The sentencing federal judge stated that this was an appropriate term for him to spend behind bars, one that was firmly based upon the pattern of bribery and corrupt conduct – as displayed in evidence presented to a jury in a court of law – shown by the onetime power broker and by members of his political inner circle.
Mr. Madigan was ordered to report to federal prison on October 13.
BUDGET
Illinois says it’s already facing a $267 million budget shortfall. Just a few months into the new fiscal year, the state of Illinois already has bad budget news.
It expects a $267 million deficit for the fiscal year that ends June 30, in large part because of tax cuts passed by Congress.
The new forecast puts additional pressure on already shaky state finances. Legislators scrambled to balance this year’s $55.1 billion budget with tax-law changes and one-time funding sources. Gov. JB Pritzker already has told state agency leaders to look for ways to hold back spending by 4%.
The Governor’s Office of Management & Budget now forecasts the state’s largest revenue sources — income tax and sales tax — to be $827 million lower this year than previously expected. But that shortfall is offset by other revenue, winnowing the deficit to $267 million.
Read more from Crain’s Chicago Business.
CRIME
Governor Pritzker Thinks Crime is Something to Laugh About. On Thursday night, Governor JB Pritzker joined late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel to mock the very real crime crisis facing Chicago.
In another tone-deaf display, Governor Pritzker took to the streets with Kimmel and made light of the violence that families across Chicago face every day.
If the Governor stepped outside the Loop, he would see that Chicago is still suffering from a violent crime epidemic. When the bar has been set so low for so long, even the smallest dip in crime gets spun as progress.
The facts tell a different story:
o Over Labor Day weekend this year, nearly 60 people were shot, eight fatally.
o Just this past weekend, 25 more people were shot, five fatally.
o For the thirteenth straight year, Chicago has had the most homicides of any U.S. city.
Even Democratic leaders have acknowledged the problem. One alderman recently admitted that Chicago has a serious crime issue.
While Governor Pritzker spends his time making appearances with TV hosts who mock the deaths of Republicans, House Republicans are focused on solutions. State Representative John Cabello, a retired Rockford police detective, has filed HB 1028 to repeal Governor Pritzker’s SAFE-T Act.
State Rep. Chris Miller filed articles of impeachment against JB Pritzker with HR0466
Illinois House Republicans will continue working to make communities across the state safer, even as the Governor treats serious issues like a punchline.