Two Weeks to Go…
We are back in Springfield this week and I expect to move two Senate bills from second to third reading, and then (hopefully!) pass those bills out of the House. I also have three bills awaiting passage in the Senate. One of those three was changed slightly in the Senate, so it will come back to the House for a concurrence vote next week. This is the time in session when I make my list of “what’s left” to wrap up. I have 21 topics on the list at this point, but the list could grow, as additional bills that were thought “dead” could come back into focus. At the top of the list is the budget, the budget implementation bill, and a revenue omnibus. These three will not be done until the very end on May 31st. We did have some budget working group meetings with our appropriations committees last week, and we reviewed the agency budgets we have previously heard throughout session. With no “April surprise” of unexpected revenue, spending is a top focus and agency budget requests are reviewed for any savings.
I expect plenty of “floor time” this week, as well as committee work. We have just two weeks until adjournment of the spring session. It has gone by very quickly for me!
Below are some articles of interest. I will be in touch again over the next two weeks as we wrap up the spring session. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day as we remember our military men and women killed in the line of duty. .
Take care!
Rep. Amy Elik
May is ALS Awareness Month in Illinois
Last week, I passed House Resolution 609, which declares May 2026 as “ALS Awareness Month” in the State of Illinois.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a devastating and fatal neurodegenerative condition in which a person’s brain loses connection with the muscles due to the destruction of motor neurons. The destruction of motor neurons that ALS causes leads to complete paralysis and, in most cases, death within five years of diagnosis. Though their minds are unaffected, people living with ALS lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. They are confined to a fate where, as their independence fades, they must rely entirely on caregivers to provide round-the-clock aid as the disease reaches its more advanced stages. ALS currently has no known cure, and the exact causes are unknown.
Mine Subsidence Insurance Bill Heads to Governor
I cosponsored a bill that would change how mine subsidence insurance is managed and how coverage applies when property is damaged by land sinking above old mines.
HB 5376 passed the Senate last week and now heads to the Governor’s desk.
Read More from The Telegraph →
Remembering Cpl. Tommy Miller This Memorial Day
Last month, I was proud to pass a road-naming resolution for Corporal Tommy Miller, renaming a portion of Illinois Route 140 through Meadowbrook in his name. This Memorial Day, I am thinking of Cpl. Miller and his family and am grateful for the sacrifice he made for all of us. His story is one of bravery and heroism. Read more about Cpl. Miller here.
FY27 Revenue Estimates Revised by CGFA and GOMB
The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) and the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) reported to the Illinois House Revenue Committee this week on continuing changes to FY27 State of Illinois revenue estimates. These changes indicate little hope in Springfield that the FY27 budget can be constitutionally balanced without cuts to spending or tax increases, as revenue shortfalls in key lines – headed by the State sales and use tax on purchases of tangible goods and taxable services – are running an estimated $700 million below required levels to support locked-in State spending lines. The Democrats’ tax hikes would likely be enacted during the final days of the Spring 2026 General Assembly session, which is scheduled to adjourn on May 31.
The Commission and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) both made downward revisions in their FY27 revenue estimates ranging from $190 million (CGFA) to $175 million (GOMB). CGFA and GOMB also revised FY26 revenue estimates, with CGFA revising downward $75 million and GOMB revising upward by $445 million.
Based on revised revenue estimates from CGFA and GOMB, the Governor’s proposed FY27 budget is $500 million – $900 million out of balance. These deficits do not include the $728 million in new revenue (tax hikes) that Governor Pritzker proposed in his FY27 budget