While lawmakers are busy considering budget requests from state agencies in committee, the Illinois House is advancing legislation and entering a stretch of the spring session where amendments are being discussed before moving onto a third reading and final vote – and Wednesday was a pivotal day in this regard.
The House began with points of personal privilege remarks today, and some lawmakers used the floor to highlight issues outside the legislative agenda. Rep. Tom Weber (R- Lake Villa) pointed to rising water levels – the results of flooding – along the Fox River and Chain O’Lakes area, warning they were nearing historic highs and calling on the governor to issue a disaster declaration.
“You’d have to take a raft to my office right now,” Weber said, noting that legislators must work together to resolve this recurring issue on the Illinois/Wisconsin border.
As the chamber moved onto its official calendar, lawmakers’ time was dominated by bills and weeks of intersecting policy development and fiscal planning are highlighting – mainly through the same constraints mentioned in the governor’s budget speech earlier this year.
The House moved on to proposals spanning taxes, housing and public safety.
Notably, two proposed constitutional amendments – one to create a new tax on millionaires to fund property tax relief and schools – and another to change how legislative districts are drawn.
As one of the most closely watched measures – HJRCA 21 – would amend the Illinois Constitution and impose a 3% surcharge on income over $1 million, with the revenue directed toward property tax relief and education funding.
Republican Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, criticized the idea, arguing that tax policies are already driving residents and businesses out of the state.
“More than $16 million a day is walking out the door every single day,” Halbrook said.
The amendment echoes past debates over how Illinois taxes income, an issue that has drawn strong political reactions, although this still has a way to go before it be placed before voters. And time is short. It must make it through the House and Senate prior to a May 3 deadline to make it onto the fall ballot.
The redistricting proposal – HJRCA 28 – drew immediate attention on the House floor, where it was read aloud before Republicans called for a one-hour break to discuss the measure in a private caucus, temporarily pausing proceedings as members met separately.
The amendment would revise the state’s redistricting criteria, including requirements for equal population, racial equity and district compactness.
Upon returning to the floor, lawmakers in the chamber concluded debate before approving the amendment on a 74–38 vote, along party lines.
Supporters argued the measure would protect minority representation in Illinois. Republicans responded by saying it could further entrench partisan mapmaking which has benefitted Democrats in recent redistricting years.
U.S. Supreme Court decisions have weakened key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including preclearance requirements for certain states that was effectively struck down in 2013.
The issue of “preclearance” involved jurisdictions needing to obtain federal approval before changing voting laws or district maps. Illinois was not covered by it.
The Illinois Constitution requires lawmakers to redraw legislative districts every decade following the state census. It specifies that districts “shall be compact, and substantially equal in population,” standards that have guided mapmaking for decades. However, the state is also known for egregious gerrymandering.
Observers say the debate reflects a broader tension about redistricting. Ryan Tolley, executive director of the reform group Change Illinois, said the process often puts political interests ahead of voters.
“Politicians always draw their own districts to make sure that they get reelected or their party has a better shot at winning more seats,” Tolley said.
During the final floor debate, Democrats pointed to diversity in the chamber as evidence the current system is working. “Our chamber looks like this because of this law, because of the Illinois Voting Rights Act, because of the federal Voting Rights Act,” said Rep. Will Guzzardi, adding, “I’m damn proud of those maps.”
But Republicans pushed back – again – arguing diversity should not be used to justify the process. “We cannot use diversity as a sword and a shield only when necessary to protect political power,” said Rep. Ryan Spain.
Tolley says that dynamic can result in less public trust over time, as voters feel they have less influence over elections.
“It just continues to be the erosion in voters’ ability to influence the election,” he said, adding that many people lose faith that elected officials are “actually accountable to them.”
HJRCA-28 now moves to the Illinois Senate for consideration. It also faces a May 3 deadline to win full legislative approval.
As the Illinois General Assembly moves toward its late-May adjournment, more busy days are ahead as lawmakers are deciding what to keep, and what to leave behind.
