By Greg Bishop with the Illinois Radio Network
Illinois legislators are done for the year, but they’ll be back in early January before the new General Assembly is seated. Republicans are issuing warnings.
There were no vetoes to override during veto session the past two weeks. That didn’t prevent legislators from passing several bills that were gutted and replaced with other measures.
Wednesday, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, carried a bill impacting various state statutes, including unemployment insurance.
“This is agreed by business and labor and I think it’s very important that we do in order to avoid an increase in taxes on employers and a decrease in benefits to employees,” Hoffman said.
Republicans criticized it, saying it included too many things that they say should have been separated.
State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, carried a measure Wednesday to clean issues in the tax code from measures approved in the spring.
“With [the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity], the changes deal with the tax credits that we approved for music and musicians tax credit and involves some reporting requirements,” Burke said.
State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, criticized Democrats for passing such measures in the final hours without addressing the sunset of the Invest in Kids school choice tax credit scholarship program.
“I don’t understand how it is we are willing to take care of everyone else’s needs but when the needs of our children are at stake, and their futures, we’re just willing to let it go by,” Ugaste said.
Invest in Kids expired at the end of 2023 after legislators failed to extend the sunset.
Just before adjourning for the year Thursday, Republican state Rep. Brad Halbrook warned about lame duck session.
“The lame duck session has historically been one of the most risky and concerning periods for the residents of our great state,” Halbrook said.
Previous lame duck sessions brought about controversial laws, including in January 2021, when legislators passed the bill that ultimately ended cash bail, and in 2023, the ban on semi-automatic firearms and magazines.
The Illinois House and Senate adjourned Thursday. They won’t return to the capitol until Jan. 2. The new General Assembly elected in November will be seated Jan. 8.
