With limited Illinois tax dollars, state officials are laying out their priorities amid ongoing budget pressures such as the hundreds of millions of dollars for migrant care. Promoting the taxpayer-funded $250 million Smart Start early childhood education initiative, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state will have to balance such future spending with other pressures. “And, if we don’t have enough resources for everything that everybody wants, what can we look to do in the future or what should we stop doing in order to make sure that we’re balancing expenditures with revenues,” Pritzker said at an event in Rochester Thursday.

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The migrant crisis in Illinois is prompting some policymakers around the state to take action. Tens of thousands of migrants have been transported to the state from the southern U.S. border. The city of Chicago reports about 33,000 asylum seekers have arrived since August 2022. The state of Illinois has provided $640 million to address the migrant influx. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city is facing a projected $538 million budget deficit for 2024, a financial burden his administration blamed in part on the growing cost of caring for migrants.

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As communities across the state continue to evaluate how to deal with the prospect of buses dropped off migrants from the southern border, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritkzer says the state is limited in what it can do. A patchwork of ordinances across the state either regulate buses and hotel stays to deter migrant arrivals, or declare non-sanctuary status. In McClean County, Emergency Management Agency Director Cathy Beck asked local officials for rural places to put shelters if needed. Reached for comment Wednesday, Beck said they have yet received any buses.

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A judge on Wednesday pushed back the start of the state's most high-profile public corruption case to October, citing a pending U.S. Supreme Court case focused on the federal bribery statute. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey set former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's racketeering case for Oct. 8, a six-month delay from the initial April start date. Madigan's defense team had asked for a stay in the case after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review Snyder v. United States, which focuses on an Indiana mayor convicted of accepting a bribe.

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With courts denying requests to delay the Jan. 1 deadline for Illinois gun owners to register now banned firearms with the state, lawsuits against the gun ban will continue in the new year. Last week, Southern District of Illinois federal Judge Stephen McGlynn denied a preliminary request for the Jan. 1 deadline to be delayed. Also last week, Attorney Thomas Maag filed for summary judgment against the law, alleging it violates citizens’ Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Months ago, Maag hinted at the looming challenge.  

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A federal judge wants to see all parties in his courtroom when he considers a motion to stay proceedings in the state's most high-profile corruption case. U.S. District Court Judge John Robert Blakey issued an order Wednesday for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to appear in court along with co-defendant Michael McClain, a former state lawmaker and close confidante of Madigan. The judge will consider the defendant's joint motion to stay proceedings at a hearing at 2 p.m. on Jan. 3 in Courtroom 1203. 

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already signed a law to allow certain non-citizens to become police officers in Illinois. Now, the state's two U.S. senators want the same for the U.S. military. Many Republicans are opposed to the idea. House Bill 3751, allowing certain non-citizens with work permits or who are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients to be police officers, passed the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support during the spring session. The measure had the backing of the Fraternal Order of Police. 

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With the Jan. 1 deadline to register banned firearms approaching, Illinois has responded to a challenge of its gun and magazine ban in the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a separate gun ban challenge at the nation’s high court has been forwarded to the full court’s conference next month. Illinois enacted a ban on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities on Jan. 10. The law also requires those with grandfathered firearms now banned to register them with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1. Failure to comply could lead to felony charges. ISP's second notice emergency rules for the registry were filed this week to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

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The U.S. Supreme Court now has another challenge against Illinois’ gun ban on its docket. Illinois on Jan. 10 banned the possession and sale of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities. A week later, lawsuits started to be filed challenging the constitutionality of the law. Cases are still pending in the district, appeals courts and now the U.S. Supreme Court. Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court docketed a case out of Naperville where plaintiffs challenged the city's and state’s gun and magazine ban. Plaintiffs are seeking an emergency appeal of the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals three-judge panel ruling for the state.

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Thanksgiving dinner shoppers will get a bit of a break in the pocketbook this year. Illinois shoppers participating in the annual American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Thanksgiving Cost Survey reported the average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal is down slightly compared to last year.  Illinois Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers reported a state-wide average price of $63.87 for a classic holiday feast for 10, or around $6.39 per person. That is a decrease from the previous year’s record-high of $64.05.  

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