JB Pritzker

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said data center operators need to be transparent about what the public gets out of the big installations, releasing polling data showing 70% of Illinois residents support tighter regulation of the data center industry embodied in the POWER Act.

The state has announced a $5 million grant for the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District [BNWRD] that is intended to stimulate business development on the west side of the Twin Cities.

Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on Congress to allow the permanent year-round use of E15 gasoline — a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline that is cheaper than regular fuel and increases demand for corn.

Republicans are blaming Democratic policies, such as unfunded mandates on local governments and school districts, for raising property taxes while failing to provide other financial assistance.

The Illinois House has passed a bill requiring insurance companies get approval for rate increases and give a 60-day notice to customers if they increase rates more than 10%. Insurance companies said this could raise rates in the long term and does not address the real cause of the rate increases.

Illinois businesses advocated for more funding to child care facilities as demand for services remains high. ReadyNation Illinois came out with a report that Illinois is losing $6.2 billion each year because of the child care crisis.

The roundtable discussion was held at the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington. The discussion advanced the governor’s Building Up Illinois Developments [BUILD] initiative.

Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Reaction to Gov. JB Pritzker’s combined State of the State and fiscal year 2027 budget address fell largely along partisan lines as Democrats offered muted praise while Republicans dismissed his affordability message as campaign-style rhetoric.

As Illinois awaits court decisions about federal funding cuts and braces for even further cuts amid rising costs, Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing limited new spending — and yearning for “normal problems.”