Senator Wilcox Offers Summer Legislative Survey
With the 2025 legislative session now complete, I wanted to gather some input and suggestions about issues just approved and other topics that remain unresolved in Springfield. Your opinions are very valuable, so I hope you will take a few minutes to participate.
My 2025 Summer Survey offers constituents an opportunity to weigh in on a variety of topics, including the budget, the proposed $1.50 delivery tax and other proposed tax increases, illegal immigration, and more. The survey also provides space where you can offer suggestions on how we can work together to make Illinois the best it can be.
Click here to access the survey. Paper copies are also available at my Woodstock office.
Governor Signs Record-Breaking Budget into Law
On June 16, Governor JB Pritzker officially signed into law the largest government spending plan in Illinois history – a more than $55 billion spending plan that includes nearly $1 billion in new tax increases and relies heavily on budget gimmicks and one-time revenue grabs. The budget was so bad, even some Democrats joined all Republicans in voting NO.
Passed by the Democrat Majority in General Assembly on May 31, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget reflects a nearly $15 billion increase, almost 40%, since Pritzker took office. Senate Republicans opposed the plan, pointing to record spending, misplaced priorities, a lack of transparency, and a growing financial burden on families and businesses.
The massive government spending plan relies on new and increased taxes on vacation rentals like Airbnb, gaming, phone services, nicotine products, and hundreds of millions in additional taxes on businesses that will inevitably be passed on to consumers.
Republican-led efforts to provide tax relief to Illinois families were blocked this year. While the budget continues to fund programs for illegal immigrants, it underfunds services for some of Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens, like those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The plan also underfunds Pre-K through 12th grade education and eliminates a small, but vital property tax relief program for families already struggling to survive.
This is yet another bloated government spending plan that keeps growing while family incomes remain stagnant. It adds to the strain on working families, drives employers out of Illinois, and offers little relief in a state already burdened with the highest tax load in the nation.
Illinois Republicans urge veto of Senate Bill 328, file lawsuit to expose Constitutional Violation
Last week, I joined members of the Illinois House and Senate Republican caucuses to call on Governor Pritzker to veto Senate Bill 328, legislation that would serve only to enrich trial lawyers at the expense of jobs and economic growth.
In furtherance of that effort, we also filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County court to enforce the Illinois Constitution’s Three Readings Rule, due to the blatantly unconstitutional process the Democratic majority used to ram the special interest proposal through the General Assembly after midnight on the last day of session.
The Illinois Constitution’s Three Readings Rule is designed to give lawmakers sufficient time to evaluate legislation and to ensure transparency for the public. It requires that bills be read on three separate days. However, Democrats have consistently disregarded this requirement.
The lawsuit specifically challenges the passage of Senate Bill 328, which Republicans argue was advanced without following the required legislative procedures. They contend that the bill poses an immediate threat to Illinois residents by exposing the legal system to greater exploitation by trial lawyers.
The legislation would overhaul Illinois’ judicial system and allow out-of-state businesses to be sued by out-of-state plaintiffs in Illinois courts for incidents with no connection to the state. A lesser-known provision in the law also allows foreign businesses registered in the state to be sued. It was passed using a variety of procedural gimmicks to avoid constitutional requirements and public scrutiny.
Similar legislation has twice been vetoed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and multiple national and state business groups, including the American Tort Reform Association and Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, have been echoing the Republicans’ call for a veto.
The lawsuit is a necessary step toward holding lawmakers accountable and restoring transparency and constitutional integrity to the legislative process.
ICASH/Unclaimed Property Event Coming This Week to Fox Lake
Don’t forget that this week, on Thursday, June 26, I will be hosting an ICASH Unclaimed Property Event in Fox Lake. These ICASH events are incredibly popular, and my office’s running total for cash returned to constituents stands at $3,406,150.95! In most cases, the recipients didn’t even know they had cash or property waiting for them!
Please mark your calendars now for these upcoming events and visit the Events page of my website regularly to be kept up to date about events taking place near you.
- June 26: ICASH Unclaimed Property Event, Fox Lake Public Library, 255 East Grand Avenue, Fox Lake, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- July 15: Conversations Untapped, Spirit Water Brewery, Distillery, and Taproom, 3300 Three Oaks Road, Cary, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
- July 23: Conversations Untapped, Rivalry Ale House, 945 Main Street, Antioch, IL, 5:30PM – 7:00PM
- August 16: Document Shredding Event, Office of State Rep. Steve Reick, 1072 Lake Avenue, Woodstock, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- August 21: Barks & Brews Pet Adoption Event, Kishwaukee Brewing, 1900 Dillard Court, Woodstock, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
- September 17: IPASS on Demand, Lake Villa District Library, 140 N. Munn Road, Lindenhurst, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- October 14: Senior Resource Fair, Grand Oaks Recreation Center, 1401 IL-176, Crystal Lake, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Momentum Builds Against Illinois’ Unconstitutional Gun Ban
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has come out against Illinois’ 2023 ban on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms, including commonly owned rifles like the AR-15. In a legal filing, DOJ attorneys said the law violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
A federal judge in southern Illinois has already ruled the law unconstitutional. Illinois is appealing the decision to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which is now reviewing the case.
I believe the ban unfairly targets law-abiding gun owners and that the DOJ’s position reinforces the long-standing constitutional right to possess commonly used firearms.
Backing that view, 35 Illinois State’s Attorneys have also filed a brief urging the court to strike down the ban, saying it punishes citizens without reducing crime. The court’s final decision could have a major impact on gun rights not just in Illinois, but across the country.