WATCH: Debate around which tax to increase; pension enhancements, energy bills advance
October 30, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop reviews the ongoing debate at the Illinois Statehouse about which taxes to increase during the final days of fall veto session. Among the proposals are an “amusement tax,” a retail delivery tax and decoupling Illinois tax code from the federal tax code.
Bishop also reviews several measures advancing through the legislature, including a pension reform measure that passed an Illinois House committee and an energy measure focused on renewables that passed the Illinois House. Both chambers are in session for the final day of veto session Thursday.
Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Latest News Stories
Senators, pro-life group seek answers on FDA approval of abortion pill
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square Two Republican U.S. senators and a national pro-life organization say they want the Trump administration to explain why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved...
Cartel bounties on ICE agents similar to bounties placed in Texas communities for years
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Over the past month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers working with federal partners have arrested more than 1,500 violent criminals in Chicago as they...
Trump slices China fentanyl tariff in half following meeting with Xi
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square President Donald Trump feels confident the flow of fentanyl from China will be curbed following a “great meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South...
Senior Shared Housing Facility Recommended for Approval in Crete Township
Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval for a special use permit that would...
Trump orders Department of War to begin testing nuclear weapons
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the U.S. Department of War to immediately start testing U.S. nuclear weapons just ahead of a meeting with President...
WATCH: Tax proposals draw questions from Pritzker and GOP state rep
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers are considering progressive revenue measures in the final hours of the fall veto session, but...
Illinois quick hits: Former sheriff’s deputy guilty in Massey murder; appeals court intervenes in Bavino case
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Former sheriff's deputy guilty in Massey murder A jury has found a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy guilty of second-degree murder...
WATCH: Warnings of higher IL property taxes heard as pension bill advances
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Supporters of an Illinois Statehouse pension measure say it is a “fix” for Tier 2 public employee...
Top-selling automaker confirms U.S. investment, but no details yet
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The world's top-selling automaker said it plans to continue investing in U.S. operations but wouldn't confirm on Wednesday that it will be $10 billion, as...
Fentanyl poised to take center stage during Trump, Xi meeting
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Fentanyl is set to be at the center of President Donald Trump’s scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday morning. Trump told reporters last...
‘Outrageous’: Lawmakers bash Biden admin for targeting, surveilling 156 Republicans
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The Biden administration’s probe into President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss progressed far beyond investigating potential fraud and potentially targeted 156 conservatives and conservative organizations....
WATCH: Cruz calls on House to impeach federal judge over subpoenas of Republicans
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday called on the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach a federal judge involved in an investigation into President...
WATCH: Pritzker declares agricultural trade ‘crisis’ while Trump touts new deals
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed an executive order to declare an agricultural trade crisis in Illinois. The...
Amnesty International condemns U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Amnesty International, a human rights organization, condemned U.S. military strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed 57 people...
‘Astonishingly reckless:’ IL Dems intro tax on ‘unrealized gains’ to fund transit
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square With just two days remaining in the Illinois legislative fall veto session, Illinois Democratic state lawmakers have introduced new legislation, ostensibly designed...