Illinois lawmakers could take up transit funding, immigration in fall veto session
Illinois lawmakers return to the state capital in Springfield Tuesday for the fall veto session, with no shortage of things to address.
The House and Senate will convene for three days this week and another three days from Oct. 28-30 for the annual veto session.
At the top of the list of lawmakers' priorities is money for the state's transit systems. While the Regional Transportation Authority revised their 2026 budget gap down to $200 million instead of the nearly $800 million it initially predicted, the state's transit systems still face massive budget shortfalls that could cause drastic service cuts in the next two years.
The RTA said the CTA will run out of funding in 2026 and be forced to cut services and lay off workers, with cuts going into effect by the third quarter of 2026. Metra and Pace have more time, but cuts loom on the horizon for both.
Already the RTA has told CTA, Metra, and Pace that they must raise fares by at least 10% in 2026 to help keep them running; Metra and CTA have announced their new fares already.
The fiscal cliff is due in large part to the loss of federal COVID relief funding. The Illinois Senate passed legislation earlier this year that would impose a $1.50 tax on deliveries like Amazon, Grubhub, and Uber Eats, a 10% tax on rideshare trips, and add a new tax to charge electric vehicles to fund mass transit, but the Illinois House didn't take it up before adjourning for the summer.
GrubHub has warned customers their order might soon include an extra tax of $1.50. Experts in the restaurant industry said the added cost could hurt small businesses that have grown increasingly reliant on delivery services.
"Seventy-six percent of restaurants now you know, basically offer a delivery service. And upwards to 20% of their business is through deliveries as well," said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
While Illinois lawmakers have said they could take up mass transit funding and oversight reform during the fall veto session, given the significant reduction in the agencies' budget shortfalls, lawmakers could wait until spring when fewer votes will be needed to pass legislation.
Additionally, changes in federal tax policy tied to President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, could reduce revenue for Illinois state government in the 2026 fiscal year by $830 million, Capitol News Illinois reports. Many states like Illinois tie portions of their corporate tax collections to the federal tax code to make it easier for the state to administer the tax and easier for businesses to file them.
Gov. JB Pritzker also signed an executive order last month directing certain state agencies to reserve 4% of 2026 general fund appropriations and identify other ways to reduce spending or create efficiencies. The state also has a $100 million fund it can tap into to cover gaps this year.
Other lawmaker priorities could include a bill addressing funding for a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, energy reform and insurance regulations.
The Bears wanted action this veto session on a "megaproject" bill they claim is necessary to close their deal to begin construction on an Arlington Heights stadium. The Bears are asking for property taxes to remain where they are now, lower than what they would be when their project is completed. State leaders, however, said that proposal is nearly dead on arrival, and no action is expected during the veto session.
Amid a spike in electric bills in Illinois, state lawmakers also are in talks on a deal to help reduce costs by providing incentives for battery storage on the state's power grid, and tighter rules on energy efficiency programs and the use of solar panels. Supporters have said the legislation could provide $34 billion in savings over the next 20 years.
Lawmakers caution that residents should remember the veto session is only six days – three days this week and another three days from Oct. 28 through 30 – so expectations of what could be accomplished should be tempered accordingly.
House Speaker Chris Welch also said the lawmakers will consider whether there is any state action they can take in regards to ICE actions in Broadview and Chicago as part of the Trump administration's ongoing Operation Midway Blitz crackdown.
Welch admitted a lot of research will be needed to figure out legal language that will stick. He has been talking to other legislators about what limitations on ICE agents and immigration enforcement could be.
"if we can find a way to keep ICE from going into hospitals where people are recovering from injuries and surgeries. We want to keep them out of hospitals. If we can keep them out of courts and areas around the courts, if we can do that properly, I would love to do that," Welch said at a news conference outside the Broadview ICE facility Monday.
Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.