SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois Capitol is buzzing again as lawmakers have returned to Springfield for the veto session.
House Democrats and Republicans spent hours meeting behind closed doors with their caucuses after leadership canceled two hearings scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
"I think it will be pretty light on legislation and pretty heavy on anti-Republican rhetoric," House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said.
While McCombie is not optimistic about work getting done this week, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch told WAND News it is time to address actions threatening public safety.
"We're seeing the chaos that Donald Trump is causing in American cities with military troops and ICE, and border patrol hundreds of miles from the border," Welch said. "It's just total chaos being created by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans."
Democrats hope to limit ICE agents from detaining people in courthouses, expand the definition of law enforcement prohibited from cooperating with immigration enforcement, and potentially ban law enforcement from wearing masks or neck gaiters on the job. Yet, Republicans strongly oppose those ideas.
"If the borders hadn't been open, we wouldn't have 550,000 people here," McCombie said. "If Pritzker wouldn't be helping to pay and send millions of Illinois taxpayer dollars on sanctuary policies, we wouldn't have 550,000 people in our state."
Democrats and clean energy advocates want more solar and wind projects brought online, along with battery storage and geothermal energy. They also hope to require data centers to bring their own energy sources into the state.
"Storage has been an issue. Certainly, supply is the overall issue," Welch said. "If we can increase supply, that will bring down the cost."
McCombie argues Illinois needs to lift the cap on nuclear construction and bring coal and gas plants back online to avoid relying on energy from other states.
"As other states around us are looking at data centers or high energy users, they are not going to be so open to exporting their energy to us because they're going to be needing it for themselves," McCombie said.
The fiscal cliff for CTA, Metra and Pace is much smaller than the expected $770 million shortfall, as the Regional Transportation Authority needs roughly $200 million. Democrats could pass a transit funding and reform plan, but Welch stressed affordability will be the north star for his caucus.
"I think a $1.50 delivery charge is tone deaf to what we're hearing at the doors and in communities all across the state," Welch said. "I'm not saying that a delivery charge isn't going to be considered at some level, but certainly not at $1.50."
McCombie said Illinois cannot continue to tax its way out of messes, and her caucus will oppose any new statewide tax.
The veto session will continue through Thursday of this week. Lawmakers will return for the second week of the session on Oct. 28.Â
More Statehouse Coverage:
Lawmakers remain concerned about IDOC mail scanning technology, deadline for permanent rule
Longtime IL House Speaker Michael Madigan begins prison sentence for ComEd corruption scheme
Illinois lawmakers could vote on Chicago transit, energy, criminal justice bills during veto session
Pasqal to establish U.S. headquarters at Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
