AGRICULTURE
Democrats Failed to Deliver for Farmers
Illinois farmers are no strangers to hard work, long days, and generational commitment. But when it comes to passing on the family farm, they’re facing a tax burden that threatens everything they’ve built. Despite bipartisan calls for reform, Democrats in Springfield have failed to act.
Illinois is one of just 16 states that still levy an estate tax, and its exemption threshold, currently set at $4 million, hasn’t been adjusted for inflation since 2013. That might sound like a lot, but for farmers whose value is tied up in land and equipment, it’s alarmingly easy to cross that line. The result? Families are forced to sell off acreage or assets just to pay the tax bill.
In early 2025, lawmakers introduced House Bill 2677, a bipartisan proposal to raise the estate tax exemption for farms from $4 million to $6 million and tie it to inflation going forward. The bill had support on both sides of the aisle, the Illinois Farm Bureau, and farmers across the state, yet it was never given a hearing. Instead, it was quietly sent to a subcommittee and left to die in the House Rules Committee.
Meanwhile, Democrats floated a separate proposal to lower the exemption to just $2 million, a move that would have hit farmers even harder.
Even Governor JB Pritzker, who once called estate tax reform a “shared priority,” has remained silent on the issue. While some Democratic lawmakers did co-sponsor reform bills like the Family Farms Preservation Act (SB 2921 / HB 4600), leadership failed to prioritize them in budget negotiations.
The numbers speak for themselves: 96% of Illinois farms are family-owned, and nearly 70,000 families rely on agriculture as their livelihood. These families deserve action.
Illinois farmers feed, fuel, and clothe our communities. It’s time Illinois Democrats stop treating them like a budget line item and start protecting the legacy they’ve worked so hard to build.
PENSIONS
Report Shows Illinois Government Pension Crisis Worst in U.S.
Illinois has the nation’s worst public pension crisis. Nationwide analysis from the Equable Institute shows Illinois state pensions remain fiscally unstable and threaten retirees and taxpayers, underscoring the need for reform.
The Equable Institute’s annual report on the state of public pensions nationwide reaffirms that Illinois pensions continue to lag the nation in funding and are in desperate need of reform.
If the state fails to fix its pension issues, the budget will continue to be strained, people will continue leaving the state over high taxes and future pension benefits could be at risk. Preserving the cost savings of Tier 2, offering retirement choice to state employees and constitutional pension reform should all be implemented if Illinois is to have any hope of gaining fiscal stability.
Comparing pension debt to the state’s gross domestic product helps measure the state’s ability to pay based on the local tax base. By that measure, Illinois ranks as the nation’s worst: unfunded obligations equal 19.02% of state GDP, up from 18.52% a year ago. In other words, roughly one-fifth of everything produced in the state would be required just to erase the shortfall.
That’s driving up the burden on taxpayers, whose contributions to state pension systems have grown nearly 20-fold, from $614 million in fiscal year 1996 to $11.2 billion in fiscal year 2025. The heavy pension bill explains why Illinoisans pay the highest effective property tax rate in the country.
Illinois’ funded ratio, the share of promised benefits already covered by assets, is 50.6%, the second worst in the nation. The state finished the previous two years in last place, but this year New Jersey slipped below it with a ratio of 50.2%. Illinois is one of only four states that remains under the 60% threshold many analysts label as seriously troubled.
Read more on this report from the Illinois Policy Institute.
ILLINOIS STATE FAIR
Adventure Awaits at the Illinois State Fair!
The 2025 Illinois State Fair is only one week away, and this year promises plenty of adventure and excitement at the state fairgrounds in Springfield.
This year’s event features a showcase of Illinois agriculture and products, as well as plenty of carnival rides, attractions, concerts and (of course) good food!
The event kicks off on Thursday August 7 with the annual State Fair Twilight Parade through Springfield and into the fairgrounds.
REMEMBERING “RYNO”
Ryne Sandberg, Cubs icon and Hall of Famer, passes away at 65
An iconic player who helped redefine the second base position and authored one of the great singular performances in the long, storied history of the Chicago Cubs, Ryne Sandberg died on Monday after battling cancer. He was 65 years old.
Sandberg left behind a legacy of a quiet superstar who may have been reluctant to find the spotlight, but demanded it with a blend of power, speed and defense that made him one of baseball’s all-time greats. He spent the majority of his brilliant 16-year career with the Cubs, earning induction into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
“Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,” said Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts on behalf of his family and the Cubs’ organization. “His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career.
“He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father and grandfather.”
At the time of his retirement, Sandberg stood as Major League Baseball’s record-holder for home runs as a second baseman (277 of his 282 shots). He was a 10-time All-Star who collected nine Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger trophies and won the 1984 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Read more on Ryne Sandberg’s life and Hall-of-Fame career at MLB.com.