During an exceptionally challenging budget year as the impacts of H.R. 1, last year’s federal spending bill, took hold, our partners in the General Assembly protected many important programs in early childhood and K-12 education, food programs, and funding for immigrant seniors to access healthcare, from cuts. They also restored $10 million in funding for critical homelessness prevention programs that were cut in last year’s budget and made slight increases to key K-12 initiatives that get Illinois closer to fully funding our public schools. They also advanced real wins such as the Civil Rights Safeguard Act, the FRESH program and the Digital Advertising Tax. These were hard fought and significant wins and they are worth celebrating. However, we would be failing our community if we said that this was enough.

Flat funding that does not keep pace with our lived reality – rapidly rising inflation and cost of living – is essentially a cut. Several new investments, such as those proposed by the Illinois Revenue Alliance, are absolutely necessary to meet the needs of our state and of the Latino and immigrant families whose contributions this state relies on. We will continue to advocate for them any opportunity we can.

Bills to extend Illinois’ SNAP and Medicaid-like programs to thousands of lawfully present immigrants who lost access to federal programs did not advance. Nor did proposals to restore promised funding to state institutions of higher education and a bill to adequately and equitably fund public colleges and universities that serve the students with the most financial need after decades of disinvestment. 

The Spring legislative session may have ended on June 1, but our work is far from done because in Illinois, right now, parents have to choose between groceries and rent, college students are taking on more debt to stay enrolled, immigrant families that just lost SNAP benefits wonder where their next meal is going to come from, and people are foregoing necessary medical care because they simply can’t afford it. The federal government has abandoned these families, but here in Illinois, we cannot. 

• Sustained funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant at $748 million. Advocates requested $75 million in increased investment to adequately support families and get our youngest students off to a good start.
• Increase of $55 million for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The Latino Policy Forum joined partners to ask for a $120 million increase to address the rising caseload and provide wage increases to the field. 
• Sustained $200 million investment for SMART START Workforce Grants. We requested an additional $50 million to provide child care programs with upfront funding to support competitive wages and classroom operations without increasing tuition or Child Care Assistance Program co-pays.
• Increase of $15 million for the Early Intervention Program to improve timely access to services for families. The request at the beginning of session was for a $40 million increase.

• Licensing (HB3595) passed this session. Amends various acts by replacing “child care” and “day care” with “early care and education,” along with other terminology. Also strengthens protections for children in care when they are away from their parents, requires all employees and volunteers to be checked against the Sex Offender Registry and the Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System, offers in-state background checks at no cost, and ensures background checks follow the individual rather than the employer to make it easier for providers to hire staff.
• Advisory Reform (HB 5204) also passed this session. Amends the Illinois Early Learning Council Act to update leadership roles, transfer appointment authority to IDEC, and establish conflict-of-interest provisions, while also shifting Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity appointments to IDEC. Also includes Head Start representation.
• Background Checks (HB 5099) passed. Clarifies process for child care provider background checks, stipulates confidentiality provisions, and transfers responsibility for checks to IDEC beginning July 1, 2026.

• $15 million for Teacher Vacancy Grants to support a fourth year of the three-year pilot initiative to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention efforts. 
• $350 million in new funding for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Formula. This investment gets Illinois closer to fully funding public K-12 schools. Original request was for $550 million. 
• Additional $67.9 million for Mandated Categoricals (MCATs), such as transportation, special education, and free and reduced-price meal programs, which ensure districts can meet basic student needs without pulling dollars away from classrooms.

• Civil Rights Safeguard Act (SB 3777) passed this session. This legislation was led by the Illinois Department of Human Rights to codify the disparate impact framework for employment, financial credit, and public accommodations.
• Fully Funding Schools (HB 5409/ SB 3701) did not pass this session. However, this bill was still a critical catalyst to secure some level of increased investments for evidence-based school funding and mandated categoricals included in the final budget.

• Flat funding at $721.6 million for Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) to enhance college affordability for students and increase persistence and graduation rates. Requested a $70 million increase. 
• Modest increase of 1% for public 2- and 4-year universities. Original request was for 3% increase for four-year public universities, community colleges, adult education, and career and technical education. This adjustment falls far short of keeping pace with inflation and increased cost of tuition and does little to address the longstanding funding shortfalls facing Illinois’ public higher education system.
• Level funding for Teacher of Illinois Scholarship Program at $8 million for students pursuing post-secondary degrees in education. Meets request for level funding.
• Level funding at $5 million for Early Childhood Consortium for Scholarship. Requested additional $5 million investment to increase the number of qualified ECE educators by promoting advanced credentials and degrees and expanding providers’ classroom capacity.

• Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act (HB 1581 / SB 13) did not pass this session. While the bill was not enacted this legislative session, it drew greater attention to the longstanding funding challenges facing Illinois’ public universities and to the importance of creating a more equitable funding framework. We are grateful to the students, faculty, higher education advocates, public universities, and lawmakers who championed this effort.

• Level funding at $40 million for the Immigrant Integration Services Line Item to sustain citizenship application assistance, DACA renewals, and more. Advocates requested a $1 million increase. 
• Level funding at $35 million for Illinois Access to Justice (A2J) to keep free, accessible legal help available to immigrants across the state. Although advocates requested a $15 million increase to the program, we are thankful to legislators that defended the program against a proposed $10 million cut.
• Level funding at $40 million for IL Welcoming Centers as requested, to sustain comprehensive wraparound services for immigrants throughout Illinois, including legal services through the Immigrant Legal Support Program (ILSP).
• $70 million for the FRESH program. Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH) is a new program put forward by the Our SNAP Coalition that will provide a one-time emergency payment ($400) to Illinois residents who lost access to SNAP benefits because of new federal work requirements in H.R. 1. 
• $35 million for Victims of Trafficking, Torture or Other Serious Crimes (VTTC) program, to provide state funded food and cash assistance to certain immigrant victims of crime while their asylum or visa application is pending. While we are thankful to legislators for defending the program from a proposed $20 million cut, the program was not expanded to support the 16,000 lawfully present immigrants who recently lost access to federal SNAP.
• $45 million for Asylum Applicants and Torture Victims (AATV) program to provide state funded medical assistance to certain immigrants while their asylum or visa application is pending. While we are thankful to legislators for funding this critical program, they did not expand it to refugees, asylees, and other lawfully present immigrants who will soon lose access to federal Medicaid starting October 1.

• Food Assistance for Lawfully Present Immigrants Losing SNAP (HB 4831/ SB 3167). Effort to include language from the bill did not advance in the final budget. This effort would have expanded the state food assistance program to include lawfully present immigrants who lost access to federal SNAP because of H.R. 1. 
• Sustaining Health Coverage for Humanitarian Immigrants (HB 4824 / SB 3462). Effort to include language from the bill did not advance in the final budget. The Forum advocated to expand access to state health assistance program to immigrants that lost access to federal Medicaid because of H.R. 1. 
• Equal Treatment for All (HB 2909/SB 2251) did not advance this session. We supported this effort led by MALDEF to expand protections against discrimination in public accommodations and financial credit by including citizenship, primary language, and immigration status as protected categories in the Illinois Human Rights Act.
• Removing Restrictions on the IL Child Tax Credit (SB 3567) did not advance this session. Led by the IL Cost-of-Living Refund Coalition, this bill sought to remove restrictions on the IL Child Tax Credit (CTC) so all qualifying families can receive the maximum benefit. While it did not pass this session, there is broad support for the bill.
• Newborn Equity Support Transfer Program (NEST) (HB 5238 / SB 3756) advanced in part. Legislation sought to provide expectant mothers with prenatal and postpartum financial support, laid the groundwork for future programs just like it. Now, through language passed via the Medicaid Omnibus, Illinois has the infrastructure to work with municipalities, nonprofits, and philanthropy partners, to pursue guaranteed income programs like NEST in the future. 

• Flat funding for Home Illinois at $263 million, which includes $10 million to restore FY26 cuts. We are happy to see this restored funding, but these investments fall short of the $28.5 million necessary to address rising rates of homelessness in our state. Maintained funding will support:
  • Emergency and Transitional Housing (ETH) Program to support emergency shelter and transitional housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness
  • Supportive Housing Programs to pair housing and services and support long-term stability for those in need
  • Homelessness Prevention Program to help households stay housed and avoid homelessness
  • Initiatives that move people from homelessness to stability such as the Homeless Youth Program, Rapid Rehousing, and Scattered Permanent Supportive Housing

• Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act (HB 5234) passed. Amends the effective date of The Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act (HB 3564) which eliminates 11 junk fees for renters and requires landlords to be more transparent of other fees by including them on the front page of rental contracts. 
• Stop the Increasing Criminalization of Homelessness in Illinois (HB 1429) did not pass this session. This legislation sought to prohibit the state and local governments from fining or criminally penalizing people experiencing unsheltered homelessness for being in public spaces or doing life-sustaining activities. 
• Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act (SB 2264) did not pass. This legislation sought to protect tenants from evictions based on Crime-Free Housing and Nuisance Ordinances (CFNOs), that force or pressure landlords to evict tenants based on emergency calls or alleged “nuisance” activity, even without evidence, charges, arrests, or convictions.

• Road to Census 2030 Act of 2026 (SB 3459) did not pass this session. This bill would have funded early efforts to prepare for the 2030 Census.  

• Digital Advertising Tax passed in Amendment 1 of Final Revenue Package (SB 3019). Tax on digital advertising revenue of the largest platforms is expected to generate an estimated $1.1 billion in future revenue when fully enacted.
• Closing Corporate Loopholes/Decoupling (HB 5125 / SB 3796) largely did not pass, but one modest decoupling provision was included, which separates IL tax code from a tax break expanded in H.R. 1. 
• Worldwide Combined Reporting (HB 5318 / SB 3486) did not pass this session. Would have required multinational corporations to include income of foreign subsidiaries when calculating Illinois’ share of profits. Would generate an estimated $1.2 billion in revenue. 
• Billionaire Wealth Tax (HB 5215 / SB 3376) did not pass this session. A “mark-to-market” tax on billionaire asset appreciation which would have raised an estimated $916 million.