On May 31, The Illinois 2025 Session adjourned. More than 430 bills were passed by the General Assembly and sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker (D). Many of these bills remain on his desk awaiting his signature or veto. The session saw aggressive legislation come out of Springfield particularly in the areas of employment and healthcare. Governor Pritzker passed reforms that are new for the Midwest region and the United States. Discord amongst the political parties was high and the Republicans, the minority party, were very upset with the session outcomes with House Minity leader Tony McCombie (R) stating “The outcomes of this session are well predicted to be disastrous.” Here are some of the key bills and moments:
Employment
Illinois underwent major employment reform. A key bill that is awaiting the Governor’s signature is HB 3638 which amends the Workplace Transparency Act, providing that non-disclosure agreements may not restrict an employee from engaging in collective bargaining and that employees may bring about a private action for costs of damages. Confidentiality clauses will now expire within 5 years of the relevant incident. Paid leave is an employment issue that has received much attention with a host of bills awaiting the Governor’s signature. SB 212 will require paid breaks for employees who are nursing mothers to express milk. SB 2978 requires employers to provide job-protected unpaid leave for employees with a newborn child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. HB 1616 expands the eligibility of the Employees Blood and Organ Donation Leave Act to part-time employees. The final paid leave measure is SB 220, which requires paid leave for employees to serve in military funeral honors. While these bills have not yet received Governor action, Governor Pritzker stated of a paid leave bill in 2023, “Illinois is the most pro-worker state in the nation, and the Paid Leave for All Workers Act is a prime example of those values translating into action.”
SB 1976, also known as the Illinois Workers’ Rights and Workers Safety Act, prohibits state agencies from revising rules in a manner less stringent than 2025 federal worker safety laws. State agencies must adopt rules that are equally burdensome to 2025 federal regulations if any such federal regulations are revoked resulting in more relaxed regulations. However, state agencies may establish regulations more stringent than the 2025 federal laws.
Healthcare
The 2025 legislative session made notable changes to Illinois healthcare regulation. Most discussed amongst this legislation was HB 1697, signed by the Governor on July 1, titled the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which regulates pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The measure prohibits several PBM practices including spread pricing, steering a covered individual, or limiting a covered individual's access to drugs from a pharmacy or pharmacist enrolled with the health benefit plan under the terms offered to all pharmacies in the plan coverage area by designating the covered drug as a specialty drug. The measure also imposes new reporting requirements and fees on PBMs including a $15 fee or an alternate amount as determined by the Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services by rule per covered individual enrolled by the pharmacy benefit manager in Illinois. According to the sponsor of the bill, Senator Dave Koehler (D), “This really restricts the ability of PBMs to extract large amounts of money out of the prescription drug system,”. Governor Pritzker said of the bill “For far too long, pharmacy benefit managers’ business practices have operated with little regulation, transparency, and accountability… Illinois is putting an end to that. We will lead the nation in bringing transparency to PBM drug pricing”, indicating that he hopes other states will use this legislation as a model in PBM regulation. This measure will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Another important piece of legislation that is awaiting action on the Governo’s desk is HB 3637 which offers new protections for healthcare professional who offer abortions services and guarantees access to abortion medication even if FDA approval of such medication is revoked. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Dagmara Avelar (D), indicated that this bill is a response to possible policy changes in Washington, stating, “We know that Project 2025 has called for the revoking of the FDA approval for medication abortion drugs, and we cannot wait to react after the fact.” The bill received a wide margin of support in both chambers of the legislature, but the opposition was vocal, with Representative Bill Hauter (R) stating “Do not reject the authority of the U.S. federal Food and Drug Administration. This is an important safety mechanism. This is unprecedented in my mind.”
A variety of bills have also passed the legislature that aim to expand the healthcare workforce. HB 1270 allows healthcare workers with volunteer status to return as professionals more easily. HB 3849 amends the Pharmacy Practice Act and Controlled Substances Act by expanding which healthcare professionals can receive and deliver prescriptions. SB 1463 allows dental and dental hygienist license applicants awaiting final licensure to practice under the supervision of a licensed dentist.
Budget
The Illinois budget for fiscal year 2026, HB 2755, was signed into law by Governor Pritzker on June 16. The budget, totaling $55.2 billion, is the largest in the state’s history. Included in the budget are a series of new taxes including a sports betting tax of $0.25 per wager on the first 20 million bets and $0.50 per wager after that, an increased tobacco tax of 45% which also applies to vaping and nicotine pouches, and a tax on corporate income from out-of-state sales if those sales aren’t taxed elsewhere. New budget items include a new $25 million Prescription Drug Affordability Fund to support certain pharmacies in Illinois in competition against larger pharmacy benefit managers, $212 million for the Smart Start early education program, and $6.2 billion for Department of Transportation construction projects. The K-12 education increases were funded at $307 million. New taxes were a critical part of Governor Pritzker’s initiative to balance the Illinois budget, he stated “While the Trump administration goes on Fox News lying about being fiscally responsible, Illinois is showing a better way: Balancing the budget while maintaining the programs that most people rely on.”
Looking Ahead
The Illinois General Assembly will reconvene on October 14 until October 30 for a veto session. While veto sessions are traditionally for challenges to vetoes and aspects of the budget, Governor Pritzker has indicated that he may use this session to pass new legislation specifically with regards to combatting a recent home insurance price hike. While there has been much talk on the national level of Governor Pritzker pursuing a presidential candidacy in 2028, the Governor has confirmed he is pursuing a third term as Governor in 2026.