Illinois residents will pay for a “record $55.9 billion budget with over $800 million in tax increases” and be subject to many new state laws. Most of the new laws are bad, but some are sensible and good. “Here are five laws effective July 1,” notes the Illinois Policy Institute:
End-of-life option
Referred to as Deb’s Law, patients with a terminal disease may ask a doctor to prescribe aid-in-dying medication allowing them to end their life “in a peaceful manner.” Senate Bill 1950 was originally titled “Sanitary Food Preparation” and amended in the last week of the 2025 regular session to the “End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act.”
Cyber-bullying definition
House Bill 3851 adds to the bullying prevention section of the school code. “Posting or distributing sexually explicit images” is considered a form of bullying. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, “‘cyber-bullying’ also includes the posting or distribution of an unauthorized digital replica by electronic means” if the post creates fear or harm for the student, hurts the student’s physical or mental health, or interferes with the student’s academic performance or the ability to participate in other services, activities or privileges provided by the school.
School bus permits
A school bus driver has a new permit option. House Bill 2962 creates a specialized school bus driver permit to operate smaller passenger vehicles and a “multifunction school activity bus” designed to carry up to 15 passengers when being used for curriculum-related activities such as transportation between home and school, to a vocational school or for a field trip. The bill gives districts more flexibility for curriculum-related transportation while maintaining strict safety standards.
Driving tests for 75+
House Bill 1226 raises the age for in-person license renewal to 79, up from 75. The bill also adds to the Illinois Vehicle Code that an applicant over age 87, or 75 if the person holds a commercial driver’s license, “must prove, by actual demonstration,” that they can safely operate a vehicle.
New Department of Early Childhood
Passed in 2024 during the 103rd Illinois General Assembly, Senate Bill 1 streamlines bureaucracy and accomplishes a recommendation from the bipartisan Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding. Two years after Pritzker signed it into law, the new Department of Early Childhood launches July 1, overseeing programs and services that have been handled by three state agencies.
On the other hand, Illinois is dead last in job creation among major states.
Illinois has an unusually high student absenteeism rate, and low student achievement despite higher-than-average educational spending.
Thousands of Chicago school laptops ended up in China, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Illinois legislators allocated $500,000 to a non-existent college.
Illinois spends more on dismally-bad colleges than on apprenticeships and workforce training. Over the years, it has spent billions of dollars on awful schools that graduate few of their students, like Chicago State University, which had an 11% graduation rate in 2016.
Illinois has a lousy educational system despite having the nation’s highest property taxes. Illinois has “an effective property tax rate of 1.83%, the typical Illinois homeowner paid around $4,584 that year.” By contrast, neighboring Indiana has an average property tax rate of 0.77%, neighboring Kentucky has an average rate of 0.73%, and Missouri has a average rate of 0.88%.
Illinois has managed to run up vastly higher levels of debt than neighboring Indiana, even though Indiana has lower tax rates and is poorer, giving it a smaller tax base. In 2025, Illinois had at least $70 billion in debt (and $144 billion in unfunded pension obligations), compared to $30 billion in state debt for Indiana.
