The 2022 Legislative Session in Illinois will be quite the departure from tradition. In past years, the early months of session have been relatively slow, working out deals and messaging key pieces of legislation lawmakers are pushing through the General Assembly, but not this year.
With the calendar set for an early adjournment in April, thanks in large part to a later than normal primary season, the outcomes of sessions past that major legislation will hang around until April or May for a frenetic, end-of-session sprint is not going to be the case this year.
This legislative session is expected to be much quieter than most, with most of the major pieces of legislation being promoted by the Governor’s office passing during the 2021 Session, with major follow ups like redistricting coming through during the fall veto session.
While this year may not be as frantic as the past, expect the legislation that does pass to come early in the session, especially with the planned adjournment date of April 8. And according to most observers, it looks likely that both chambers of the legislature will actually adjourn on or before that day.
For all those stakeholders and interest groups that need legislation passed or are fighting off an issue in Springfield: Don’t expect legislators to breeze through session for a couple months and then get down to business like they always do in April and May. January, February, and March will be where all the action is in 2022!
Here are a few issues that you can expect to hear about during the 2022 session:
Budget:
Governor Pritzker laid out some large scale tax incentive programs to make Illinois more attractive to electric vehicle manufacturers in years to come, but those incentives may create headaches when it comes to the budget process. Past governors have been met with plenty of resistance when it comes to tax credit programs – See: Gov. Rauner’s Invest In Kids program – but with a friendly legislature, Gov. Pritzker’s budget will likely move through, though not without vocal pushback from Illinois Republicans.
American Rescue Plan Funding:
Illinois has about $5.5 Billion in American Rescue Plan funding remaining to allocate. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are outlining their plans for those funds. Headlining the discussion, though, is Governor Pritzker’s office stating that they are able to allocate those funds as the Governor sees fit without approval from lawmakers. Illinois Republicans are pushing back, calling for greater transparency and input from legislators on where that money goes.
Agriculture Conservation Efforts:
K2 has worked closely with key agriculture partners in the past to promote increased access to and funding for agriculture conservation methods, including the state’s extremely popular Fall Covers for Spring Savings program. Illinois lags far behind other Midwestern states in leveraging federal funding to support state-based conservation programs. Look for some major agriculture interest groups to team up with environmental and conservation groups to encourage the state legislature to get serious about supporting and encouraging incentive programs for farmers, landowners, and local governments.
-Justin and Nick