(The Center Square) – Veto session begins at the Illinois Statehouse in Springfield Tuesday and last week’s election of Donald Trump may be top of mind.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker expects the Illinois Legislature to work on policies he said would be aimed at countering anything coming from an incoming Trump administration.
In running for the office he ultimately won, Trump promised to close the border, deport violent illegal aliens and end sanctuary cities. With the expectation the U.S. Senate and House will be in Republican control, that could mean dramatic shifts in public policy.
During a post-election news conference Thursday, Pritzker said he’s in talks with his policy advisors and with other governors on what to do around Democrat initiatives.
“So we’re gathering, I would call it, a list of things that we may need to address, maybe not during veto session, but maybe, it can be done in the new year,” Pritzker said. “But suffice to say that we have a lot of work that we’re looking at doing.”
Pritzker said some of the issues that may surface either during veto session or early next year could include reproductive rights, health care and immigration.
“I’m eager to get back to our Capitol and resume the work of the people,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. “We’ve gotten big things done in the 103rd General Assembly, and I’m looking forward to closing out this session on a positive note for Illinoisans.”
State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, expects there to be “a lot of meltdowns” from Democrats during veto session.
“You’re going to see the Democrats really give a lot of floor speeches, they’re going to file a lot of legislation on the immigration issue,” Niemerg told The Center Square.
Niemerg said the election results show him that undocumented immigration is a losing issue.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, expects the majority party at the statehouse to address their concerns ahead of Trump taking office.
“To evaluate any kind of impact that Trump’s administration could have on Illinois if we don’t take action now,” Ford told The Center Square.
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said in a statement that “House Republicans remain committed to delivering economic growth, ending corruption and putting Illinois families first.”
Veto session is scheduled Tuesday through Thursday this week and Tuesday through Thursday next week.
