Recent Ethics Cases Renew Calls for Government Reform
Senate Republicans are once again calling for stronger ethics laws after two members of the Illinois House Democratic Caucus recently became the subject of separate state and federal investigations, resulting in one lawmaker’s resignation and another facing federal criminal charges.
One Democratic lawmaker recently resigned following an ethics investigation into media-reported allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct. Another has been federally indicted on multiple felony charges, including wire fraud, false statements, and obstruction of justice.
The incidents have renewed concerns about Illinois’ reputation for public corruption and prompted additional calls for meaningful ethics reform. Senate Republicans argue that every new ethics scandal further erodes public confidence in state government while damaging Illinois’ reputation as a place to live, work, and do business.
Questions have also been raised about the Legislative Inspector General’s investigation into Representative Harry Benton. While initial reports suggested the report would not be released following Benton’s resignation, later statements have clarified that the Legislative Ethics Commission would determine whether the report could be made public under state law.
State Senator Sally Turner said Illinoisans deserve a government they can trust and that public office is meant to help the people, not an opportunity for personal gain. She said Senate Republicans have repeatedly introduced ethics reform legislation to strengthen accountability, increase transparency, and help restore public confidence in state government.
New Proposal Would Help Illinois Families Afford Health Insurance
As Illinois families continue to face rising healthcare costs, Illinois Senate Republicans are pushing legislation to help lower health insurance costs.
Senate Bill 2763, filed by Senator Dave Syverson, and Senate Bill 4214, introduced by Sue Rezin, would allow Illinois families to deduct eligible health insurance premiums from their state income taxes. The two bills would ensure that all Illinoisans can deduct their out-of-pocket health insurance premiums, regardless of the type of plan they have, including employer-sponsored insurance and plans purchased through the ACA.
State Senator Sally Turner says that many Illinoisans are paying more than ever for health insurance while also facing rising costs for groceries, housing, utilities, and other everyday necessities. She says helping reduce the cost of healthcare is one way lawmakers can provide meaningful relief without expanding government.
Under the proposals, eligible premiums paid for the policyholder, a spouse, and covered dependents could qualify for the deduction.
New Law Establishes AI Safety and Transparency Standards
A new Illinois law will establish safety, transparency, and accountability standards for some of the nation’s leading artificial intelligence companies.
Senate Bill 315, modeled after similar laws in California and New York, creates the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act. The law applies to large frontier AI developers and requires them to develop and publicly post a safety framework for their frontier AI models.
Under the new law, large frontier developers must submit regular summaries of catastrophic risk assessments involving their internal use of frontier AI models to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS). Developers must also report critical safety incidents to IEMA-OHS and the Attorney General within 72 hours. If an incident poses an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury, it must be reported within 24 hours.
Beginning January 1, 2028, qualifying developers must also undergo annual independent third-party audits. The law includes standards to help ensure auditors have the proper expertise and are free from financial conflicts of interest.
The new law also requires developers to file disclosure statements with IEMA-OHS and allows the agency to publish a public list of compliant large frontier developers. Companies that fail to comply could face civil penalties of up to $1 million for a first violation and up to $3 million for subsequent violations.
State Senator Sally Turner says the law is about ensuring that as AI technology continues to advance Illinois needs to have clear safeguards in place to protect the public.
The legislation was signed into law on July 6 and takes effect January 1, 2027.
NFIB Releases Illinois Small Business Legislative Voting Record
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Illinois’ leading small business advocacy organization, has released its 2025-2026 Small Business Legislative Voting Record for Illinois.
State Senator Sally Turner earned a 92% pro-small business voting record, placing her among the highest-scoring members of the General Assembly. Legislators were scored based on their votes on key issues important to small businesses, including reducing regulations on employers, opposing costly mandates, and strengthening workforce development opportunities for Illinois job creators.
NFIB’s Legislative Voting Record highlights key votes taken during the 2025-2026 legislative session on issues impacting small businesses across the state.
For the full 2025-2026 Voting Record or a list of legislation included in the score, click here.
OSLAD Grant Program Now Open for Applications
Applications are now being accepted for the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program through August 31, 2026.
OSLAD is a state-funded grant program that provides financial assistance to local governments for the acquisition and/or development of land for public parks, open space, nature areas, and outdoor recreation projects.
A total of $37.5 million is available for this round of OSLAD grants. The program can help cover a portion of eligible project costs, with additional assistance available for qualifying economically distressed communities. Communities whose parks need to be rebuilt because of storm damage are also encouraged to apply.
Except for larger jurisdictions, OSLAD grant awards are currently limited to $1,125,000 for approved land acquisition projects and $600,000 for approved development or construction projects.
In Illinois, eligible applicants include units of local government that are authorized by law to spend public funds for the acquisition and development of land for public park, recreation, or conservation purposes. School districts are not eligible.
Applicants must be pre-qualified through the State of Illinois Grantee Portal before applying. Applications must be submitted through the Amplifund Grant Management System by 5 p.m. on Monday, August 31.
To learn more about grant eligibility and how to apply, click here.
Ameren Warns Consumers About Scammers
Ameren is warning customers to stay alert as scammers use increasingly sophisticated tactics, including fake emails, advertisements, websites, QR codes, and even AI voice-cloning calls.
According to Ameren, scams are becoming harder to detect, making it important for customers to slow down before clicking a link, scanning a QR code, making a payment, or sharing any personal or account information.
Ameren encourages customers to verify any suspicious requests before responding. Customers should call the phone number listed on their bill to confirm whether a message, call, or visit is legitimate. They should also avoid sharing passwords, PINs, one-time codes, payment information, or account details in response to an unexpected message.
If someone claiming to be an Ameren employee arrives at a home unexpectedly, customers should ask to see a company-issued photo ID at the door and call Ameren to confirm the employee’s identity.
Customers who have concerns about whether a request is legitimate can call Ameren Illinois at 1-800-755-5000 or visit Ameren.com/StopScams to learn more about how to recognize and avoid scams.