State lawmakers talk budget, data center regulation at end-of-session town hall

Jonah McClure/The Daily Northwestern

The trio of politicians recapped several bills from the recently completed state legislative session during the town hall.

Jonah McClure, Multimedia Managing Editor

July 1, 2026

Four weeks after the 104th Illinois General Assembly adjourned in Springfield, state legislators hosted an end-of-session town hall to recap the spring legislative session at the Evanston Ecology Center on Monday evening.

In front of dozens of constituents, Illinois House Majority Leader and State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) and State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) outlined their goals following the session and answered questions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence and data centers to income taxes and climate change.

Gabel, a member of the House’s Budget Negotiating Team, opened Monday’s event by breaking down the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget.

The $55.9 billion budget, which Gabel called “morally and fiscally responsible,” reflects an $800 million increase from last year’s and is Illinois’ eighth consecutive balanced budget. According to Gabel, most revenue is projected to come from income and sales tax, and the state plans to take in $5.9 billion from what she called “sin taxes,” primarily on sports betting and cannabis.

The state government has paused a planned July increase on fuel taxes, enacted a back-to-school sales tax holiday and put nearly $100 million toward helping relieve food insecurity, which includes providing emergency payments to those recently deemed illegible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to Gabel.

She also discussed data centers and energy usage, specifically referencing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which took effect this month and works to create a reliable grid with sustainable energy for Illinois residents.

“There are some areas around the state that refuse to let solar or wind companies build there,” Gabel said. “They made up all kinds of excuses and had $1 million for a permit, all kinds of laws that we have pretty much put a stop to.”

Gabel said limiting the scope of data centers is necessary to maintain a sustainable energy system. In February, Gabel introduced the Protecting Our Water, Energy, and Ratepayers Act alongside State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) to regulate data center construction while ensuring proper water and energy use across the state.

Gabel added that as she looks to pass bills with another Democratic supermajority in the upcoming November veto session, the POWER Act is important base legislation she feels most stakeholders agree upon.

Gong-Gershowitz emphasized the significance of AI. As chair of a working group on AI, she examined over 122 bills related to AI regulation during the spring session.

She highlighted House Bill 5511, the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, the final piece of legislation passed before the session adjourned. With Gong-Gershowitz as the lead sponsor, the act bans “addictive algorithmic feeds” for children under 18 while limiting apps’ access to user data.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in this room that is unaware of how much social media and technology have really creeped into almost every aspect of our lives,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “We have learned that, much like tobacco, social media companies have designed these products to addict you on purpose.”

She also mentioned two other AI regulation-focused bills, including one focusing on a third-party safety check for large AI models and another looking to ban ticket-purchasing bots.

Fine discussed bills affecting a range of ages, highlighting everything from efforts to decrease the frequency of driver’s exams for those over the age of 87 to mandating lists of the ingredients in diapers.

Toward the end of the one-hour session, Fine also emphasized the importance of mental health, specifically acknowledging “living rooms,” alternatives to emergency rooms that support those suffering from mental health crises. Fine said she found out that “living rooms” have been losing funding, despite their role in preventing hospitalizations.

“Going back in November, I want to make sure that our mental health crisis response is on the right track,” she said.

The General Assembly will return to Springfield November 17-19 for the first of two veto sessions.

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