The start date for the Illinois General Assembly’s annual Fall Veto Session is quickly approaching. This year’s veto session, which occurs every year to provide legislators an opportunity to take up legislation vetoed by the Governor, is scheduled from October 24 to October 26 and November 7 to November 9.  

Unlike last year, when the Governor vetoed only one bill, the Governor has issued a total veto of three bills and amendatory vetoes of three more bills. Most notably, the Governor issued a controversial total veto of Senate Bill 76, which would loosen the state’s decades-old ban on the construction of nuclear capabilities and allow for new advanced nuclear reactors to be built. Senate Bill 76 received large bipartisan support in the Legislature. 

In addition to dealing with gubernatorial vetoes, the General Assembly’s Veto Session has traditionally been utilized to address other legislative items that weren’t completed or didn’t come up during the spring legislative session. The Illinois Senate Republican Caucus has called for this time to be used to repeal the sunset on the Invest in Kids program, which provides scholarship opportunities for low-income families to be able to attend a school of their choice. The program is set to expire at the end of the year if no legislative action is taken.

Additionally, some City of Chicago officials have asked that state lawmakers look at potentially shifting existing budget allocations toward additional migrant-related appropriations for Chicago.