Government Affairs Roundup
“Your Timely Roundup of Local, State, and Federal Updates”
Chamber members:
A short and quick read today covering information on a short-term federal government funding stopgap bill and an Illinois Tollway 20-year plan. Finally, today will be the last opportunity to fill out the University of Chicago business owner survey.
*Government Affairs Roundup brought to you by CITGO*
ILLINOIS TOLLWAY ADOPTS 20-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN: OUR BOLD STEPS TOGETHER
The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors today adopted Our Bold Steps Together, a new 20-year Strategic Plan to guide infrastructure investments, service improvements and regional partnerships that shape the future of mobility in Northern Illinois.
The plan replaces the Tollway’s 2010 roadmap and reflects more than a year of community input from stakeholders, regional leaders and employees.
“This plan is about aligning our investments with what matters most – safe, reliable service and smart planning that supports our region’s economic health,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “It gives us a proactive framework to navigate evolving mobility needs, technologies and priorities.”
Titled Our Bold Steps Together, the Strategic Plan supports the Tollway’s ability to implement capital investments including remaining elements of the 16-year, $15 billion Move Illinois capital program; the new $2 billion, seven-year Bridging the Future capital plan and a forthcoming long-term capital program to maintain, expand and modernize the Tollway system. It also will guide policies, programs and initiatives supported by the Tollway’s annual maintenance and operations budget to ensure consistency and forward-thinking resource allocation.
The Illinois Tollway Board also adopted a new mission statement as part of the Strategic Plan: Leading with infrastructure, innovation and integration, the Illinois Tollway delivers the highest customer service and quality of life for all, to connect and safely move Chicagoland, Illinois and the United States forward, together. The full Strategic Plan is available on the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com/future.
“This Strategic Plan provides a broad yet well-defined path to success, building a business case that delivers the highest return on investment for customers and non-users alike,” said Tollway Board Member and Strategic Planning Committee Chair Scott Paddock. “It reflects the expectations of our customers and partners and the values that drive our agency forward.”
Building on Governor JB Pritzker’s guiding principles – innovation, equitable economic development, diversity and inclusion and sustainability – the Strategic Plan establishes a framework for evaluating capital investments, policies and procedures to maximize value for Tollway customers, communities and employees.
The Illinois Tollway’s Strategic Plan outlines five core goals to guide agency prioritization and delivery of 45 programmatic needs organized into three categories – maintain and enhance, expand access and diversity offerings – to support short-, medium- and long-term investments:
- Organizational Excellence: Support career growth of employees to improve organizational and customer service efficiencies
- Diversity and Equity: Build a culture that values diverse backgrounds to maximize organizational impact.
- Mobility and Economic Investment: Maintain and expand mobility options that support all modes, stimulate economic growth and deliver a positive return on investment.
- Sustainability: Support investments that protect human and natural environments.
- Innovation and Technology: Invest in leading technologies to enhance safety and service while diversifying revenue streams.
The Strategic Plan builds on the Illinois Tollway’s 2010 plan, which guided more than a decade of growth, modernization and service improvements. Recognizing the significant changes and accomplishments since then, the Tollway launched a comprehensive update in 2023.
This new plan takes a fresh look, establishing a baseline for growth and measurable progress while providing a clear roadway to accelerate implementation. It includes 45 initiatives to expand access to Tollway benefits, diversify offerings and maintain and enhance past investments.
The planning process included extensive staff engagement through agencywide workshops and milestone-driven discussions, drawing on expertise of employees who serve and safeguard customers. Early input from key partners and stakeholders, along with briefings and a work session with the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors in October 2024, helped shape a forward-looking, aspirational plan aligned with the Tollway’s updated mission, vision and goals.
Congress Eyes Short-Term Government Funding Stopgap as Appropriations Bills Stall
With U.S. House members away for their August recess, senators are now scrambling to advance at least some of the 12 annual appropriations bills needed to fund federal agencies for fiscal year 2026.
Republicans had initially planned to begin crafting and passing the funding bills shortly after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law. However, the immediate introduction of a $9 billion rescissions package caused weeks of delay.
That move also worsened tensions with Democrats. Republicans pushed the rescissions bill through without bipartisan support, alienating key Democrats whose cooperation is essential to completing the appropriations process. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., warned that the partisan approach “calls into question the future of the broader appropriations process, if the President simply rescinds and Republican members go back on the agreements they made.”
Lawmakers face a hard deadline of Sept. 30—the end of fiscal year 2025—to pass all 12 appropriations bills through both chambers. Failure to do so would risk a government shutdown. So far, only two bills have passed the House, and none have cleared the Senate, making the deadline increasingly unlikely to be met.
The House is not scheduled to return until Sept. 12, giving Congress less than three weeks to pass all 12 bills—an all-but-impossible task given the internal divisions and growing Democratic resistance.
As a result, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is considering a short-term funding stopgap—known as a Continuing Resolution (CR)—to keep the government open while the full appropriations process continues. But that option comes with its own challenges. Some Republicans are likely to resist a CR, having previously agreed to multiple short-term extensions only after being promised a proper appropriations process for fiscal year 2026.
Congress never passed a budget for fiscal year 2025. Instead, lawmakers approved three consecutive CRs to maintain government operations through Sept. 30. Neither party was satisfied with that approach, though even some Senate Democrats voted for the temporary measures to avoid a shutdown.
The Senate is scheduled to begin its August recess next week, but with the deadline looming, Thune may hold the chamber in session longer to push through the military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.
Business Owner Survey
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is conducting a survey to collect information from privately held/family-owned company owners and executives about the options business owners consider for the ownership transition of their business such as:
– keeping the company and having a family member succeed as the top executive
– selling the company to the non-family management team
– sell all or a portion of the company to outside investors such as a private equity fund, family office or individual investors
This information collected in this survey is confidential and for academic research only – it will be helpful in understanding the intentions and process used by private/family owned businesses to provide insights and recommendations for assisting family/privately-owned businesses with these important issues.
Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey: click to begin survey
Or cut and paste this link in your browser:
https://chicagobooth.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_beIFPtPtKGZEw74
Stay well,
Mike Paone
Executive Vice President
Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry
mpaone@jolietchamber.com
815.727.5371 main
815.727.5373 direct