Primary Election
A quick reminder that the Primary Election is coming up on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Early voting has already begun, or you can vote in person on Election Day.
- DuPage County Early voting information can be found HERE
- Will County Early voting information can be found HERE
Local Issues
The Naperville City Council is expected to soon take up a discussion of proposed “stretch codes” at the urging of some of the more extreme members of the local environmental community.
The Illinois Stretch Code is a set of energy efficiency regulations that exceed the requirements of the Illinois Energy Conservation Code. It was developed in response to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which mandates higher energy efficiency standards for new construction, additions, and major renovations in both residential and commercial buildings. These unnecessary additional regulations would dramatically drive-up costs of construction for largely insignificant increases in total energy efficiency. Anyone who chooses to exceed the current efficiency standards is certainly free to do so. However, adding costs in an increasingly challenging construction economy, is deeply unwise.
NACC is strongly opposed to adopting mandated stretch codes.
State Issues
Our partners at the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce continue to advocate on behalf of the business community in Springfield. The legislative session will be dominated by discussion of Governor Pritzker’s recently-introduced $56.055 Billion FY27 budget.
The State Chamber issued this response:
“The Illinois Chamber of Commerce appreciates Governor Pritzker’s FY27 Budget Recommendation that seeks to address many of today’s economic challenges. We understand that balancing a budget requires making tough decisions with limited resources. However, this budget proposal contains several concerning provisions that send the wrong signal to existing Illinois businesses and those seeking to locate here.
The Chamber certainly shares the Governor’s desire to build more housing, spur nuclear energy development to lower the cost of energy for consumers, and invest in vocational training programs. Unfortunately, the Governor’s proposal also relies on policies that could have negative impacts on business development, cost of living, and overall tax burden on Illinois job-creators.
Today’s announcement that the State will be suspending the Data Center Investment Tax Credit, one of Illinois’ greatest economic development tools in recent history, risks accelerating the State’s negative economic outlook. Further, relying on flawed revenue and regulation proposals, such as the Net Operating Loss Deduction corporate tax change, the Social Media Platform Fee, the so-called “junk” fee ban, and misguided policy targeting our robust insurance industry, sends the wrong message to Illinois employers and the workers and communities they support.
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce remains committed to working with the General Assembly, Governor’s Office, and willing partners to advance innovative solutions that prioritize economic growth, affordability, and fiscal stability”.
Make sure to mark your calendars and plan to join us on April 15, 2026 for Chamber Day in Springfield. (There is an additional legislative reception the night before if you would like to make a multi-day trip to Springfield).
The day will feature issues briefings and opportunities to advocate for your business in conversations with your elected officials
Please email me at nmalone@naperville.net if you are interested in joining us.
National Issues
You may have missed this, amid the larger geopolitical issues happening in Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela but the US Supreme Court has issued a ruling halting some of the tariffs established under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). While the decision does not cover all tariffs, the US Chamber welcomed the news.
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued the following statement:
“The Supreme Court’s decision is welcome news for businesses and consumers. Over the past year, the Chamber has been working with small and midsize businesses around the country that have seen significant cost increases and supply chain disruptions as a result of these tariffs. Swift refunds of the impermissible tariffs will be meaningful for the more than 200,000 small business importers in this country and will help support stronger economic growth this year.
“We encourage the administration to use this opportunity to reset overall tariff policy in a manner that will lead to greater economic growth, larger wage gains for workers, and lower costs for families.”
The Chamber filed an amicus brief in Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc. arguing that the challenged tariffs were enacted in excess of statutory authority and are causing irreparable harm to businesses of all sizes.