>> Illinois lawmakers are headed back to Springfield next week to finish out their fall veto session on the agenda, funding public transportation regulating him sales and managing energy reform just to name a few.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its aggressive push for immigration enforcement and National Guard troops in the Chicago area.

Joining us now, our state Representative Kam Buckner of the 26th District, which includes Bronzeville High Park in the South Loop State.

Senator Karina via the 25th district, which includes North Aurora, West, Chicago and Bartlett, state Senator Sue Rezin, the deputy Republican leader who represents the 38th district containing Putnam will sow and Kendall counties and state representative Brad Stevens of the 20th District, which includes Rosemont Norwich and Schiller Park.

Thanks to all of you for being here and there's a lot going on.

Senator Vo want to start with you because you have been vocally opposed to the presence of immigration officials and agents in the area.

Obviously, you just heard are spent a lot of time talking about it.

What can you do?

What are you working on as a state lawmaker?

We have many pieces of legislation that we're working on to finalize specifically.

>> How we can keep ice out of places like higher institutions higher education institutions, protocol for what happens if they show up to hospitals like we've seen happen already with Jessie Fuentes are Alderwoman other issues like the courthouse is that we have judges reaching out to us saying this has to stop.

And we already see some judges saying that that's that that's not allowed.

So we're taking a deep look at all of these different issues and ways that we can stop that from happening in the state of Illinois.

Give me a sense of how, because I think for some folks, there's confusion about how any state law would be able to prevent, for example, an ice agent from entering a courthouse because of federal law.

>> Supersedes state typically give me a sense of how how that might work.

It's about protocols and procedures that need to be put in place if they were to show up and the warrants that would need to be.

>> Present in order for them to continue to carry out what they're doing and not just being able to and 2 of different places Fear-mongering, the people in those places like our students who are pursuing the American dream of attending a higher obviously we're looking at some of that video what we've been seeing over the last few weeks.

A senator, as and what do you think are the tactics that we've been seeing from ICE agents necessary?

>> Well, you know, I would we this is first time that I've seen the video.

However, let's talk about what we are saying that's coming over the border, which I saw in my district.

So >> this is a little bit outside of my district.

I'm in the rural area, but I am on the interstate 80 in 55 corridor.

We have a lot of drugs that have come over the border since then.

So I mean, where is the outrage for the fentanyl deaths that we have seen since the borders been open in the last several years under the last administration.

300 us today over a million people dying from fentanyl.

This are these are drugs that are being brought across the border along criminals or human trafficking and trafficking children.

So we have to talk about the crime that goes along with it, too.

Unfortunately, when the borders were open several years The governor past of the trust act, which really ties the hands of local and state law enforcement to work with ICE officials to go after the criminals who are here.

We don't care that much about stories, but I can tell you about one in particular in Grundy County where our should Grundy County pulled over a car that had 3 cut kilos of fentanyl.

That's enough fentanyl to kill half of Chicago.

So clearly by having the open borders and having this this crisis here in many of the people who to come over came to Illinois because we are a sanctuary city.

We need to put something in place that make sense.

My last comment would be the governor has said is on record to staff is saying that yes, and spoken with the president since 2020 6 years wire just sitting at the table with the president having a conversation about what we can do to make our community safer.

I love the fact said there was the fact that it was a sheriff who pulled over that vehicle and arrested the person who had drugs in the car.

>> Our state police and our sheriffs are doing what they need to.

We don't need ice here.

We don't need terrorizing our streets and claiming to be going after the criminals are sheriff in our state.

Police or local police are doing their job?

Well, I'd like to make a comment to cause the 2 people that were arrested were here illegally and one fledge.

So we finally got.

>> This person he was underage.

He fled to California and we did bring him back.

So I mean, it is a challenge for law enforcement not to be able to work with ICE, OK?

So your colleague, all of your Unwin, said that yesterday he was stopped at gunpoint by ICE agents in Albany Park while he was informing residents of their presence.

>> He was also following the agent says he says in that video that he shared incentive to be.

I know that you've done that as well to let folks know that there are ICE agents in the area.

Ice have said that that is hindering their work, that that you know, it's chasing them.

And I think that's what one of the agents sent to representative when that video was stopped.

Following Mayor start chasing us.

Is that the right tactic for you all to be using?

>> The history of this country has shown that people come to the streets and they use their voice when things are happening.

That is not that are not appropriate that we need to shed light upon right now.

Everyday people should be shedding light on what is happening by going out.

And according with their phones by being at a safe distance and by pushing what is happening with asked individuals coming in picking up U.S.

citizen, U.S.

citizens are getting arrested.

People are getting tear gassed.

The press is getting arrested.

This is an alarming time in our nation's history.

And it is time for us to stand up.

Stand together.

People like Representative Hart myself and others who are going out into the streets to record these a horrific instances.

It's exactly what we need to be doing.

I want to get our representatives in this conversation as well because today a judge approved the extension of the pause on the National Guard deployment in.

>> It to Chicago as the administration were all waiting, of course, for intervention from the Supreme Court.

Representative Stevens, what if the court should side with the president?

>> Well, here I think we can all agree that hardened criminals need to be taken care of and taken off the streets.

let's let's worry about the bad You know, I think some of this stuff is a little bit over the top.

>> Representative.

But there's some question students, what we what we've seen with a National Guard going into cities like Chicago.

And this is creating a tinderbox is creating a lot of friction that many of us are scared is gonna blow up a very not productive way.

What we know is that no matter where you are on the special Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal liberal, you've got to agree that motor is ation of our city.

Streets is not the right way to go.

My hope is that we get to a point.

We have a conversation about how we move forward because this is not working.

What are you hearing from your constituents that scare had a number of run-ins with both the National Guard?

Nice in my community, specifically in Bronxville in South Shore where residents are petrified.

And so the terror that wrist reps to be terroristic elements of where every day folks who live in Chicago are scared to go outside.

They're scared, but I hope you're not on the This is not the way we should be looking.

Representative Stevens, what are you hearing from your constituents and really haven't heard a lot?

You know, I also represent a part of the city of Chicago, where is lot of law enforcement officers live.

>> But I have not heard much.

>> Let's shift to transit.

A Chicago area.

Transit agencies are facing a 230 million dollar budget fault.

The start of 2026.

It is expected to grow to 789 million in 2027 an effort to create new transit funding and reform.

The agencies failed to advance in the spring session.

Representative Stevenson to come back to you because I know public transportation is a top priority for What needs to happen next week for this bill to be passed?

Will it happen next week?

Well, I definitely think it needs to happen next week.

>> I think need to put the governance piece in place.

I think we need to find.

>> Some sort of revenue, whether it's >> Erie had of the 20 or so different items that seem app is put on the table for us to look at I think we need to get through the next 2 years, at least with a funding mechanism and what the board or boards get in place he put in place and be able to do their job and finding the way how we can all work together and making sure that transit is clean safe and on time and level.

>> Representative buck or you've got some pushback on some of the revenue streams under consideration such as a delivery fee for online orders.

Where will you find the revenue?

in that part of this process is that we want to do it.

>> In public.

want to do it on purpose, right?

This is once again some light and scrutiny.

And so we wanted to put these ideas out to hear from people from our membership, but also from from constituents around the state about what was important to them.

What kind of revenue package they could get behind.

And we have had that those conversations and for the Plainview.

And so I'm super confident that in the next few days we'll be able to find the right mix of revenue whether that is some delivery fee, whether that some other things like a large ticket surcharge to make sure we're not being aggressive putting this on the backs the people gave system the most.

>> Stephens will.

This will transit bill include downstate counties.

>> I my hope is that there is some revenue that flows to the downstate Transit systems.

this is a this is statewide issue here.

This is not suburbs versus the city.

This is not anything like that.

We all need to work cohesively to find the solution to make sure that there's a good reliable transit system throughout the state.

Senator, as in your thoughts on this well, I would say it's a heavier lift.

I am considered a down state legislator that really does not have access to the transit that's being talked about.

>> I have several concerns that will lay out there obviously to delivery tax.

It's a tax on everyone in the entire state and the money goes to Chicago.

That's at least if it's not.

That's how our constituents view that tax.

Not to mention.

It's also a new tax.

Anytime we add new taxes, whether it's small or not, you're opening the door to increase that tax over years in the past when the capital bill is passed, the capital Bill was >> past to create money for infrastructure updates.

Road temperatures not only for Chicago the suburbs, but downstate as well.

In the past 7 years, there has been about 1.3 billion dollars has been used for operating funds for the Cargo Tran said in general the the different transit in the Chicago suburbs.

So we want to make sure that money from the capital bill from now on states in the capital bill.

It is not used for operation expenses because those funds were never meant for operational expenses of for these entities.

>> Case.

Let's get to energy and climate change legislation.

The energy Bill House Bill, 4116 is currently in committee in the House.

It seeks to put requirements on energy efficiency.

Allow for new nuclear reactors.

Titan labor standards in the solar industry and incentivize battery storage on Senator resident know that you are you serve as the co-chair of the task Force for Energy Supply.

But you don't support this specific bill.

What are your issues with I mean, we're having this conversation essentially because in the past several years we've seen the build out of the AI economy with AI and quantum computing data process or data centers require tremendous amount of power.

>> And that's why we're having this conversation.

So the conversation around energy is really drastically change because the demand for energy, it is the goat.

Right now.

The gold rushes in energy not only in the state of Illinois, but across the country.

So how do we produce and make sure that we have enough capacity Hsu of to power up the data centers the rest of the economy.

And what does that look like?

Currently this bill?

I'm glad to see that lifting the moratorium on building out a large-scale nuclear is in the bill to build that I've had for other.

I've been an advocate for nuclear because all states are looking at new clears Paw Paw so are possibly part of their capacity for their energy, but also the problems within the bill.

Is it takes the ability for us to make a decision in our energy policy and transfers that chill an unelected body.

The ICC is made up of 5 people that are appointed by the governor.

And historically, these people have been from the environmental groups that are making decisions.

If the bill passes about water, energy portfolio looks like in the past.

They haven't supported no clear.

They do not support natural gas.

We need its annaul above approach for energy.

Regardless of what it is to make sure that we have enough demand.

Demand for data centers will double by the year in 2030.

So this of this is very real.

We want to make sure we don't have brownouts in the near future.

The homeowners Back in August, 8 from announced it was raising the Illinois homeowner insurance rates by an average of 27%.

Citing inflation in severe weather.

>> Senator via Governor Pritzker has called for more home insurance regulations.

But some insurance businesses.

They're saying that that is government overreach.

What would you do?

What would you will be able to do without risking overregulation?

>> First and see what the bomb dollars of what they're making.

insurance companies house trying bring a whole how CEOs bringing home when they're talking about increasing the rates at a time.

Right now, homeowners are struggling so much to make ends meet if there's a way to hold these companies accountable.

But I think that we need take a serious look at it because are homeowners Illinois can't continue to bear these burdens with with rate increases with with homeowners insurance.

Representative Stevens, are you hearing from constituents on this issue?

>> I'm a state client.

yes, I call a client.

Nobody wants to pay more for anything today and I think that we've got to be cautious with the government oversight.

Oftentimes we see the government oversight doesn't do well for the for the Casey, you're resistant to to more oversight, more regulation.

all yours.

yours.

>> So Governor Pritzker also been pushing for him regulation for months now.

Cannabis and have there derived from the same plant.

Of cannabis has more THC.

Hemp has less course.

Thc is the stuff that gives you the high representative buck or do you think camp should be speaking of government regulation?

Should there be more regulation for We have to deal with this because we know what's happening happening with intoxicating hemp.

>> Across this country, but specifically in Illinois.

>> As the young people are getting, the holdup doing bad things to the physically from a help So we have to get a hold of what's happening here.

Well, we'll see if there has to be also a way to balance this.

What hearing is that a lot of minority folks who don't feel like they have the actual lane into the legal cannabis space are in the hip space and they want to be a part of commerce and economic space as well.

Right.

And so we've got to find a way to balance this to land this plane.

To that we're keeping young people safe.

But we're all so that should be on businesses, people a chance to operate one minute left with Bears stay in Chicago.

So you follow the bill aimed at making a new sports stadium deals more transparent.

>> How sports stadiums become politicized in 45 seconds or less, where they become politicized.

Because pro sports is the one industry in this country that's socialize is the cost profit well.

>> They're asking folks like you and our constituents to pay the bill for the billion dollar sports stadiums.

So all of citizen, Illinois, we should do things a little different.

We have a real conversation about what benefits are there for the people.

You can the people to to write you a blank check, whatever race or dead on property tax, especially if you're at night and they have to be in dollar company.

That's not fair.

You just heard us talk about insurance rates and utility bills and all kitchen table issues are hitting people.

Stadiums are not top of that list.

Okay.

That's where we'll have to leave it Best of luck to all of you next State