Illinois-Indiana border: Indiana takes a first, and long, shot at redrawing state lines to acquire parts of Illinois

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is taking a first step toward acquiring parts of Illinois, though a last step appears rather unlikely.

Indiana’s Legislature this week gave final approval to a bill that would create the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission to recommend whether to change the border between the two states. The move comes as residents of some Illinois counties are seeking to separate from the Chicago area.

Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun plans to sign the measure into law, spokesman Griffin Reid said Friday. Braun will then face a Sept. 1 deadline to schedule the commission’s initial meeting.

But there’s a hitch.

A change in state boundaries also would need approval from Illinois and the U.S. Congress. And Illinois’ top elected officials don’t like the idea.

A companion bill authorizing Illinois to participate in the border adjustment commission has yet to receive a hearing in an Illinois House committee. Earlier this year, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the Indiana legislation “a stunt.”

Minor boundary changes between states are not unusual; there have been at least 50 throughout U.S. history, according the National Center for Interstate Compacts at The Council of State Governments. But no major changes have occurred since the Civil War era, when some Virginia counties broke way to form West Virginia.

The current movement involving Illinois and Indiana stems from political and urban-rural divisions. Democrats dominate the Chicago area and thus also control state government, while Republicans represent many other parts of Illinois. Republicans also control Indiana government.

In the last five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties have approved ballot measures asking if they want to consider separating from Chicago’s Cook County to form a new state. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they would link up with Indiana, if given the chance.

A similar movement is underway in eastern Oregon, where some counties want to break away from their Democratic-led state and join Republican-led Idaho. The Idaho House passed a measure two years ago inviting Oregon to enter into discussions. But similar measures remain buried in committees in the Oregon Legislature.