INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Following a bustling initial legislative session for Indiana Governor Mike Braun, more than 200 new laws are slated to be implemented next month. Among these is a bill that proposes setting up a commission to examine the potential need for revising the border between Indiana and Illinois.
House Bill 1008 is on the verge of creating an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission that will explore the feasibility of altering the boundary lines separating the two states.
This commission will include six members appointed by Gov. Braun along with five members from Illinois. However, it remains uncertain how the commission will proceed without a corresponding bill passed in Illinois.
The conversation about adjusting the borders is nothing new. Several Illinois counties have voted to secede from the state, including seven counties in the November 2024 election.
When the bill passed the Indiana House of Representatives, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican from Fishers and the author of the bill, says Indiana has a lot to offer economically.
“Our economy is growing at a faster rate than all of our neighboring states,” Huston said at the time. “If Illinois residents and counties are looking for something different, we’re simply raising our hands and saying, you’d be welcome in Indiana.”
On the Illinois side, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called the move a “stunt” that was “not going to happen.”
“I don’t think that’s attractive for anyone in Illinois, where wages are higher and the standard of living is higher, and we do provide health care for people in need,” Pritzker said in January.
In January, Illinois Rep. Brad Halbrook authored House Bill 1500, a bill centered around the creation of the “Illiana Boundary Commission,” a bill that was referred to the rules committee of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Since then, there has not been any movement on that particular bill in the Illinois General Assembly.
