A bill introduced in the Indiana legislature by its Republican House speaker would create a commission to embrace 33 Illinois counties that have voted for a symbolic measure to leave Illinois and create a new state.
"To all of our neighbors in the west, we hear your frustrations and invite you to join us in low-cost, low-tax Indiana," Rep. Todd Huston told the Indianapolis Star.
The legislation from Huston, who represents an Indianapolis suburb, would create the “Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission,” the Star reported on Tuesday.
Indiana House Republicans listed the proposal as one their top priorities for the 2025 legislative session. Huston said the bill isn’t meant to “stir up trouble with Illinois.” However, it’s a “serious” piece of legislation, he said.
This development follows 33 counties in downstate Illinois approving nonbinding referendums since 2020. Most recently, seven counties approved the measure in the 2024 election that asked residents if their county board should explore forming a new state separate from Cook County, home to Chicago.
Last May, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the measure, saying separating from the state shouldn’t even be a discussion.
Madison County in the Metro East then became the first nonrural county to pass the referendum — in a move that supporters say proves the movement is bigger than an urban-rural divide.
“I think this movement has a lot more teeth to it than the governor has given it credit for. He's kind of pooh-poohing us and not taking us very seriously,” said Dave Stopher, a Troy resident who led the charge to get the referendum before voters, after the election. “We're hoping that this sends a very distinct and clear message to Springfield and to Cook County.”
While the question was being debated early in 2024 by the Madison County Board, some Republicans expressed interest in joining Missouri, rather than creating a new state. However, the question was left unchanged because the group spearheading the movement, Illinois Separation Referendum, preferred creating a new state.
“I would be open to any method to run downstate counties in a more efficient manner than under Cook County’s leadership, including talks with Indiana, Kentucky or Missouri,” Stopher said on Tuesday.
Leaders of Illinois Separation Referendum could not be immediately reached for comment.
"I think that the counties along the Illinois-Indiana state line that voted to approve the referendum would be a good fit for Indiana," said GH Merritt, chairman of New Illinois, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate residents about the formation of a new state. "In fact, I think most of Illinois outside of Cook County would be a great fit."
