Indiana legislators are seemingly preparing to review the Indiana-Illinois border without its neighboring state.
Indiana House Bill 1008, which is aimed at redrawing the Indiana-Illinois border, was amended in the Senate Public Policy Committee Wednesday to allow one more Indiana representative to the commission and, with that, give the commission a quorum to meet.
House Bill 1008, authored by Speaker Todd Huston, would establish an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission to research the possibility of adjusting the boundaries between the two states.
Under the amended bill, Indiana would have six commissioners and Illinois would have five commissioners. The amended bill also states that a quorum of the commission consists of at least six members.
“Even if Illinois did not vote to have people present, we could at least inform the governor’s office and the legislature of a report on what happened, meaning the conversations that were happening. We couldn’t take any action that binds Illinois,” said Sen. Scott Baldwin, who sponsored the bill in the Senate.
Finally, the bill was amended to state that, if the bill becomes law, Gov. Mike Braun would have to set the commission’s first meeting no later than Sept. 1.
Huston drafted the bill after he learned that nearly three dozen Illinois counties have voted in recent years to leave the state, he previously said.
In November, seven Illinois counties – Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Madison and Perry counties – voted to secede from the state. Iroquois County is along the Indiana border, the remaining six counties are closer to Missouri.
Baldwin, R-Noblesville, said the commission “would be dedicated to evaluating the feasibility and logistics of integrating 33 Illinois counties into the state of Indiana.”
“While the concept may seem ambitious and complex, this bill does not enact the transfer itself, but rather creates a structured framework for thorough analysis and planning,” Baldwin said. “It should be important to note, (Illinoisans) initiated this conversation. They have all asked to be a part of this.”
To change a state line, the U.S. Constitution dictates that the Indiana legislature, the Illinois legislature, and then Congress would have to approve the measure, said Indiana University Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Paul Helmke.
G.H. Merritt, chairwoman of New Illinois, previously testified in favor of the bill. Two organizations in Illinois are working toward seceding from Illinois and creating a new state, Merritt said.
“Our biggest grievance is that we are not represented. We don’t have government of the people, by the people and for the people. Our governor accuses us of wanting to kick Chicago out of Illinois. Not so, we want to kick ourselves out of Illinois,” Merritt said. “Our goal is the constitutional formation of a new state separate from Illinois.”
Baldwin gave a roughly 12-minute presentation on the benefits of Indiana versus Illinois. He outlined Indiana’s lower taxes, business growth, job growth and low unemployment compared to Illinois’ high taxes, business decline and higher unemployment.
The benefits to Indiana, Baldwin said, would be an increase in tax revenue, an increase in residents who align with Indiana’s policies “from a political and cultural perspective,” and expanded influence in community development.
“Things are better in Indiana than they are in Illinois. It’s no surprise that people from Illinois want to live in Indiana,” Baldwin said. “We don’t have an ocean. We don’t have mountains to look at. Our sunsets don’t fall over a pristine, massive ocean like you might get in California or the East Coast. But in Indiana, our fiscal outlook is very strong.”
Baldwin said the commission would review the details of shifting the border, like redrawing the border, paying existing debt, addressing driver’s licenses and many other details.
Ultimately, Baldwin said both Illinois and Indiana governors would have to approve shifting the border, which would then have to be ratified by the U.S. Congress. In Illinois, Baldwin said the likelihood of the governor approving a border shift “is not strong.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker brushed off the proposal – and fired back at the neighboring state – when he was asked about it at an unrelated news conference in January.
“It’s a stunt. It’s not going to happen,” Pritzker said. “But I’ll just say that Indiana is a low-wage state that doesn’t protect workers, a state that does not provide health care for people in need, and so I don’t think it’s very attractive for anybody in Illinois.”
Illinois State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, filed Illinois House Bill 1500, and it “does similar things and is comparable to the Indiana bill,” he previously said.
Illinois House Bill 1500 states that if Indiana House Bill 1008 becomes law, then, within 60 days after receiving notice from the Governor of Indiana, the Illinois Governor should appoint five members to the Illinois-Indiana boundary adjustment commission.
Halbrook said Wednesday that House Bill 1500 has not been assigned to committee.
“Indiana continues to lead the way in recognizing that citizens should not be trapped under unjust governance,” Halbrook said in a statement Wednesday. “Indiana’s actions should be a wake-up call. Illinois leaders must stop blocking legitimate discussion on the future of our communities.”
Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, said she was born in Southern Illinois, and she recently heard from a friend who said there are many people in southern Illinois who would like to become a part of Indiana.
Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, said the bill is an initial step and there’s “a long way to go” before the border would shift. Dernulc said the bill would impact his district, as Lake County borders Illinois.
In Lake County, Dernulc said many companies moved across the border from Illinois. One business owner told Dernulc that Indiana’s property taxes are one-eighth of Illinois’ property taxes, he said.
“I’m in favor of this just to see where we go with it,” Dernulc said. “We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, I can be part of that conversation.”
Sen. Justin Busch, R-Fort Wayne, asked if other neighboring states, like Michigan, have expressed interest in joining Indiana. Baldwin said he wasn’t aware of that, but that “Indiana is open for business.”
Sen. La Keisha Johnson, D-Indianapolis, said she did not support the bill because a Ball State University study found that taking in the 33 Illinois counties would cost the state $2 billion.
The amended bill was approved in a 7-2 vote. It will advance to the whole Senate for consideration.
