Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker holds up three bills impacting labor laws he signed on Aug. 14, 2025 | BlueRoomStream
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation that he says will protect workers, but a small business advocate says small towns and Main Streets will suffer.
The governor signed two bills Thursday morning at the Illinois AFL-CIO headquarters in Springfield.
Pritzker said Senate Bill 1976, also known as the Workers’ Rights and Workplace Safety Act, would preserve worker protections against federal rollbacks. He also signed House Bill 1189, which provides that workers are paid the state’s prevailing wage if it is higher than the federal prevailing wage for federal construction projects.
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Noah Finley said Senate Bill 1976 expands workplace liability and red tape.
“This is not the direction we need to go for Illinois if we want to create a prosperous future for our small towns and Main Streets across the state,” Finley said.
The NFIB sent a letter to the governor last week, urging him to veto SB 1976.
On Thursday, Pritzker dismissed concerns that the added regulations would hold small businesses back.
“Paying our workers properly does not hold Illinois back. It advances the cause of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
Finley says Illinois’ GDP and population growth trail the national averages.
“Right now we’re seeing a lot of developing countries, France, Britain, obviously we’re seeing regulatory relief coming from Washington, but Illinois is moving in the opposite direction. I would say we’re moving in the wrong direction on making Illinois viable, making it possible for small businesses to compete in the global economy,” Finley said.
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Well Hey….The people of IL got exactly what they voted for. A Spoiled rich brat that’s never worked a day in his life. He cares more about his image and Illegals than he does about his constituents of IL. He’s throwing his hat in for a 3rd term in IL as a backup to trying to run for President in 2028. He’s using tax payer dollars to travel the world and to fly to studio locations so he can do the talk show circuit. He’s a Billionaire fleecing the people of IL of their tax dollars, putting us further in debt that our grand children will never be able to pay it off. My suggestion is to Impeach him NOW before he get’s a chance to do any more damage.