September 7–13, 2026
A quiet week for local and state legislation; the action was almost entirely federal, with a few signed bills and several more headed toward a House floor vote.
This was a thin week for anything that directly touches your daily life in DuPage County. The signed federal bills are worth a quick scan if you fall into a specific situation, and a handful of federal measures cleared committee and are heading to a full House vote with no firm date set yet.
If you've been through a disaster.
The one signed bill most likely to matter to a DuPage resident is HR 5366, now law after the president signed it. If you suffered losses in a federally declared disaster between late 2019 and early 2027, you can deduct your full unreimbursed loss on your federal taxes instead of having the first $500 per incident disqualify you. Separately, if you received money from a government agency, nonprofit, or other source to cover wildfire losses, living costs, or lost wages after a federally declared wildfire, that money is not taxable income. Neither benefit is automatic: you would need to claim them when you file.
Federal housekeeping.
Three other bills the president signed this week have little bearing on life in DuPage. HR 2069 requires a category of federal contracts, previously kept off public databases, to be listed on USAspending.gov so anyone can look them up. HR 2196 gives a foundation more time to finish an EMS memorial in Washington, D.C. A fourth bill dealt with a land parcel in Paducah, Kentucky, with no connection to Illinois.
Coming up next week:
CBP shelter-dog support program. HR 9327 would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to pull dogs from local animal shelters and train them as support animals for officers dealing with grief and trauma. The bill cleared committee and is headed to a full House floor vote. No firm date is set yet.
Farm and food system preparedness drill. HR 9394 would require the Department of Homeland Security to run a large-scale exercise within four years, testing how federal, state, local, and private partners would respond to a biological attack on farms or the food supply. Illinois agriculture would be among the sectors involved in any national exercise. The bill cleared committee and awaits a House floor vote.
Federal publishing and records bills. Two narrower measures cleared committee this week. HR 9342 would lock in free public access to government documents through libraries and online while giving the Government Publishing Office more flexibility to digitize older records. HR 9360 would shut down an advisory panel that reviews how Congress stores its files, shifting that review to an annual meeting among the National Archives director and congressional officials. Both await a House floor vote with no date confirmed.
Several other federal items this week dealt with Nevada land transfers and similar matters with no connection to DuPage County or Illinois.
See what's up for a vote now · Find your representatives