Legal Action Chicago

06/03/2026

Swipe right to see how Legal Action Chicago helped protect everyday Illinoisans during this legislative session!

06/03/2026

Over the past month, Legal Action Chicago filed expert testimony, bringing on David Garett and Roger Colton, in three major Illinois utility rate cases involving Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Nicor Gas, and Illinois American Water. The testimony focused the true cost of equity for the utility companies and the affordability impact of rising payments for consumers.

All three of these companies are seeking increases in their Return on Equity (ROE).

ROE is essentially the profit rate that utility shareholders are allowed to earn through customer bills — and has significant impacts on the additional costs that customers have to pay.

People's Gas: Current is 9.38%, they proposed 10.10%
North Shore Gas: Current is 9.60%, they proposed 10.35%
Illinois American Water: Current is 9.84% and they proposed 10.75%

Collectively, these increases would cost Illinois consumers 10s of millions of dollars per year — money that would directly profit the companies without any direct benefit for consumers.

Our position is straightforward: Utilities should be allowed to earn a fair return. But "fair" does not mean maximizing shareholder profits. When authorized profits exceed what utilities actually need to raise capital and provide reliable services, shareholders take unnecessary wealth out of consumers’ pockets.

At a time when many Illinois families are struggling with utility affordability, regulators should ensure that rates reflect real costs, not inflated profit expectations.

05/20/2026

HB4456 has passed in both chambers!

Sponsored by Rep. Laura Faver Dias and Sen. Adriane Johnson, this landmark utility legislation eases the burden of rising energy costs on low-income families. The bill expands eligibility for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance(LIHEAP) Program and creates a standardized low-income discount for residential electric and natural gas customers. It is projected to save Illinois consumers around $100 million next year.

Thanks to the National Consumer Law Center and the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies for their support and work with us on this bill.

Next stop: The Governor's desk!

05/20/2026

This week's articles! Read about how the ending of ACA subsidies financially impacts people on all ends of the economic spectrum and our recent federal court trial victory that challenged Cook County's failure to provide just compensation to homeowners who lose their homes for failing to pay property taxes.

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- For Some Americans, the End of Obamacare Subsides Means Falling Off a Financial Cliff -- NYTimes https://nyti.ms/4wLl9BO
- Judge Rules Cook County owes homeowners for tax equity -- Chicago Tribune https://bit.ly/4fxIUa6

05/18/2026

HB4896 has passed in both chambers!

This bill provides a tool for lower income families to stay in and improve their family homes. When someone dies without a will, their house may be split between family members. Sometimes only one person lives there, pays the bills and taxes, and takes care of it. If one of the family members has disappeared or just doesn’t engage, the caretaker owner is often stuck—they can’t fix up the property, get a loan, or sell it without the other family member’s permission.

HB4896, championed by Representative Jennifer Gong Gershowitz, creates a legal solution by helping a person who inherited the property with other family members petition for sole ownership when no will is present. Thank you to ( folks we worked with).

Next stop: the governor's desk!

05/18/2026

https://bit.ly/4dhNTub

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul instead suggested a $4.1 million rate decrease, citing “unsubstantiated” charges, including at least $97.2 million in “unsupported and unexplained” cost increases for the company’s pipe retirement program.

05/12/2026

A big housing justice win! This week we achieved a huge victory in our first trial in federal court, Kidd v. Pappas, which challenges Cook County’s failure to provide just compensation to homeowners who lose their homes for failing to pay property taxes.

We've already posted on previous victory in this case, when the court granted, in part, our cross-motion for summary judgment by finding that the County's failure violated both the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against excessive fines.

This week we achieved another victory when the court determined that Cook County is liable for its constitutional violations, leading to, in the words of one of our co-counsel, a “100% victory for our client class.”

This case is thus far from over, but today’s decision brings us that much closer to total victory.

Many thanks to the entire Legal Action team as well as to our co-counsel: Brian Roche (Reed Smith), and Chuck Watkins and David Guin (Guin & Evans, LLC).

05/07/2026

Last Friday was Law Day 2026. Our work is a bit different than the important provision of legal help to individuals who need it, but just as important. Consider our work on the following problems that have affected or continue to affect thousands of low-income families in Illinois.

- Cook County and its Treasurer continue to refuse to provide just compensation to homeowners when they seize the homes to cover the unpaid taxes, but the homes are worth more than what was owed for the taxes.
- Utility companies propose rate increases that low-income families cannot afford.
- Landlords name minors as defendants in eviction actions, thereby making it more difficult for those minors to establish good credit as adults.
- The Chicago Housing Authority failed to inform its public housing residents of their right to request “hardship exemptions” to minimum rents they could not afford.
- The City of Blue Island threatened to shut off water service to the innocent tenants of a mobile home park because the park’s owner failed to pay a water bill that exceeded $850,000.
- Citizens and people with all the different kinds of immigration status decide to stay away from courthouses, in spite of important rights they have at stake in court cases, because they fear ICE activity.

These are just some of the systemic problems that Legal Action Chicago resolved or is currently addressing through class action litigation and legislative advocacy.

This work can't be done alone. If you want to support our work, you can donate here https://bit.ly/47jwf3E

05/07/2026

This week's articles! Learn about the most recent U.S. Supreme court decision impacting voting rights and cost increases in Medigap.
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Medigap premiums leap, leaving consumers with few alternatives - Chicago Sun-Times https://bit.ly/3P6vCqo

Supreme Court Updates: Justices Further Weaken Voting Rights Act, Igniting Political Scramble - The New York Times https://nyti.ms/4eRGRh1

How the Voting Rights Act Bolstered Black Representation in the House - The New York Times https://nyti.ms/3QSIReR

04/30/2026

This Friday, May 1st, millions of people across the country could lose their SNAP benefits due to the new work requirements which went into effect on February 1st. In Illinois, an estimated 150,000 people could lose their benefits.

For those using SNAP, Illinois has launched two online resources to help with accessing work, training, and volunteer hours -- Job Ready IL and Serve Illinois. These resources are free to anyone regardless of whether or not they use SNAP.

To learn more about exemptions, work requirements, and to stay up to date on SNAP status, go to https://bit.ly/49qES09.