The Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission held its first meeting Wednesday — though without any members from Illinois — and heard testimony from four people in favor of downstate Illinois counties splitting away from their home state in some form.
The commission has been tasked with discussing and recommending whether the boundary between Indiana and Illinois should be adjusted. Within 60 days of completing its work, the commission will have to submit a written report to the general assembly, according to a new state law.
Indiana House Enrolled Act 1008, authored by Speaker Todd Huston, established an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission to research the possibility of adjusting the boundaries between the two states. Under the law, Indiana could have six members and Illinois could have five members. A quorum of six members is required for the commission to take official action, the law states, but a quorum isn’t required for the commission to meet, listen to testimony and hold discussion.
“When a third of counties in Illinois have expressed their dissatisfaction and voted to secede from their state, I’d say you should take that seriously,” Huston said in a statement.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker brushed off the proposal — and fired back at the neighboring state — when he was asked about it at a January news conference.
“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.”
Ultimately, the commission’s recommendation to adjust the boundary would have to be approved by the Indiana legislature, the Illinois legislature and the U.S. Congress.
The board agreed to meet again in early 2026, but didn’t set a date at the meeting.
