Prices are too high. From groceries to utilities to rent and housing, we're simply paying too much for too little. When we're spending half our income on rent, can't find affordable childcare, or have to choose between prescription drugs or groceries, something has gone terribly wrong.

Illinois must make affordability the north star of state policy. We get to lower prices in different ways across different issues. We get there by increasing supply (of, say housing). We get there through rigorous oversight (over insurance companies and healthcare companies or utilities). We protect Illinoisans from predatory practices. We help folks start new businesses and keep them open. Where markets fail, we innovate and figure out ways to bring down everyday costs.

Housing Affordability

• Expand accessory dwelling units (ADUs) statewide. Right now most Illinois cities ban them. We should change that—allow homeowners to build secondary units while maintaining local health and safety standards. California and Oregon already did this. Accessory dwelling units increase housing supply and create affordable options without tearing down neighborhoods.

• Unlock missing middle housing. Reduce minimum lot size requirements and zoning restrictions that artificially limit supply. Duplexes, townhomes, and smaller lots are the kinds of buildings working families historically lived in. They stabilize neighborhoods. We should allow them again.

• Streamline housing approval processes. Cut red tape that drives up development costs and extends timelines. Create fast-track authority for projects that meet affordability or sustainability standards, with expedited environmental review for projects near transit.

• Support transit-oriented development. Increase housing density near job centers and reduce transportation costs. This connects people to work and to transit infrastructure they may already be paying for.

• Protect and expand affordable housing. Use inclusionary zoning requirements and community land trusts to ensure affordability lasts beyond the first owner. Support the state's medically vulnerable renter assistance and rental preservation programs.

Property Taxes

• Oppose new state-level real estate tax burdens: We should not add transfer taxes or other state-level property taxes that shift costs onto homeowners already paying the highest property tax rates in the nation.

• Support state-level comprehensive solutions to pension obligations: Rather than dumping costs onto local property owners, state government should handle unfunded pension liabilities through systematic reform.

• Advocate for property tax assessment fairness and transparency: Homeowners deserve to understand how their taxes are calculated and what they're paying for.

• Work with municipalities on efficiency: Identify inefficient spending and find creative solutions that don't burden taxpayers.

Rents & Tenant Protections

• Fund rental assistance programs: Expand support for households spending more than 30% of income on rent. Illinois has rental assistance available through the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program and Illinois Department of Human Services.

• Defend anti-discrimination protections: Illinois law already prohibits and extend them to source of income discrimination that prevents people using rental assistance from finding housing.

• Support landlord-tenant mediation programs: Help resolve disputes before they escalate to eviction court.

• Invest in preservation of existing affordable rental stock: Prevent displacement by supporting programs that help owners maintain affordability.

Childcare Affordability

• Expand state subsidies and tax credits: The Child Care Assistance Program already helps low-income families. We should expand it, particularly targeting families earning 80-200% of area median income who are often left behind.

• Increase reimbursement rates for childcare providers: Higher rates allow providers to expand capacity, improve quality, and pay workers sustainable wages. This is how we address both the affordability crisis for families and the wage crisis for childcare workers.

• Create tax incentives for employer-sponsored childcare: On-site or near-site childcare removes barriers for working parents.

• Fund early childhood education programs: High-quality early education serves dual purposes: affordability for families and quality education for children who benefit most from early intervention.

• Support paid family leave: Illinois' Paid Leave for All Workers Act requires employers to provide 40 hours of paid leave for any reason. We should go further—establish a comprehensive paid family leave insurance program providing up to 12 weeks at 85% of wages so parents don't have to choose between caring for a newborn and economic survival.

Healthcare Affordability

• Protect and expand access to affordable healthcare: Illinois expanded Medicaid in 2014. We should defend that expansion and ensure it covers mental and behavioral health.

• Resist federal cuts to healthcare coverage and Medicaid: The federal government is proposing work requirements for Medicaid expansion eligible adults in 2027. We should fight this and protect coverage.

• Negotiate and resolve medical debt whenever possible: Support state-level initiatives including debt relief programs and bankruptcy protections for people crushed by healthcare costs.

• Advocate for healthcare pricing transparency: Families deserve to understand healthcare costs so they can make informed decisions.

• Expand preventive care coverage: Prevention reduces overall healthcare costs and improves outcomes.

Utility Rates

• Regulate utility rates for affordability and reliability: Balance keeping costs down with maintaining system reliability and necessary infrastructure investment.

• Expand community solar programs and distributed renewable energy: Renters and low-income households often can't install rooftop solar. Community solar gives them access to clean, affordable energy.

• Expand weatherization and energy efficiency programs: Help low-income households reduce utility bills through efficiency improvements.

• Protect low-income customers from winter disconnections: Illinois' winter weather rule already protects eligible customers from December through March. Strengthen and expand these protections.

• Invest in grid modernization and clean energy: The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) invests in energy storage and efficiency. We should support implementation that prioritizes affordability for working families.