Noting the “negative impact on business attraction efforts and economic development” and the “further burdening of [Illinois’] already underfunded and overburdened court system” that would be imposed by SB 328, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association sent a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker on June 8, 2025, urging him to veto the bill. If enacted, the Illinois bill (previously SB 26) would change Illinois from a “specific jurisdiction” state to a “general jurisdiction” one, making it one of a very few states to  allow lawsuits to be brought in the state even if the facility, impacted individual, or alleged incident at issue in the lawsuit did not occur in Illinois.

Other associations representing an array of businesses, such as the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), similarly requested that the governor exercise his veto power, noting the legislation “would encourage attorneys to file lawsuits in Illinois state courts,” which will “contribute to Illinois’ reputation as a ‘Judicial Hellhole’” instead of advancing [the governor’s] “goal of attracting business to the state.” The American Property Casualty Insurance Association also sent a letter (not available online at the time of this writing) on behalf of a large coalition of businesses, cautioning that the bill could cause businesses to flee the state and have negative knock-on effects for economic development consumer prices.

As ILR’s research has argued, “[s]tates should be extremely reluctant to fling their courthouse doors wide open to out-of-state plaintiffs and unrelated cases” with legislation like the bill at issue here.

Once the bill is transferred to the governor, he has 30 days to act, or it will automatically become law.