Indiana is taking the first step towards a rather unlikely effort to revise its borders and acquire a portion of Illinois.
Hoosier’s legislature last week passed a bill to establish the Indiana-Illinois Border Coordination Committee, which recommends whether to change the border between the two states.
Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Brown is planning to sign the measure into law, his office said Friday. The governor will face a September 1 deadline to schedule the committee’s first meeting.
The conservative part of the blue state is about to break the adjacent red state and join
Indiana is taking the first step towards a rather unlikely effort to revise its borders and acquire a portion of Illinois. (AP)
This is when residents of several Illinois counties are trying to separate themselves from the deep, densely populated Chicago area.
But despite support from the Indiana government and Illinois people, the Illinois government and the US Congress need to approve plans to change state boundaries.
Illinois elected officials do not support the idea.
The Illinois companion bill allows states to join committees that change borders has not been heard by the Illinois House Committee. Democrat Illinois Gov. JB Pretzker also described the Indiana measure as “stunts” earlier this year.
Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Brown is planning to sign the measure into law. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz)
Small changes in state boundaries are not a new idea, as there were at least 50 in US history. However, no major changes have been made since the Civil War era when some Virginia counties separated to create West Virginia.
Current efforts to change the border between Illinois and Indiana are driven in part by political divisions. The Chicago region is controlled by Democrats, and given the large population of the region, the party also controls the state government, and the Republicans represent many other parts of Illinois. Meanwhile, the Indiana government is controlled by Republicans.
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Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pretzker describes Indiana’s scale as “stunts.” (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service byotty Images)
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Over the past five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties have approved a voting measure asking if they would like to consider forming a new state from Cook County, a county that includes Chicago. However, this initiative does not necessarily mean that they will join Indiana if given the opportunity.
Similar efforts are underway in eastern Oregon. That’s why some Democrat-controlled counties want to break away from Republican-led Idaho and join. The Idaho House approved a measure two years ago to allow Oregon to begin discussions, but similar measures have not made any progress as they remain stuck on an Oregon Legislature committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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