House Bill 1008, authored by Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, has been panned by Illinois leaders as a stunt. On the House floor before the vote, Huston once again emphasized Indiana’s tax rates and rattled off economic statistics and framed his measure as a way to highlight the state’s progress.

An Indiana House committee has approved House Bill 1008, sponsored by Speaker Todd Huston, to establish an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission, which would be tasked with researching the possibility of redrawing the states' boundaries.

A push for Illinois counties to separate has been ongoing for at least a decade but is gaining traction. Since 2020, 33 Illinois counties have passed “advisory referenda” to secede from the Prairie State — with seven of those votes occurring in the November general election.