Several Illinois counties are exploring the possibility of adjusting the Iowa-Illinois border and potentially joining the Hawkeye State. There is currently a bill in the Iowa Legislature that proposes forming a committee to explore adjusting the boundary with Illinois. “A lot of stuff really does match Iowa more than Illinois,” said Earl Thompson, owner of Galena Roasters. Property taxes and representation in the state are two of the primary driving factors behind the boundary adjustment idea. Check it out: Not long ago, Illinoisans along the eastern border discussed annexing their towns into Indiana—now northwestern Illinoisans are considering the same move with Iowa. The reasoning behind the discussion—property taxes and representation in a gerrymandered Democrat state.… pic.twitter.com/JDsZ8E1UcK — Midwest Millennial (@MillennialVerse) February 7, 2026 More from Des Moines Register: A proposal from Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, House File 2141, would establish an “Iowa-Illinois boundary adjustment committee” to consider whether to move the dividing line between the two states by transferring one or more Illinois counties along the Iowa border to the Hawkeye State. Collins said the bill would primarily look at all counties that along the Mississippi River. “As somebody that represents really a district that’s right along the border and along the Mississippi River, I know many folks on both sides of the river, and I know there’s a lot of folks in the high-tax state of Illinois that’s now basically supporting career criminals,” Collins said. “They would love to be Iowa residents, and many of them have taken the steps to actually move to the state of Iowa.” If advanced, Iowa would follow in the footsteps of Indiana, where Gov. Mike Braun in 2025 signed a law creating a commission to explore the possibility of annexing parts of Illinois. That passed after more than 30 Illinois counties voted on nonbinding referendums to secede from the Democratic-led state of Illinois over differences in policy and political ideology with Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat eyeing a run for the White House in 2028, had called Indiana’s legislation a “stunt.” There was a similar proposal in the Iowa Legislature during the last legislative session to obtain nine southern Minnesota counties. However, the proposal never advanced past subcommittee. A bill in the Iowa Legislature proposes forming a committee to discuss adjusting the Iowa-Illinois border. https://t.co/r9wkQr40z4 — KTIV News Four (@ktivnews) February 6, 2026 KCRG noted: The bill has not been considered yet. Even if Iowa’s governor would sign it into law, Illinois lawmakers would still need to pass it.