NFIB Illinois recently sent a letter to the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee outlining the impact of rising electricity costs on small businesses. The letter was sent prior to a subject-matter hearing  that was scheduled to discuss potential energy legislation.

“Small businesses in Illinois are struggling with the growing cost of electricity,” said NFIB Illinois State Director Noah Finley. “Many are having to make hard decisions, raise prices, cut hours, or delay investments. Illinois policymakers must prioritize Main Street businesses over ideologically or special interest driven energy policies.”

The Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee hearing will be held on September 18^th, 2025, at 10:30 am CST.

CLICK HERE to read the letter and quotes from several small businesses about how energy price fluctuations have impacted their businesses.

The letter to the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee reads:

To: The Honorable Members of the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee

From: Noah Finley, NFIB Illinois State Director

Date: September 17, 2025

Subject: High Electricity Prices

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is the largest small-business advocacy organization in Illinois and the nation, representing over 10,000 small-business owners in Illinois alone. NFIB member businesses are independently owned and reflect the diversity of Illinois’ small-business community, including small businesses in retail, construction, transportation, hospitality, professional services, manufacturing, and agriculture. 

Rising electricity prices are hurting Main Street businesses. This summer’s acceleration of a multi-year trend of higher electricity rates in Illinois has hit small-business owners particularly hard. 

According to NFIB’s 2024 Problem and Priorities survey, the cost of electricity has emerged as a top issue for small businesses, with 16% ranking it as a “critical problem.”

Higher electricity prices and fluctuating costs are forcing small-business owners to raise prices, delay investments, and cut staff, services, and hours. 

In a recent survey of NFIB members in Illinois:

• 75% of respondents reported significant increases in electricity prices
• 10% of respondents reported moderate increases in electricity prices
• 7% of respondents reported mild increases in electricity prices

To reduce electricity costs in Illinois and allow small businesses to thrive, NFIB urges the Illinois General Assembly to adopt the following principles for future energy reforms: 

1. Encourage competitive and open bidding for energy projects to reduce infrastructure build-out and maintenance costs.
2. Eliminate unnecessary administrative and regulatory hurdles and fees that drive up end-user costs and that delay investments in energy production.
3. Permit the use of proven, reliable, and cost-effective energy sources.

Small businesses operate on thin margins and lack the deep pockets of global corporations, making this a critical issue for Main Street. The next page includes firsthand accounts of how rising electricity prices are impacting Illinois small businesses. 

Thank you for your support of Illinois’ small-business community.