Why It Matters
The University of Illinois System lobbied on the fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill as the House passed it July 22, and in late July, Senate action on its companion bill S. 4784 included a motion to proceed to consideration.
By the Numbers
The system’s amended report, signed Oct. 27, reported $140,000 in in-house expenses for the third quarter of 2026, up $20,000 from the prior quarter and $10,000 from the same quarter in 2025. The filing is an amendment.
Outside firms Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP and Lewis-Burke Associates LLC reported $10,000 and $90,000, respectively; Brownstein’s report terminated its registration for the university. The system’s total across registrants was $240,000, down $40,000 from the second quarter and up $20,000 from the third quarter of 2025.
The in-house report named Paul Weinberger, assistant vice president for federal relations, and Melissa Haas, federal relations director. Weinberger previously worked for House and Senate committees, and Haas previously served as a House legislative correspondent.
Broader Context
The system also named the Senate defense authorization bill, S. 4784, sponsored by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 15. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) sponsored the House measure, H.R. 8800. The two measures put defense authorization before both chambers, with separate House and Senate actions to track.
The energy and water appropriations bill, H.R. 9022, also appeared in the report, alongside research topics including bioenergy and small nuclear reactors. The House Appropriations Committee reported the bill, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), on May 22. That places energy research in a separate funding measure from the defense authorization bills.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) urged support, saying the bill provides funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and other programs. The League of Conservation Voters and the Natural Resources Defense Council led an opposition letter, arguing that the bill cuts clean-energy programs and blocks federal clean-building transitions.
The system also lobbied on student loan changes tied to the Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education negotiated rulemaking committee. The department said the committee reached consensus on its loan-rule package in November 2025. The Education Department said the RISE negotiated rulemaking committee reached consensus on the entire package of federal student-loan regulatory changes in November 2025.
Other disclosed topics included Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement; student and scholar visas; athletes’ name, image, and likeness; and field support for recovery of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The Bottom Line
The system’s in-house lobbying team remained unchanged from the prior quarter.
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