SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure.
GOP state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill’s sponsor, said the proposal would urge U.S. Congress to make the nation’s third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported.
