Pritzker Pitches Social-Media Fee in Illinois Budget Plan

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is proposing a new fee on social-media companies that he says would raise about $200 million a year for education as his state confronts greater uncertainty around federal funding under President Donald Trump.

The plan would require social media firms to pay a monthly, tiered fee tied to the number of monthly active Illinois users whose data they collect, with larger ones paying more. The proposal would also bar companies from passing the cost on to users. The fee could sweep in the biggest platforms — including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram and other large social networks — if they meet the state’s user thresholds.