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* Subscribers were given a heads up about this earlier today…
Members of the media,
Please see the attached one-pager that outlines the relief package Leader Harris and House Democrats outlined in this morning’s press conference, which also includes proposed new funding for public safety. These items are in addition to the Governor’s proposed Family Relief Plan and public safety funding levels.
These House-led proposals were filed last night. HB 1497 is the House’s proposed relief package, HB 969 is the House’s proposed budget.
* The proposal…
House Democrats
Illinois Family Recovery Act – Fact Sheet April 5, 2022
House-proposed Assistance Package
Governor’s Proposed Illinois Family Relief PlanWe propose funding the Governor’s Illinois Family Relief Plan, including the proposed relief plans on gas, groceries, and property taxes. Estimated cost: $1 billion.
Additional House Proposals for Family Recovery
• Create the FY 2023 Low-Income Family Tax Rebate (LIFT Rebate). Estimated cost: $165 million.
o $100 per EITC-eligible filer
o $50 per child in an EITC-eligible household
• Permanent Expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Estimated cost: $103.5 million.
o Expand to include ages 18-24 and 65+
o Expand to include ITIN filers; refundable and with same age expansion
o Add 2% of federal EITC level, inclusive of age and ITIN expansion
• Create the FY 2023 Reducing Inflation Impact Fund (RIIF Fund) to give a one-time add-on to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF). Estimated cost: $100 million.House-proposed Teacher Support
We propose doubling the tax credit for teachers purchasing classroom materials. Estimated cost: $15 million. Total Illinois Family Recovery Act Cost: $1.38 billion, paid for with higher than expected revenues.
House-proposed New Public Safety Funding
In addition to public safety funding in the Governor’s budget, including the $250 million for the Reimagine Public Safety Act, we are proposing an additional $236M for public safety:
• $124M will go to support local police and reduce violent crime
o This includes funding for body cameras, automatic license plate readers, ballistics testing and
forensics, and non-lethal equipment to subdue suspects with less risk to life
o This includes funding for mental health screenings for local police departments, funding for a
co-responder pilot program, and law enforcement retention grants.
• $48M is allotted to prevent carjacking with funding for local safety councils, youth summer jobs
programs, YouthBuild Illinois, Teen REACH, Youth Redeploy Illinois, Parents Too Soon, and
Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services
• $12M to fund a program for neighbors to actively assist in reporting crime. This will include money for
witness protection, a tip line and a pilot program to use ring cameras to help solve crime.
• $50M will go towards domestic violence
• $2M will go towards expanding trauma recovery centers
* React from the Coalition to Make EIC Work…
Leaders in the House of Representatives unveiled a $1.38 billion tax relief proposal on Wednesday morning. The proposal called the “Illinois Family Recovery Act” answers advocate calls to expand eligibility of Illinois’ Earned Income Credit (EIC). It would include nearly one million Illinoisans who are currently excluded from the refund—namely, childless workers aged 18-24 and over age 65, as well as immigrants who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). In addition to newly eligible filers, it would benefit the existing 3.6 million EIC recipients by increasing the credit amount available for each family, raising the match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from the current 18% to 20% of the EITC value. House Democrats also propose $165 million to fund a one-time cash transfer for all EIC eligible families at the value of $100 plus $50 for each child dependent.
The Coalition to Make EIC Work has been leading the charge in advocating for tax relief that directly benefits Illinois’ low-income families (see details below). Amber Wilson, Statewide Campaign Manager at Economic Security for Illinois issued the following statement on behalf of the Coalition to Make EIC Work:
“We are thrilled to see House leadership take seriously the need to expand the Earned Income Credit and put cash directly into our neighbors hands. The impact of the House proposal is huge: It would reach over 4.5 million Illinoisans across every single zip code in the state and offer hundreds more to low-income families at a moment when relief is sorely needed.
Based on similar estimates of our proposal, we know this is a wise investment that can create hundreds of millions in local and state economic benefits, far exceeding the cost of implementation.
Most importantly, an expansion to the Earned Income Credit is permanent, and will continue to benefit ITIN filers and childless workers for years to come.”
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker commented on the HDem plan this morning…
My early observation is that House Democrats took a comprehensive approach and adhered to my goals of achieving a fiscally responsible, balanced budget, and delivering tax relief to families that need it most. My team and I are still in the process of reviewing the details of their legislation. But I’m certainly pleased to see more ideas in the mix to cut taxes and give working families a break.
I also want to commend them for including a responsible expansion of the Earned Income Credit, which is something that I’ve supported for quite some time.
During my tenure as governor, I’ve worked to support local governments and have delivered more than a billion dollars more to them so far, in this latest House budget proposal, I want to ensure that what’s being provided to local governments continues to be affordable within a balanced budget framework.
I look forward to working with legislators to provide relief to working families while continuing to strengthen our state’s fiscal foundation. It’s particularly important to put away money in the rainy day fund, maintain a responsible bill payment cycle and make an extra payment into our pension systems. My partners in the Statehouse and I are having productive conversations about how to ensure that relief prioritizes those who need it most. Putting working families first has been a hallmark of my time in office. And I have full confidence in our ability to further that mission in these final days of the legislative session.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:25 am
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Looks like the crime stuff is a lot of funding for Democratic constituencies to reimagine public safety. Quinn did this right before he got beat in 2014.
Comment by Dr. Love Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:38 am
Red alert!
Right before the election Democrats are magically concerned about high taxes, fighting rising crime and supporting the Police.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:41 am
Are Republicans going to cry Democrats are “CYA” and doing election gimmicks, yet all vote for this too like they did the public safety bills yesterday?
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:41 am
Rich, unless I’m reading the full thing wrong, is the House really contemplating using a House Bill for this? If so, they can’t possibly meet the Friday adjournment deadline, since neither bill has 1) cleared the House and 2) been read on three different days in the Senate.
Why would the Senate go along and rubber stamp such an 11th hour ploy? Even with newly (Democratic) drawn maps, neither chamber is really sweating bullets on maintaining their majorities…are they?
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:43 am
The radical movement to fund the police has always had serious hurdles to overcome. They have to prove that a) police reduce crime; b) more than other things; c) the crimes they reduce are worth curtailing; and d) if a-c are met, that the bad consequences of police are worth it. These are tough to prove and the entire weight of history and all cogent empirical data to deal with the issue is against them.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:54 am
===If so, they can’t possibly meet the Friday adjournment deadline===
If the House passes a bill today and the Senate places it on first reading today, 2nd reading Thursday and 3rd reading Friday, then yes they can meet the deadline.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:55 am
Wow. They want to give some of us some of our own money back. And right before an election too. My heroes.
Comment by Really Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:57 am
==Right before the election Democrats are magically concerned about high taxes, fighting rising crime and supporting the Police. ==
So you’d be Red on these, right?
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 11:59 am
“Illinois Family Recovery Act” answers advocate calls to expand eligibility of Illinois’ Earned Income Credit (EIC)”
Looks like JB will get a graduated income tax after all !
Comment by Donnie Elgin Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:04 pm
===So you’d be Red on these, right?===
Voting Red to these items… to own the libs…
It’s not going to eliminate real issues Dems have in perception to these issues, but being Red here to own the libs seems like an odd flex… not unlike voting Red on ethics, “it doesn’t go far enough”… so you’re against any moves on ethics?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:07 pm
==being Red here to own the libs seems like an odd flex==
And it’s probably unlikely. It’ll be just like the public safety bills last night where the Republicans whine and whine but then all vote green.
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:13 pm
===but then all vote green.===
The theatre to it, it’s show business, “until it’s for the record”
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:15 pm
Isn’t anyone else cynical about the sudden change of heart?
JB and the rest of the Democrats supported tax hikes on working families and small business and opposed the priorities of the law enforcement community for the past 3 years and now they have reversed course.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:20 pm
==== If the House passes a bill today and the Senate places it on first reading today, 2nd reading Thursday and 3rd reading Friday, then yes they can meet the deadline.====
And plenty of time for the senate to amend it and send it back to them on Friday afternoon if need be.
Comment by Been There Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:26 pm
The theatre is on the Democrats side
The Republicans are consistently on the side of support for law enforcement and holding the line on tax hikes
Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:30 pm
=Wow. They want to give some of us some of our own money back. And right before an election too. My heroes.=
Right out of the Don Trump playbook I guess. I wonder if they will put their names on the check too?/s
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:34 pm
Any chance that session will be extended?
Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:45 pm
The tax cuts are so gimmicky. How about we use the money to pay down our debt and then stop passing pension sweetener bills?
Comment by Boone's is Back Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:55 pm
The people who chose crime as an issue on which to attack opponents and win elections are upset Democrats might pass anti-crime/inflation bills before an election? Give me a break, lol.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 12:57 pm
=== The theatre is on the Democrats side===
So, if there are Republicans voting Green, are you then going to say they were duped by the theatre?
All Republicans should be Red, amirite?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 1:19 pm
=== Isn’t anyone else cynical about the sudden change of heart?===
Isn’t good governing about responding to the people as best as government can, when it can?
I mean, it’s odd.
If that silly is how you think, it’s no wonder Rauner couldn’t get 60/30… right?
It woulda been cynical if Dems supported the Turnaround Agenda
Your bot programs need to include logic, along with honesty. A reboot won’t cut it. You need a new OS
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 1:23 pm
= All Republicans should be Red, amirite?=
They certainly should be. The real theatre isn’t the debate, they can speak to truth in the chamber. The theatre comes in the mail with bill postage.
Comment by Wonky Tonk Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 1:59 pm
Autocorrect turned Kong to Tonk and bulk to bill. My apologies.
The first mistake might actually be an improvement though.
Comment by Wonky Kong Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:00 pm
Boone’s is back- Nailed it. Put extra money, if you really have it, on the pension hole. Please don’t create fancy new progressive programs that need to get funded every year. They never go away and this “extra” money might not always be there.
Comment by Really Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:09 pm
===They certainly should be.===
If they aren’t, what does that say about the theater?
You going to be upset if they are Green?
Gotta own the libs?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:09 pm
Can someone give me a good reason why the House and the Senate and the Governor can’t sit down together more than three days before scheduled adjournment and come up with something they can all agree on? They control all three bodies and we still get this slop. A pox on their houses.
Comment by Really Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:11 pm
=The tax cuts are so gimmicky.=
I know that is a favorite ilgop saying, yet I have never heard them explain what they mean.
That might be because what they really mean is: “darn those democrats for being able to pass legislation that undercuts our attacks.”
Because there is not one single “gimmick” it is actually pretty straight forward.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:22 pm
==Looks like JB will get a graduated income tax after all==
The solution was right in front of him the entire time and didn’t cost him $58 million.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 6, 22 @ 2:26 pm