Hernandez Backs Property Tax Reform to Expand Relief for Seniors

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, continued her fight to make life easier for vulnerable Illinoisans when she passed a measure to increase the income ceilings for property tax exemption programs for low-income seniors.

“Older Illinoisans are facing new and immense obstacles with Trump Administration cuts and mismanagement digging into the essential financial aid that many rely on,” Hernandez said. “Social security, Medicaid, SNAP benefits and countless other forms of assistance are gone or in jeopardy. Seniors need us to be proactive about securing new benefits to make up for what they’ve lost.”

Hernandez put her support behind Senate Bill 642, an expanded framework for several property tax relief programs designed to lower bills for seniors. This bill increases the maximum income limitations for both the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption and the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program to $75,000 in tax year 2026, $77,000 for tax year 2027 and $79,000 for tax years 2028 and after.

“This is just one step of many that we need to reform and streamline the property tax system in Illinois, but it takes us in the right direction,” Hernandez said. “More low- and middle-income seniors eligible for reduced tax liabilities is progress and our state will keep moving forward financially, despite Donald Trump’s best efforts.”