DeLuca Reacts to Session Work Focused on Affordability, Protecting LGDF

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With families increasingly concerned by rising costs, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, this session led a successful, bipartisan effort to protect local funding, while further pushing plans to address property taxes and save families money.

“It’s critical that our budget is a balanced document that respects taxpayers and focuses on the issues families are talking about at the table,” DeLuca said. “In the face of cuts to local government funding, we successfully fought to preserve Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) dollars that impact essential services and the day-to-day life of local residents. Local funding is how we maximize our resources, and I appreciate the direction taken in a challenging budget year.”

The responsible budget plan backed by DeLuca increases investment in education, prioritizes funding for first responders and strengthens support for healthcare. It also restores property tax relief grants for school districts, giving local governments greater flexibility to address property taxes.

Monday’s budget vote builds on DeLuca’s work to make life more affordable for families.

“Whether you’re at the grocery store or looking at your utility bill, here’s a lot of frustration about higher costs,” DeLuca said. “Rightfully, this reality guided a lot of our action in Springfield this spring. There’s still more work to do, but we’ve taken strong steps forward.”

Highlights of DeLuca’s affordability agenda include:

• Making groceries and everyday purchases more affordable by giving everyone access to digital coupons so that the price people see is the price they pay (House Bill 45),
• Developing new protections against artificial intelligence (AI) schemes that use personal data to raise prices (House Bill 4248), and
• Expanding utility relief, enabling more households to access home energy assistance (House Bill 4456).

DeLuca also continued his advocacy for local issues, leading passage of a plan to improve road safety in the region (Senate Bill 3275), as well as new standards and investigative tools related to crematories in response to a Chicago Heights business that grossly mishandled human remains (House Bill 4695).

“These are great wins for our area, but we still have work to do,” DeLuca said. “Summer is not a break. I’m focused on securing responsible regulations for solar, particularly with setback distances, and will continue to push for needed property tax reforms. Let’s work in a bipartisan way that puts aside politics and places residents first.”

For more information, please contact RepDeLuca@SBCGlobal.net.