BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. – Continuing to advocate for the taxpayers of her District, state Rep. Diane Pappas, D-Itasca, is hosting an Addison Township Property Tax Assessment Seminar in partnership with Addison Township Assessor, Christopher Kain. The seminar will take place Thursday, August 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Addison Public Library, located at 4 Friendship Plaza in Addison.

“The burden on hard-working middle-class families is excessive, and I want to help provide residents with the resources needed to ease that burden,” said Pappas. “Learning how to accurately appeal your property assessment, and I encourage residents to learn more about how the assessment process works.”

As a member of the General Appropriations Committee, Pappas has been a consistent proponent for taxpayers, and will continue to host property assessment seminars for the various municipalities within her district prior to upcoming assessment deadlines.

“The number one issue of concern raised by constituents is astronomical property taxes, and despite years of a regressive property tax I am committed to fighting for a stronger Illinois that will lessen the tax burden on residents,” said Pappas. “I urge all interested residents of Addison Township to attend this informative seminar.”

For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Pappas’ office at 224-520-8838 or RepDPappas@gmail.com.

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. – State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, and state Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, joined local residents at Franklin Park’s annual Franklin Park Fest for its featured Railroad Day to speak with constituents and answer their questions on issues like the budget, capital projects, the Fair Tax and health care.

“Local events like these encapsulate the rich history of our communities, and the Railroad Day fest is unique to this village,” said Willis. “Franklin Park is Illinois’ fifth largest industrial park, and is also a hub of locomotive transportation for commuters and resources, which serves as a reminder to us all how important trains are to Illinois’ economy.”

Both Willis and Lilly supported a major infrastructure investment bill which will help commuters get to and from work faster and help spur billions in economic activity. Their plan also helps Illinois invest in 500,000 high-wage jobs across the state and was backed by both business and labor organizations. Willis and Lilly voted to invest $1.2 billion for railway expansions across Illinois and fund other critical job-creating projects rebuilding Illinois’ crumbling roads, bridges and railways.

The Franklin Park Fest occurs each year in June to host a number of events and activities. Among the activities are a Jazz Night to begin the festivities, which is then followed by the Railroad Day. On this day, the different train cars are showcased to show the progression of locomotives used over the years for either transporting goods or commuters.

“Trains are still a major mode of travel for commuters in Illinois, and we need to make sure that Illinois has the proper infrastructure in place to maintain that method of travel,” said Lilly. “It is always good for people to enjoy a weekend with friends and family to enjoy local events, and every day is a holiday when you are in Franklin Park.”

NORTHLAKE, Ill. – Local residents will be able to attend a free seminar hosted by state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, and learn the step-by-step process to appeal their property tax assessments and seek a lower amount owed on their bill.

“Increased property taxes are placing severe burdens on the budgets of families in our area,” Willis said. “As I continue my efforts in Springfield to provide long-term tax relief for homeowners, I want to connect families with immediate ways to save on their property tax bills at this seminar.”

Willis’ property tax seminar will take place on Thursday, June 20 at 6 p.m. at the Veterans Park District, located at 44 W. Golfview Dr. in Northlake. Officials from the assessor’s office will be on hand to help residents understand the process of appealing the assessed value of their homes. The property value as assessed determines the amount owed on the tax bill, and residents can oftentimes receive a lower assessment upon appeal, meaning fewer taxes are paid by the appealing homeowner. Attendees are urged to bring their recent property tax bills and valid forms of identification.

“This event will help homeowners learn more about their property tax bills and how they can make an appeal,” Willis said. “I encourage residents to come to the seminar, so they can hopefully save some money on their property tax bills.”
For more information, please contact Willis’ constituent service office at 708-562-6970 or repwillis77@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A bill increasing penalties for individuals who commit religion-based hate crimes passed the Illinois House of Representatives with support from state Rep. Kathy Willis, D-Northlake.

“With the rise of deadly shootings in places of worship, there needs to be a policy in place that cracks down on assailants who commit murder in what should be a safe place,” Willis said. “People of faith deserve the security of engaging in their religious practices without fearing for their lives.”  

Willis recently supported House Bill 38, which increases the penalties for inciting an act of violence in a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. Under current law, it is an aggravating factor in sentencing when the target of an attack is a police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or child under the age of 12. The Willis-backed bill expands this classification to violent crimes occurring in places of worship and against those who are praying or engaged in religious activities.

Willis believes this is a step in the right direction to protect people’s religious freedoms, as well as reduce deadly gun crimes motivated by animus. In Illinois alone, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 31 known hate groups, some of which include Nazi-sympathizers like the Aryan Nations Sadistic Souls and the America First Committee. There are more than 1,000 hate groups nationwide.

“As we continue our efforts to prevent dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands, I want Illinois to have stronger laws on the books for those who commit hateful acts of violence against innocent people,” Willis said. “People of faith have the right to practice their religion in their place of worship free from harm, and this bill helps us offer that protection.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, will work on streamlining local government services, lowering property taxes, protecting lifesaving services and expanding access to quality education as a member of several key House committees.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to fix the mistakes of the past four years,” said Willis. “With a new session underway, we have the opportunity to make those necessary changes, and I plan to do just that for Illinois’ middle-class families.” 

As a member of the Adoption & Child Welfare and Appropriations-Human Services committees, Willis will work to enact policies that provide better funding for children, seniors and others who rely on critical lifesaving services that were devastated by four years of Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.

Willis will be able to focus on modernizing municipal codes and laws that will not only streamline local services and prevent frivolous taxes but help start the process of lowering crushing property taxes for homeowners on the Counties & Townships and Cities & Villages committees.

Additionally, as a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee, Willis will work to expand classroom opportunities for students and ensure each student has equal access to a world-class education.

Finally, Willis is a member of the House Executive Committee and will help oversee proposed changes to election laws and other critical government oversight measures.

“Many of the legislative proposals that go through my committees will have a direct impact on the families I represent, and it is important to take extra care that those ideas actually benefit them,” said Willis. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in finally putting the needs of people over political gimmicks.” 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Local teachers would be able to receive fair pay raises under legislation introduced by state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, repealing an unfair Rauner-era law that inadvertently capped many teachers’ salary.

 “Bruce Rauner’s policies reflected his wrongly held belief that teachers are the cause of Illinois’ problems, when in reality they are the solution,” said Willis. “To truly move Illinois forward, we need to provide our children with a world-class education, and that requires teachers who are fairly compensated for their hard work.”

A provision tucked in a 2018 budget implementation law attempted to limit end-of-career salary hikes paid to retiring teachers in order to increase their pension, but the law effectively capped many more teachers’ annual raises, including some teachers who are years away from retirement.       

Working with teachers’ groups like the Illinois Education Association, Willis introduced House Bill 350 this week, which rewrites the law to allow teachers to again receive raises of up to six percent.

“This measure had unintended consequences that not only had a negative impact on our members, but also will negatively impact our students. Districts now will be limited in the selection of the best educators to work with students on extra-curricular activities or on writing curriculum since that selection will be based on whether the district has the resources to pay the penalty they will incur. This harms our state’s ability to attract and retain educators in Illinois, encouraging them to teach in another state,” said Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association. 

For more information, please contact Rep. Willis’ full-time constituent service office by calling 708-562-6970 or by emailing RepWillis77@gmail.com.