SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Cook County seniors receiving cost-saving property tax exemptions will no longer have to go through the burdensome of reapplying every year as a result of a new law passed by state Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates.  

“While we work to deliver comprehensive solutions to middle-class families and seniors through our bipartisan Property Tax Relief Task Force, we must ensure that cost-saving exemptions are accessible to all qualifying families,” Crespo said. “This new law will benefit seniors, especially those living on fixed income, by doing away with unnecessary bureaucracy and continue providing stable relief.”

Crespo worked with County Cook Assessor Fritz Kaegi to pass House Bill 833, which creates a five-year pilot program from 2020 to 2024 for qualifying seniors to continue receiving their Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption without having to reapply each year. Cook County was the only county in Illinois where older homeowners were forced by state law to go annually through the burdensome application process in order to receive this tax relief exemption.

Crespo’s law will ensure qualifying seniors do not miss out on much-needed exemptions. It was recently learned from the Cook County Treasurer’s office that as many as 26,000 Cook County seniors didn’t reapply for annual property tax exemptions and discounts, totaling an estimated $45 million in relief.

“With the Governor’s signature, I am pleased to see our state government speaking with one united voice on this issue,” Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said. “Through intergovernmental cooperation and technological modernization within our office, seniors in Cook County will no longer be burdened with the need to reaffirm their age each year.”

“I’m grateful to Representative Crespo for his continued advocacy on this issue,” Kaegi added. “With necessary safeguards in place to prevent fraud, our office plans a swift implementation of this bill for the estimated 740,000 seniors who are eligible for it.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D–Grayslake, passed an omnibus government accountability reform package, which had the input of Lake County Chairwoman Sandy Hart, Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court Erin Cartwright Weinstein, and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim. His legislation aims to address recent corruption scandals within Lake County government.

“Elected officials have the duty to act in the best interest of local families, and this legislation will bring much needed accountability and transparency to local government,” Yingling said. “I want to thank my colleagues, Chairwoman Hart, Treasurer Kim and Clerk Cartwright Weinstein for working with me on this legislation.”

Yingling championed Senate Bill 1236, which is an omnibus of initiatives that would:

• Allow a county board to vote to remove an unelected county board chairperson;
• Ensure elected officials do not receive both compensation and pension benefits from the same position while still serving;
• Establish transitional audits for the offices of incoming countywide officials to ensure funds were properly used; and
• Require contract vendors to disclose relationships with county officials before they can win contracts.

“Local residents want government that holds fast to transparency and accountability,” Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim said. “As your Lake County Treasurer, I applaud Rep. Yingling for his leadership on this. The ability to conduct a transitional audit will allow my office to improve transparency and accountability for current and past practices.” 

Yingling’s legislation passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support and has been signed by Gov. Pritzker.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to increase transparency for taxpayers, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, passed a new law that will show property owners where parts of their tax dollars are going to on their tax bills. His measure aims to give more information to property owners and increase transparency for local governments.

“People are tired of not knowing where their hard-earned dollars are going to when they pay their property taxes,” Yingling said. “I would like to thank Governor Pritzker for signing my legislation and giving the taxpayers of Illinois a better understanding of how their local governments spend their money.”

Yingling championed House Bill 2209, which mandates that tax bills list out the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts that the property resides in, as well as the dollar amount each TIF district is receiving from the tax bill. With this new legislation in effect, taxpayers will now get a better picture of where their money is going.

“As someone who has worked in local government, I know first-hand how difficult it can be for taxpayers to get information,” Yingling said. “While there is much more work to be done to make our property tax system more transparent and fair for homeowners, this legislation is an important first step.”

Yingling’s legislation passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support, and has been signed into law by Gov. Pritzker.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – State lawmakers would be able to opt out of cost of living adjustments under legislation recently co-sponsored by state Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, and instead send their salary increases to the state’s pension funds.

“Currently, lawmakers aren’t allowed individually to refuse a cost of living adjustment,” Walker said. “Each year, both the House and the Senate have to vote to decline a pay raise. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that this past session. Even though I’ve said from the beginning I’m not taking the latest pay increase, lawmakers should be able to refuse increases we don’t need. That’s why I recently signed on as chief co-sponsor of this legislation.”

Under recently introduced House Bill 3855, members of the General Assembly may at any time elect not to receive any increase in pay based on a cost of living adjustment. If lawmakers decide not to accept the raise, the money will be returned to the state for use in paying off pension debts or overdue bills, making good on promises to address the problems of the state first before increasing their own pay. House Bill 3855 currently has bipartisan sponsorship.

“I’m glad many of my colleagues agree this reform needs to happen,” Walker said. “Despite many good accomplishments this past session, there’s still a lot of work to be done. We need to correct Illinois’ fiscal future first. I believe now is simply not the time to give a taxpayer-funded raise of over $250,000 to the General Assembly. This legislation ensures state spending benefits the people we represent, not ourselves.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, is highlighting a new law that seeks to protect public servants from targeted ballot initiatives and secure term limits for current officials.

“I am extremely grateful to Governor Pritzker for joining me in passing this critical legislation,” Jones said. “It will ensure that our dedicated local officials do not have to fight for the priorities of their communities while under threat from reckless entities who only care about their own gain rather than the public’s best interest.”

Jones helped passed Senate Bill 1536, which guarantees that municipal term limits that are set by referendum, ordinance or any other community vote will not affect current officials’ ability to hold office in future based on past service time. Jones’ bill does not invalidate term limits passed on or after November 8th, 2016, it just helps prevent impulsive, short-sighted judgements on new term limit votes. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed this bill into law.

“My bill will prevent the sort of partisan ballot initiatives and rash decisions that unfairly diminish a public servant’s ability to do his or her job,” Jones said. “People are still completely free to set term limits, and my bill does not prevent that. However, we are supporting well-thought-out choices, not short-range attacks.”

AURORA, Ill. – State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, recently backed legislation that will create a public database showing all government spending in order to facilitate greater government transparency.

“Transparency at all levels of government is something that we highly value in this country,” said Hernandez. “Passing this bill will increase transparency here in Illinois and help ensure our government’s trustworthiness.”

Hernandez backed House Bill 313, which creates the Open Illinois Checkbook Act. Under this act, the state comptroller will show all state expenditures, including the state agency name, recipient vendors each expenditure is made to, graphical data, and state employee salaries. The current database only shows breakdown of state agencies without specifics.  

“Taxpayers deserve the right to see the exact breakdown of where their money is going,” said Hernandez. “There is no reason to keep state expenses hidden from the public, and this increased transparency will be a crucial step in keeping state government accountable.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, is highlighting his legislative accomplishments this year that protects middle-class families, his priorities for property tax relief, holding local governments accountable and the balanced budget proposal that will help stabilize and control state finances.

Carroll’s top priority is fighting for property tax relief for middle-class families. That’s why he sponsored the Property Tax Reduction Task Force, Senate Bill 1932, that will study and make recommendations on reducing property taxes across Illinois. Additionally, Carroll’s Senate Bill 1236 worked to hold local government accountable by allowing for the removal of unelected county board chairs and preventing double dipping in pensions by county officials.

“Nothing is more important than providing tax relief for the families I represent,” said Carroll. “They are drowning in property taxes that are being inflated by local taxing bodies, and my Property Tax Reduction Task Force will address those problems head on. By holding local government officials accountable, we can also ensure taxpayer dollars are being properly spent and that local officials are serving the people, not themselves.”

Carroll supported a balanced budget that commits more than $375 million in needed funds to public schools. His budget also commits $1 billion to pay off bills that accumulated during the budget impasse and fully meets pension obligations for this year.

“This balanced budget shows our commitment to reducing spending, paying back our debts, and keeping our promises while investing education, health care and senior services,” said Carroll. “These plans are exactly how we will build a stronger Illinois and middle-class.”

Carroll also fought for better protections for people with severe food allergies. He introduced House Bill 2123, which would require proper labeling of foods containing sesame, with misbranding and mislabeling posing a serious concern for people with rare food allergies. Carroll also spearheaded House Bill 3435 that would require health insurance companies to cover the cost of medically necessary epinephrine injector pins (EpiPen) for anyone aged 18. Both of these instrumental bills successfully passed the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support and awaits approval from Governor J.B. Pritzker.

“While there is much work to do, I am proud of the work my colleagues and I achieved for Illinois families this session in Springfield,” said Carroll. “I look forward to the challenges ahead along with the great work to build upon the successes of this year, and strengthening the middle class and Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To provide more transparency and an additional layer of accountability to local governments, state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, co-sponsored legislation to allow for the removal of a Lake County Board Chairperson.

“Like most counties in Illinois, in Lake County the county board chairperson is chosen by the members of the county board and not directly elected to that leadership position by the people,” said Edly-Allen. “This legislation creates a process by which members of the county board can vote to remove and replace the chairperson they have chosen.”

Edly-Allen co-sponsored House Bill 3593, which recently passed the House unanimously. The measure allows a county board to vote to remove a county board chairperson with a four-fifths majority vote. The law would not apply in the 9 counties where the county board chairperson is directly elected by the voters rather than chosen by the members of the county board.  

Last year, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor took an extended leave of absence amid allegations of misuse of a government-issued credit card. The Lake County Board did not have the authority under state law to appoint a different board member as chairperson in his absence, creating a vacancy that could not legally be filled. House Bill 3593 additionally grants county boards the ability to appoint a new chairman in cases of a vacancy of office.

“When a public official abuses their power and misuses taxpayer funds, it undermines the taxpayers’ ability to trust their county government and limits the ability of the county government to do the work of the people.” Edly-Allen added. “As we’ve seen firsthand in Lake County, it’s important to have this added layer of accountability to ensure that the board chairperson can be replaced in extenuating circumstances involving mismanagement and abuse of power.”

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – In an effort to fight against a practice commonly referred to as “double-dipping”, state Representative Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, is sponsoring legislation to prevent county and municipal board members from collecting their pensions until they’ve reached retirement.

“What’s happening right now is outrageous,” Didech said. “There is a loophole in the system that’s allowing elected officials to artificially inflate their earnings by abusing the pension system. That shouldn’t happen. The state needs to crack down on people who are gaming the system for their own benefit.”

A Daily Herald report found that at least 13 part-time suburban country board members are currently collecting pensions from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) which they earned from their service as a board member, despite the fact that they are also currently being paid salaries as board members. This number includes six Lake County board members currently drawing a county board pension in addition to their county board salaries.

Didech is the House sponsor of Senate Bill 1236, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support in early April. The measure prohibits county officials from drawing a salary if they are supplementing their income by drawing from the pension fund. Didech is sponsoring the bill to stop county board members from abusing a loophole in the pension system.

“This is double-dipping on steroids. The pension system was established to provide a fair and modest retirement for individuals who are no longer working, but some county board members are abusing the system to unfairly spike their taxpayer-funded salaries. We need to close these loopholes that allow these politicians to exploit the system by collecting their pension before they actually retire,” Didech said. “I’m proud to sponsor this bill that helps reign in the systemic abuse of our taxpayer-funded pension funds.”

Additional media inquiries for Didech should be directed to his full-time constituent service office, which can be contacted at 847-478-9909 or info@repdidech.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To prevent elected municipal officials from double-dipping at taxpayer expense, state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, co-sponsored legislation that would prohibit public office holders from hiring themselves into paid positions within local government.

“I was shocked by a recent report that one village official more than tripled her pay by hiring herself as her own assistant,” Costa Howard said. “That’s appalling. When taxpayers read stories like that, it undermines public trust in government at every level.”

Costa Howard’s House Bill 3501 targets municipal clerks and other local officials who have appointed themselves into paid positions in the units of government they were elected to serve.

“Public service should be a calling – not an opportunity to line your pockets at taxpayers’ expense,” Costa Howard added. “It’s wrong for elected officials to double-dip and grant themselves hefty extra salaries with tax dollars that were intended to fund local schools, libraries, park districts, and public safety. I am very proud that HB3501 was passed unanimously by the Illinois House, and I am hopeful that this commonsense bill will soon be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the Governor.”

For more information, contact Rep. Costa Howard’s constituent service office at RepTCH48@gmail.com or 630-812-9292.