SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to provide tax relief to working and middle-class families, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, backed an initiative to reform the state’s income tax rates that was signed by the governor this week.

“Our current state income tax system is broken,” said Moylan. “The regressive flat tax was only benefiting the ultra-wealthy while shifting the tax burden onto working and middle class families. The new tax rates signed by the governor yesterday, if approved, would benefit over 97% of the taxpayers in my district.”

The Moylan-backed Senate Bill 687 would ensure that the wealthiest would pay their fair share in income taxes, while 97% of taxpayers in the 55th district would see no difference or pay less yearly. The rates passed by the General Assembly include graduated tax brackets similar to the federal government’s tax structure. Under the new rates, a typical household filing jointly will see the first $10,000 of their income taxed at 4.7%, followed by a 4.90% rate for incomes between $10,000 and $100,000. Income between $100,000 and $250,000 would be taxed at 4.95% – the current flat tax rate. After $250,000, income taxes will rise to 7.75%. Those who make over half a million will see a rate of 7.85%. Net income for an earner who makes over a million will be taxed at 7.99%.

Moylan also backed Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1, the Fair Tax amendment, which gives the taxpayers the choice to reform Illinois’ income tax system from the currently regressive flat tax to a fairer taxing plan, which under the rates signed earlier today by the governor, will provide tax relief to working and middle-class families while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

“We can finally provide some real tax relief to hardworking individuals and middle class families in the state of Illinois,” said Moylan. “Under the proposed rates, 97% of the people in my district can save money.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, focused his efforts on developing good-paying sustainable jobs, improving access to health care and taking steps toward fair taxes for middle-class families during the spring legislative session.

“My focus is on the priorities the people in my district and what I can do to make their lives better,” Connor said. “People with pre-existing conditions are denied health insurance coverage, and they pay $500, $800 or more for medications that should cost them 40 bucks; there are mothers and fathers losing huge chunks of their paychecks to an unfair tax system that forces them to pay more than billionaires. Kids rack up debt at expensive colleges and can’t find a job that pays more than minimum wage afterward. While solutions will not be easy or quick, we must steadily address these very real problems for my constituents.”

Connor passed a budget that controls government spending while maintaining our investments in necessary statewide services. The budget goes on to invest $375 million for public schools, and assigns much-needed funds for health care, veteran’s assistance and elder care. More than $1 billion has been set aside to pay bills from the Rauner-era budget logjam, and money will go towards updating our pension system.

Sparking economic growth and boosting the market for good-paying jobs were crucial pieces of Connor’s legislative agenda this session. These bills included the 21st Century Employment grant program, which funded job training grants for businesses, community colleges and high schools and the creation of a statewide Worker Protection Unit controlled by the Attorney General, which would ensure employers kept working conditions safe and paid workers on time. Connor was also a vocal proponent of “Buy Local” bills to keep state funds flowing to Illinois businesses not foreign corporations.

“One of the biggest steps we can take towards a strong Illinois is creating more $35 an hour jobs,” Connor said. “Good-paying jobs are the foundations for growing communities and secure families. We also pushed for safe working conditions, workers’ rights and Buy Local bills because good-paying jobs don’t mean a thing if employers aren’t giving you the wage you’ve earned or if you end up injured on the job and can’t work, and the state shouldn’t be sending money from Illinois taxpayers to non-Illinois businesses. We need to keep tax dollars in our communities to help them grow.”

To accompany the economic growth spurred by this legislation, Connor supported the Fair Tax amendment, which will cut taxes for 97% of Illinoisans. While middle-class families currently pay twice as much of their salary in taxes as millionaires and billionaires, the Fair Tax makes the wealthy pay their fair share to balance the budget and fund critical services like schools and health care. Connor also went further to reduce taxes on middle-class families, passing property tax credits for homeowners and creating a Property Tax Relief Task Force to lead the effort to lower taxes on homeowners.

“The Fair Tax is a long-overdue change our state has needed for years,” Connor said. “We are shifting the tax burden away from middle-class taxpayers so they can go back to fueling a robust economy. This is just the first of many changes I intend to support to reform the Illinois tax system. However, the Fair Tax goes a long way to changing what was one of the most unfair plans in the country.”

Connor also made a significant push to ensure health care is affordable and accessible for all Illinoisans. Recent years have seen skyrocketing costs on essential aspects of health care, and Connor cracked down on the pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies responsible. Connor voted to crack down on big insurance companies that raise rates for no reason by passing legislation that will require them to justify any premium increase. The Pharmacy Benefit Managers Article and Prescription Drug Transparency Act, both of which Connor supported, imposed penalties on bad-actors trying to take advantage of patients with preexisting conditions or crucial medication needs. When President Trump tried to sneak in legislation to slash the Affordable Care Act and take health care from millions of Illinoisans, Connor stepped in and passed legislation to stop him.

“Affordable health care is crucial to a safe, happy life,” Connor said. “Legislators have to address any challenges to that immediately. Pharmaceutical companies trying to pad their profits by exploiting my communities, insurance agencies do their best to deny care to anyone who isn’t already healthy; now, even the president is coming after Illinoisans’ health care. These attempts to strip people of their health care are shameful, and I will not allow them to continue.”

Connor had numerous other legislative achievements this session such as his work to keep violent offenders from purchasing firearms, the passage of the Reproductive Health Act to secure a woman’s right to an abortion and his many bills to expand veterans’ rights and the rights of their families.

“These measures are critical in getting Illinois moving forward again; however, we are far from finished,” Connor said. “I look forward to continuing to work for a stronger Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, issued the following statement in the moments after the Illinois House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide whether the state should consider a new tax plan:

“We are taking a significant step forward in a process which moves us closer to providing meaningful tax relief for middle-class families. Under Illinois’ current flat tax structure, middle-class families carry too much of the burden. The Fair Tax gives us the ability to make those at the top pay an amount that is reflective of their wealth, while reducing the tax burden on 97% of Illinoisans.

“This amendment gives Illinois voters an opportunity to weigh in on whether the Fair Tax is the right path forward for our state, and that is something we should be open to considering when we talk about investing in our local communities, our schools, and other social services.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Diane Pappas, D-Itasca, released this statement following the passage of the Fair Tax amendment, a measure to give Illinois voters a chance to enact tax relief for middle-class Illinoisans:

“Passing the Fair Tax can mark a new era of fairness and prosperity in Illinois. We can shift from one of the most unfair taxation systems in the country, which forced the middle class to shoulder the tax burden while giving big breaks to a small group of the highest earners, to a system that will lower taxes on 97 percent of Illinoisans and bring in new revenue to fund crucial state projects.

“We still have plenty of work to do, but this first step will make huge differences for millions of Illinoisans. Illinois voters will finally get a chance to vote on changing the Illinois income tax from the regressive flat tax to a fairer income tax like the ones used by the Federal Government and most of our neighboring states. With money brought in by the Fair Tax, we can bolster our education system, enact job training programs to create employment opportunities and fund new initiatives to help make health care affordable for every Illinoisan. The Fair Tax can be the backbone of our efforts to build a stronger Illinois for generations to come.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following the passage of the Fair Tax Amendment out of the Illinois House, state Rep. Nicholas Smith, D-Chicago, issued the below statement:

“Illinois’ tax system is among the most unfair in the country, and places too much of the burden on middle-class families.  Our current tax system is catered to the ultra-wealthy, but under the Fair Tax Amendment that I supported, Illinois can move towards a system that cuts taxes for hard-working families while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

“I believe in the people of Illinois, and I believe their voice matters in determining the future of our tax structure; the Fair Tax plan that I supported will give Illinoisans a chance to decide the future of our tax system.  I look forward to listening to the ideas, questions, and concerns of local families, and I pledge to continue working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to improve the lives of middle-class families across Illinois.”

“With a Fair Tax system, we will finally be able to stabilize state finances, invest in critical services like health care for working families and seniors, fully fund education, and address the state’s backlog of unpaid bills, all while cutting taxes for 99.5% of local families.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To ensure that the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share and to make the state tax system more fair for Illinois’ middle-class families, state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, supported Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1, the Fair Tax Amendment, and issued the following statement:

“I supported the Fair Tax Amendment to give Illinoisans a chance to have their voices heard on whether we should continue the status quo with our regressive tax structure that caters to the ultra-wealthy, or if we should address our unfair tax system and call on millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

“Illinois’ current tax system is among the most unfair in the country, and places too much of the financial burden upon working families.  The Fair Tax plan I supported will give Illinoisans a chance to have a voice in addressing our unfair, regressive tax structure, and will cut taxes for 97 percent of Illinois families.

“Throughout my first session in Springfield as state Representative I have worked to pass policies that will help to build a stronger Illinois by building a stronger middle class.  In addition to fighting for fair taxes, my commitment to strengthening the middle class includes building a robust economy that creates high-wage jobs while making health care more affordable.

For more information, contact Villa’s constituent services office at 630-326-9319 or StateRepKarinaVilla@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to fight for working and middle-class families, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, supported a Fair Tax amendment to reform the state’s taxing system, paving the way for modest tax relief for those who need it most.

“Our current tax system is broken, we need to lessen the tax burden on working and middleclass families by ensuring that the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share,” said Moylan. “The new tax proposal that I support will provide tax relief to over 97% of the families in my district.”

Under the current flat tax system, working families pay double their income compared to the ultra-wealthy. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1, the Fair Tax amendment, is the first step in creating a taxing system that will hold the line on middle-class taxes and provide relief to millions in Illinois.

This Moylan-backed initiative gives taxpayers the choice to reform Illinois’ income tax system from a regressive flat tax to a fairer taxing plan that will provide tax relief to working and middle-class families while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

“The Fair Tax amendment is a no brainer because the proposal I support will save money for over 97% of the people in my district,” said Moylan. “It’s about time we give a helping hand to hardworking individuals and lessen the tax burden on our middle-class families.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, issued this statement after passing the Fair Tax amendment, a first step toward tax relief for 99.7% of local residents:

“The Fair Tax will take us away from policies that let the super-rich pay a fraction of their share while middle-class Illinoisans are forced to pick up the check. This policy will provide tax relief to 99.7% of people here in our community, while also helping to build up our education system, fund programs to make health care affordable for all Illinoisans and pay for economic development and jobs training initiatives.

“Passing the Fair Tax is a significant victory—it is critical our state leave one of the most unfair tax systems in the country behind—but we still have work to do. The Fair Tax will provide the backbone for stronger Illinois, and now it’s time for us to build that future.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, issued the following statement after the House of Representative passed a constitutional amendment allowing voters to make the tax system fairer for middle-class families:

“As I’ve talked to people across this district, I’ve been clear that my commitment to families in the Illinois Valley will always be fight for middle-class tax relief, make health care more affordable, and to stand up for the values of working men and women. This includes making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share so we can hold the line on middle-class taxes.

“When you put aside all the misinformation we’ve heard, the truth is middle-class families bear too much of a burden under Illinois’ current tax system, while a Fair Tax offers modest tax relief for the vast majority of people in our community. This is just one step in a much larger effort to build a stronger Illinois and build a stronger middle class. There is a lot more work to be done, and my commitment is what it has always been: tax relief for the middle class, expanding access to career training that prepares people for high-wage jobs, and making health care more affordable.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, issued the following statement after the House voted in favor of a Fair Tax amendment, a first step toward cutting taxes for 99 percent of local residents:

“Illinois’ broken tax system places too much of a burden on middle-class families, who are forced to pay the same rate as billionaires. A Fair Tax amendment is the first step toward fixing this. Not only does a Fair Tax cut taxes for 99% of people in our community, it will also help us balance the budget and invest in health care and job training, simply by asking the wealthy to pay their fair share.

“There is a lot more work to be done, and I’ll continue working to build a stronger middle class by fighting for fair taxes, a strong economy and affordable health care.”