SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) moved legislation from the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee that would lower broadband service charges for consumers.

“The pandemic has shown just how vital reliable access to internet is,” Villanueva said. “Working families must have affordable broadband options as jobs and education move online.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is sponsoring a bill that creates an organ donation tax credit for private employers.

“Organ donors transform lives and reshape futures through selfless acts,” Morrison said. “I’m hopeful this measure will encourage more people to participate in the generous act they feel they have been called to do.”

The measure creates an optional organ donation tax credit for private employers. The credit is applicable if the employer allows its employees the option to take paid leave of absence for a minimum of 30 days for serving as an organ or bone marrow donor.

CHICAGO – A 2019 Dove study found that African American women face the highest instances of hair discrimination and are more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is working to ensure this will no longer be the case in Illinois.

“No one should have to miss out on a job opportunity or miss a school graduation because of the hair that grows naturally out of their head,” Hunter said. “It’s 2021. As a nation, we should be past this petty discrimination.”

Senate Bill 1847 – also known as the Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act – amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to provide that the term "race" includes traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Martwick’s (D-Chicago) legislation that would create an elected Chicago Board of Education, starting with the 2022 primary election, passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday.

“This democratic step will allow the people of Chicago to vote on the school board members who make important decisions about their children’s future,” Martwick said. “Chicago parents deserve to take more control over the leaders in charge of their kids.”

Martwick’s legislation would create 20 school board member districts in order to ensure diversity and limit the influence of money on elections, while the board president would be elected at large. The board would initially be elected in the 2023 consolidated election for four year terms.

SPRINGFIELD – An effort to create more affordable housing for Illinois residents led by State Senators Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights), and Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday afternoon. 

“People are still reeling from the financial struggles brought on by the pandemic, and affordable housing is a necessity now more than ever,” Hunter said. “With many people behind on rent and struggling with unemployment, we have to have to do more to help renters.”

Senate Bill 2445 would create several monetary incentives for residential developers to create affordable housing in Illinois, including the Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit, which would award credits for qualified low-income housing.

A property tax abatement would also be created for developers of newly constructed multi-family developments who agree to set aside at least 20% of their units for low-income renters in areas with low affordability.

Another property tax abatement would be given to developers of newly-constructed or rehabilitated rental property if, for a period of 10 years, at least 15% of a multifamily building's units are occupied by households with low or extremely low incomes.

Lastly, the legislation provides a sales tax exemption for the purchase of building materials used in affordable housing developments.

“We must be proactive in addressing the looming eviction crisis and building an equitable recovery,” Gillespie said. “Creating incentives in the housing market to produce affordable housing means better options and more stable lives for working and low-income families across the state.”

“The need for affordable housing across Illinois has continued to escalate as the pandemic continues,” Feigenholtz said. “The housing crisis is one of the most crucial issues we are facing in Illinois, and providing landlords with incentives to offer tenants more affordable rent is a necessary step forward.”

The measure now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Scott Bennett’s (D-Champaign) measure to ensure property tax relief for spouses of veterans with disabilities passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday.

“This tax relief is for military families who have sacrificed so much,” Bennett said. “This measure will ensure a surviving spouse can benefit from this exemption without having to go through a repetitive process.”

Senate Bill 1691 would allow the rights of a veteran applying for a homestead exemption to pass through to his or her spouse if the veteran passes away before the application is completed.

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) that would make the retirement process fairer for many Illinois firefighters passed committee Wednesday.

“I introduced this measure to level the playing field for all of Illinois’ firefighters,” Ellman said. “The current law does not address a significant oversight that causes hundreds of firefighters to lose out on time they’ve served when it comes time for them to retire.”

Currently, firefighters outside of Chicago who began work after 2011 are not allowed to purchase service credit after changing employers. This measure would ensure that all firefighters, would be able to purchase service credit if they move to a new employer who is covered by a different fire pension fund.

Members of a pension system earn service credits for time they’ve worked. A purchased service credit is an additional amount of service that pension system participants can purchase-or essentially move from one pension system to another-which can be used to calculate the amount a person will receive when they retire. Many firefighters outside of Chicago can purchase credit when they switch employers, so their service at their prior employer will be factored into their retirement earnings. For example, a firefighter who moves from Peoria to Rockford might purchase their time in Peoria to move it to the Rockford system.

“We ask our firefighters to put their lives at risk day in and day out,” Ellman said. “They serve our communities to keep us safe. The least we can do is make sure they all receive the money they’ve earned and deserve when they retire.”

Senate Bill 167 passed the Illinois Senate Pensions Committee with a vote of 9-0 and now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is leading an initiative that would extend the student-assistance contribution tax credit, which passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday. 

“I am proud to sponsor this initiative to help parents get a head start on saving for their children’s college expenses,” Hunter said. “Children who have a savings account are more likely to go to college, so it is important to encourage planning early.”

Senate Bill 340 extends the sunset of the student-assistance contribution tax credit from Dec. 30, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2031. Additionally, this bill provides that for taxable years on or after Dec. 31, 2021, the maximum credit should be $1,000 – rather than the current amount of $500.