Conversations Untapped Tour Wraps Up with Lake Villa Event
Thank you to everyone who came out last week to the final stop on my Conversations Untapped Tour. Over the last several weeks, my staff and I held events in Cary, Antioch, Woodstock (Barks & Brews), and last week in Lake Villa. Nice sized crowds showed up at all four events and I enjoyed the casual conversations immensely. As you can imagine, these conversations are especially helpful as the legislature gears up for the fall veto session in October.
My next outreach events are a pair of IPASS on Demand Events in Fox Lake and Lake Villa. If you have not yet switched out your plastic IPASS transponders for the new sticker technology, these events are for you! If you plan to attend, please bring your plastic transponder(s) with you and jot down your license plate number(s) to ensure quick service.
Upcoming outreach events include:
- September 9: IPASS on Demand, Fox Lake Library, 255 E. Grand Avenue, Fox Lake, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- September 17: IPASS on Demand, Lake Villa District Library, 140 N. Munn Road, Lindenhurst, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- September 23: Constituent Services Event with Senator Wilcox and Cary Mayor Mark Kownick, Cary Municipal Center, 755 Georgetown Drive, Cary, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- September 30: Medicare 101, Harrison School (Use Entrance #1), 6809 McCullom Lake Rd, Wonder Lake, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
- October 14: Senior Resource Fair, Grand Oaks Recreation Center, 1401 IL-176, Crystal Lake, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
New events are added regularly, so please visit the Events page of my website regularly to be kept up to date about events taking place near you.
Illinois Families and Educators Can Claim Back-to-School Tax Savings
As students return to classrooms across the state, Illinois families and educators have access to valuable tax credits to help offset the cost of education. These programs are designed to provide relief for both parents covering school expenses and teachers who often spend their own money on supplies.
Parents and guardians may qualify for the K-12 Education Expense Credit, which provides up to $750 per household. Families can claim 25 percent of eligible expenses above $250, including costs such as tuition, book rentals, and lab fees paid directly to a school. Home-school families may also qualify for certain expenses tied to an approved curriculum. Last year alone, nearly 200,000 families took advantage of this credit, saving an average of $324.
Educators may be eligible for the Instructional Materials and Supplies Credit, which helps reimburse the out-of-pocket costs of classroom needs. Full-time K-12 teachers, aides, counselors, and principals working at least 900 hours in the school year can claim up to $500 in credits. Married couples who are both educators and file jointly may receive up to $1,000. More than 81,000 Illinois educators used this credit in 2024, collectively saving over $35 million.
These tax credits are a practical way to help ease the financial burden of a new school year and encourages families and teachers to keep their receipts and file for the relief they deserve.
For more information, visit tax.illinois.gov and see IDOR Publication 112.
Illinois’ Cashless Bail System Under National Scrutiny
Illinois is once again in the national spotlight as concerns grow over the state’s controversial decision to eliminate cash bail. On August 25, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to explore blocking funding to states that ended cash bail, claiming that the policy undermines public safety.
Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail in 2023 under the SAFE-T Act, a move that Republicans warned would hurt law enforcement’s ability to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Since then, critics say the law has allowed repeat and violent offenders to walk free while communities pay the price.
Illinois families deserve a justice system that prioritizes victims and law enforcement over criminals, not reckless policies that put ideology ahead of safety and reward criminals. To that end, I am calling on Democrat leaders to repeal the SAFE-T Act and restore accountability before communities and law-abiding citizens are harmed.
Bill Ensuring Care for Retired Police K9s Signed into Law
Legislation I supported this year that creates the Care for Retired Police Dogs Grant Program has been signed into law. The program is designed to support the veterinary needs of retired police K9s across Illinois.
House Bill 3140 establishes a grant that provides up to $1,500 each year to reimburse handlers or adoptive families for veterinary expenses. Eligible K9s must have served at least five years, or three years if they were injured while on duty.
The program is fully funded through sales of Illinois’ new K-9 Memorial License Plate, with no cost to taxpayers. To ensure sustainability, the initiative will only launch if a minimum of 2,000 license plate requests are received by January 2028.
This new law helps honor the service of police dogs while easing the financial burden on the families who care for them in retirement.
Illinois sees Record-Breaking Tourism in 2024
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism has recently announced that Illinois welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors in 2024.
According to data provided by Tourism Economics, Illinois welcomed 113 million domestic and international visitors last year, who generated $48.5 billion in spending, an increase of 500,000 visitors and $1.3 billion in spending from the previous year.
This accounted for $4.7 billion in state and local tax revenue, supporting more than 280,000 jobs in the state’s tourism and hospitality industry.
Tourism is a vital part of our state’s economic success, contributing valuable revenue to local economies. These record-setting figures come as a great relief for those in the tourism and hospitality industry, who are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic and the governor’s forced shutdown of businesses across the state.