From State Rep. Tom Weber:

Bills Signed, Property Taxes & More

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Bill supporting county extension programs now law.

Legislation to ensure stable funding for County Cooperative Extension programs, such as 4-H, is now law. House Bill 2264 clarifies language in state statute to ensure funds intended to support extension programs cannot be withheld by the state. The bill was signed into law by the Governor last month.  Read More Here.

I.D. Theft Prevention Seminar presentations.

If you were not able to attend the Identity Theft Prevention Seminar, visit my website to download a copy of the seminar presentations.  Click Here.

Proposal to protect taxpayers from delinquent county board chairs now law.

The Governor has signed legislation that came about as the result of a legislative proposal initiated by my office to close a gap in county government. The bill signed, Senate Bill 1236, was based on House Bill 1495 to create a removal and replacement process for the chair of a county board in counties where the chair of the board is chosen by fellow board members.  Read More Here.

Legislation aimed at curbing elder abuse signed by Governor.

Legislation sponsored by State Representative Terri Bryant and I aimed at curbing elder abuse has been signed into law. House Bill 3065 had earned unanimous support in both houses of the General Assembly before it arrived on the Governor’s desk. The idea for the legislation came from a concerned family that lost a family member to elder abuse by a fellow relative.  Read More Here.

Property Tax Relief Task Force holds first hearing.

The bipartisan Property Tax Relief Task Force, which first convened and organized itself on August 12, held its first hearing on August 29.

The Task Force heard from the Department of Revenue (IDOR) on the current Illinois property tax system that levies taxes from 5,675,466 enumerated parcels of Illinois property that have an equalized assessed value (EAV) of more than $352 billion.

As Illinois property owners and property taxpayers know, EAV values can differ in complex ways from market values, and can differ from the value that any parcel of property had when it last changed hands.  

IDOR reported this week that from this $352 billion in assessed EAV, 6,047 separate taxing bodies try to extract more than $30.8 billion per year.

Well more than half of this total Illinois extension goes to Illinois’ public school districts. Municipalities, special districts, counties, and tax increment financing (TIF) districts also demand large shares of the total extension. 

The Property Tax Relief Task Force has been asked to examine the root causes of high property taxes in communities across the state, and to look at other states’ legislative solutions to reduce property tax burdens in the short term and the long term. 

The Task Force has been asked to generate two reports – an initial report within 90 days of convening, and a final report by December 31, 2019.