Of the 500 or so bills that passed this year, several good ones are headed to the Governor for final action, and I will write about some of them in an upcoming column. This week, however, I want to highlight some really bad bills— those that make you scratch your head and wonder what in the world the bill sponsors and supporters were thinking.
I have been vocal with my views about the Fiscal Year 2025 budget that dictates how public funds will be spent from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The FY 2025 budget definitely qualifies as a bad bill. If a budget is a statement of priorities, the State of Illinois budget for FY 2025 is very telling. For example, the $1 billion that will be spent on the migrant/illegal immigrant population in FY 2025 is more than three times the amount of funding that was allocated in the entire annual budget for the Illinois Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Let that sink in.
Here are just a few of the other bills that passed this year and illustrate just how out of touch the progressive members of the General Assembly have become.
House Bill 4409 changes the terminology that must be used when referring to individuals who have committed crimes. In Illinois these people can no longer be called “offenders” or “criminals.” They are now to be called “justice impacted individuals.”
House Bill 5142 mandates that insurance companies cover abortion services without a co-pay or deductible. As approved, women who receive abortions have no co-pay. Women who give birth or suffer a miscarriage do pay a co-pay and are subject to their deductible.
House Bill 5239 allows minors from other states to act on their own behalf (without a parent) and come to Illinois for a free abortion.
House Bill 4582 is the revenue package that includes nearly $1 billion in tax hikes on Illinois businesses and families.
- Large online travel platforms will now collect a renter’s tax. That $25 million tax will be passed on to consumers.
- A three-year cap on the net operating loss deduction businesses use to cover their losses was set to expire this year but has been extended for another three years. This translates to a $526 million hit to Illinois businesses.
- Retailers, who were allowed to keep 1.75% of their sales tax revenue will now have that amount capped so they can only keep a maximum of $1,000 per month. This will take approximately $101 away from our job providers.
- Companies that provide sports betting were previously taxed at a flat 15% rate but will now face a graduated tax ranging from 20% – 40% depending on receipts. This $200 million tax hike will be passed down through lesser odds in betting.
- An additional tax of 1% will be imposed on net terminal income businesses receive through video gaming, bringing that tax to 35%. This is a $35 million tax hike for those who provide video gaming.
Senate Bill 2412 changes the rules of this year’s election mid-cycle. This bill passed but was subsequently ruled as unconstitutional. Democrats appealed the ruling. SB 2412 limits ballot access and voter choice by removing a current and widely used provision that allows political parties to “slate” candidates to vacant ballot positions if no one runs for the position in a primary election. If the newly-signed law stands, it will remove over a dozen Republican candidates from ballots this November for seats in the General Assembly. This issue remains in the courts.
All of these bills were pushed through by Democrats this year and have either been signed or are expected to be signed this summer by the Governor.
Illinois has serious issues that require serious solutions, and in my opinion, the above bills do nothing to put Illinois on a better path.
