Distributed via Email: August 20, 2008

SENATE KILLS TAX EXEMPTION BILL

The Illinois Senate Tuesday defeated the bill that would have created a brand new property tax homestead exemption for disabled veterans. The motion to accept the governor's amendatory veto of HB 4201 (Sommer, R-Morton) lost on a vote of 27-11-15.

Governor Rod Blagojevich used the amendatory veto procedure to change a TIF extension bill into a new property tax exemption for disabled veterans. The bill would have made disabled veterans with at least a 50 percent service-connected disability eligible for a standard veterans' property tax homestead exemption of up to $1 million ($3 million in fair market value of the property).

Further details on the bill were presented in the last Alliance Legislative Report 95-75.

SENATE APPROVES BILL ON HEALTH COVERAGE

The Illinois Senate did, however, accept the governor's changes to HB 5285 (Jefferson, D-Rockford). The legislation requires employer health insurance plans to continue coverage – at the option of the employee – to unmarried, young adults up to the age of 26, and to unmarried veterans up to the age of 30. New provisions eliminate creditable coverage, which means pre-existing conditions would not be allowable. The result would be to allow for the employee to place an adult dependent on the employer's health insurance plan after the individual was diagnosed with a health condition.

The Senate accepted the governor's amendatory changes on a vote of 35-17. The House of Representatives has already approved the bill and it now becomes law.

Further details on the bill were presented in the last Alliance Legislative Report 95-75.

OTHER ACTION BY THE GOVERNOR

The governor signed into law the following bills:

HB 1054 (Verschoore, D-Milan) provides that the proceeds of a school facility occupation tax must be allocated based upon the number of each school district's resident pupils that reside within the county collecting the tax divided by the total number of resident students within the county (instead of the total number of students for all school districts within the county). The bill is now Public Act 95-0850 effective Jan. 1, 2009.

HB 4522 (Pritchard, R-Hinckley) statutorily requires the last two school district state aid payments to be made in June (instead of July) so the funds are received in the proper fiscal year. The bill is now Public Act 95-0835, effective Aug. 15, 2008.

HB 4646 (Pritchard) provides that a county, municipality, school district, or community college district may own and operate a wind generation turbine farm either individually or jointly with another unit of local government. It provides that the school district or unit of local government may ask for the assistance of the Illinois Power Agency in obtaining financing options for a wind generation turbine farm. The bill is now Public Act 95-0805, effective Aug. 12, 2008.

SB 2387 (Collins, D-Chicago) adds homeownership, including the basic process of obtaining a mortgage and the concepts of fixed and adjustable rate mortgages, subprime loans, and predatory lending, as part of the financial literacy component of consumer education. The bill is now Public Act 95-0863, effective Jan. 1, 2009.

*The legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Statewide School Management Alliance.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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