* HB5152…
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for each individual taxpayer who (i) is a healthcare provider who, for the purpose of providing lawful health care services in this State, permanently relocates during the taxable year to this State from a State with more restrictive abortion laws or more restrictive laws concerning access to other lawful health care, (ii) is a patient or the parent or guardian of a patient who, for the purpose of receiving those health care services in this State, permanently relocates during the taxable year to this State from a State with more restrictive abortion laws or more restrictive laws concerning the access to lawful health care, or (iii) is a qualified cohabitant of a person described in item (i) or (ii). Provides that the credit is in the amount of $500. Creates an income tax credit in the amount of $500 for taxpayers who are public school teachers or qualifying cohabitants of public school teachers who permanently relocate to the State from any other State as a result of content-based restrictions on educational materials imposed by the taxpayer’s state of origin. Effective immediately.
* Press release…
State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) says Democrats finally agree lowering taxes will stop Illinois’ population loss, but the admission comes by way of using abortion and woke teaching standards to lure new residents to the state.
House Bill 5152 would provide a $500 tax credit for abortion providers, abortion seekers, legal guardians of abortion seekers and teachers of woke policies to move to Illinois.
“The message from the far-left is you can’t have a tax credit to help low-income families, but if it’s related to abortion or woke teaching policies it’s ok” Niemerg said. “We have seen many other states protect the rights of the unborn and protect our kids in schools, but Illinois has gone the opposite direction. We have many great teachers and educators in Illinois. It is my hope they stand against this bill, we must oppose this type of legislation or our future will be lost.”
Illinois lost nearly 84,000 people in 2023. Only two other states lost more population. The out migration in 2023 marked the 10th straight year in population loss.
* I asked the spokesperson who sent the release, “Why should teachers oppose this bill?” His response…
Why would they support it? Most teachers down here are teachers because they like teaching teaching kids. They are not interested in teaching woke ideology. They just want to do their job.
I asked again why teaches should oppose the bill. “What potential harm does it do to them?” I pressed.
Haven’t heard anything back.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
==They are not interested in teaching woke ideology==
No. What they aren’t interested in is you and your ilk attacking them for teaching anything you don’t happen to agree with. For you that constitutes “woke.” If teachers aren’t indoctrinating kids with your “values” then they are “woke.”
- Jerry - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:38 pm:
Another way to add income is to make our new citizens bussed here from Texas…legal. They’d be happy to work and spend their money here.
- Slugger O'Toole - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:41 pm:
Any “Press Release” that uses the word woke three times should be re-labeled “Facebook Rant”.
- Drury's Missing Clock - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:41 pm:
==Most teachers down here are teachers because they like teaching teaching kids.==
(Citation Needed)
- joe - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:50 pm:
why include teachers with abortions? Maybe they don’t want to be included with abortions?
- Huh? - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:54 pm:
Why should teachers oppose this bill?”
Why should my son-in-law, who teaches high school in the western suburbs, be in favor of someone getting a tax break just because they moving into his district from, say, Alabama?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 1:59 pm:
===high school in the western suburbs===
Maybe they’re short of teachers?
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:00 pm:
- The message from the far-left is you can’t have a tax credit to help low-income families -
Is he trying to refer to the Invest in Kids program or is there actually a low income tax credit he’s supported in the past?
- Friday Addams - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:04 pm:
Maybe Niemerg hasn’t noticed, but people are moving to Illinois by the busload these days./s
- Jocko - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:05 pm:
==teachers of woke policies==
Gov. DeSantis’s office defines woke as, “someone who believes that there are systemic injustices in the criminal justice system.”
WTH does that have to do with abortion? I wouldn’t be surprised if Niemerg thought Che Guevara appears when you say “woke” three times.
- Telly - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:16 pm:
This is one of those bills that allows both proponents and opponents practice a little show business.
- School Guy - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:17 pm:
My guess is that there are “content-based restrictions on educational materials” in every state in some shape or form. Arguably, every teacher could probably provide evidence of some restriction on educational materials.
However, if the issue is a coming (well documented) teacher shortage, why not welcome all teachers from every state with a tax credit?
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:21 pm:
=- The message from the far-left is you can’t have a tax credit to help low-income families -=
Call his bluff. Run a bill doubling the EITC. He’ll break a leg trying to get to that no button fast enough
- Juvenal - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:23 pm:
=== I asked again why teaches should oppose the bill. “What potential harm does it do to them?” I pressed. ===
I mean, maybe teachers in Nieburgh’s district want to expand the bill to provide a $500 tax credit for teachers who want to relocate within the state of Illinois from school district to school district as a result of that school district’s content-based restrictions.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 2:51 pm:
=Democrats finally agree lowering taxes will stop Illinois’ population loss=
So the “conservative values” guy just flat out lies? Interesting.
What @Demoralized stated +1.
We are not teaching “woke” we are teaching math and science and reading. I am pretty sure Neimerg doesn’t believe in at least one of those.
Educators that I work with and speak with are so completely done with the political nonsense regarding education. We (I am not an elected speaker on behalf of education but this is the general vibe)just want to go about the business of teaching kids. And yet knuckle heads like this have to be dealt with.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 3:26 pm:
“by way of using abortion and woke teaching standards to lure new residents to the state”
These are great ideas, actually a press pop for the bill. Illinois is a woke state that protects abortion rights. Voters in different states made it very clear that they don’t want abortion rights stripped and don’t want Moms for Liberty types dictating their kids’ education. Except the bill seems to be missing one key program, DEI. Add that and watch certain heads explode.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 3:39 pm:
I am an old man now, but besides one high school history teacher, a foreign language teacher I didn’t have, and a couple of football coaches, I can’t say anything about any political leanings of my teachers.
My 5th-grade teacher’s son-in-law was the President of the CTU (we were in the burbs), and she would offer up opinions to me about stuff (because she knew I had an interest) in things like putting a casino on Navy Pier and stuff like that.
Am I missing something about all of these woke teachers?
- Occasionally Moderated - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 4:11 pm:
What we are putting our teachers through is criminal.
They are leaving an honorable profession for less stress and more pay.
Bills like this do not help. Woke curriculum indeed. Might be a nice time to remind the good Representative that Illinois was #2 in returning both reading and math scores to pre-pandemic levels.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 5:28 pm:
- ===high school in the western suburbs===
Maybe they’re short of teachers? -
And maybe he likes more people paying property taxes that fund his salary?
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 5:30 pm:
- I am an old man now, but besides one high school history teacher, a foreign language teacher I didn’t have, and a couple of football coaches, I can’t say anything about any political leanings of my teachers. -
I grew up in west central IL in the 90s and the only teachers that ever talked about politics were the right wingers. I first learned about the greenhouse effect from a science teacher that watched Rush Limbaugh during his lunch breaks.
- JoeMaddon - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 6:30 pm:
**Bills like this do not help. Woke curriculum indeed.**
I’m sorry, but WHAT? What “woke curriculum” are you talking about? This bill has literally nothing to do with curriculum. Or schools at all.
- Jeremy Rosen - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 6:50 pm:
Pretty sure I was present at a well attended Blue Room press conference last week where a large group of Democratic legislators announced their support for an Illinois Child Tax credit for low income children.
- Just Me - Tuesday, Feb 13, 24 @ 7:05 pm:
This bill would allow the credit to teachers leaving a state that bars them from teaching some material even if Illinois also bars that teaching. Like maybe preaching their religion?
- low level - Wednesday, Feb 14, 24 @ 1:13 am:
==Call his bluff. Run a bill doubling the EITC.==
Exactly correct