Just in time for Tax Day, Senate Republicans rolled out a legislative package aimed at lowering everyday costs for Illinois families by cutting taxes on essential items and expanding access to preschool and childcare.
The package includes proposals to eliminate state sales taxes on prescription medications and diapers, create tax credits to help families afford preschool, support early childhood educators, and encourage businesses to expand childcare options. Senate Republicans said the relief package builds on ongoing efforts to address the affordability pressures facing working families across Illinois.
“Tax Day is a reminder that too many Illinois families are already stretched thin,” said Senate Republican Deputy Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “This package is focused on lowering costs, supporting working parents, and making Illinois more affordable from the start.”
The first bill in the package, Senate Bill 1647, creates a tax credit of up to $1,500 per child for taxpayers who enroll their child in an eligible preschool program in Illinois. The measure is intended to make early education more affordable and help parents remain in the workforce.
“Preschool costs can be a major barrier for families,” Rezin said. “This credit would help make high-quality early education more accessible and affordable.”
The package also includes Senate Bill 1646, which creates a refundable $1,000 tax credit for qualified early childhood educators, with annual increases tied to inflation after the first year. The proposal is designed to improve retention in a field that is essential to maintaining access to childcare and preschool services.
“If we want families to have access to childcare, we have to support the educators who make it possible,” Rezin said. “This proposal would help strengthen that workforce.”
In addition to preschool and childcare relief, Senator Hills introduced additional legislation that aims to bring relief to the cost of basic necessities for families. Senate Bills 3851 and 3869 would remove state sales taxes on prescription medications and diapers, reducing costs for families, seniors, and individuals with medical needs.
“I filed this legislation because families are already stretched thin and should not be paying taxes on necessities like diapers and prescription medications,” said Senator Hills (R-Barrington Hills). “These are everyday costs that families cannot avoid, yet many are struggling to afford. This is about affordability for families and making sure working parents can meet basic needs at home.”
Senator Hills also filed Senate Bill 2382, which creates a tax credit for donating property for on-site childcare, and Senate Bill 2277, which increases tax credits for businesses that provide childcare. Under Senate Bill 2277, the start-up credit would increase from 30 percent to 50 percent, and the ongoing expense credit would increase from 5 percent to 20 percent. Together, the bills are aimed at expanding childcare options for working families.
“When childcare is available and affordable, it helps families and employers alike,” Hills said. “These bills are designed to expand access and create more options for working parents.”
Senate Republicans say that for too many working families, Illinois is becoming increasingly unaffordable. This package is aimed at lowering some of the everyday costs that make it harder to raise a family, stay in the workforce, and get ahead.
- low level - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 8:50 am:
So Rezin has no idea what the fiscal impact of those bills will be and wont tell us what she would cut to make up for the lost revenue. Typical Republican.
- ChicagoVinny - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 8:54 am:
GOP has evolved from having math that didn’t add up to replacing math with bombast. Hard to take any proposal they make seriously.
- Norseman - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:00 am:
My response to Sen. Rezin is that there is a broken concept in the MAGA GOP that government services taxpayers need can be paid for by the hot air of pandering politicians hot air.
- Scoot - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:02 am:
The Senate Republicans sound like a broken record year after year. High taxes, unaffordable, people are fleeing the state…if this were true why are these Senate Republicans still residing in Illinois?
- Pundent - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:06 am:
It’s not a bad idea. But every good idea has to be funded with either new revenue or cuts to existing programs. Telling a journalist they’re asking the wrong question doesn’t change that basic reality. And not acknowledging that is the epitome of the status quo that Rezin is criticizing.
- twowaystreet - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:14 am:
Window dressing ideas.
The lack of childcare services is a big problem. I’m not convinced that creating a tax credit for donating property will solve much. It has to be a perfect storm of interested parties lining up, which I think would be rare. You’d need a property owner who is looking to offload the property and is still likely taking a hefty loss on the initial investment. Also, an interested party to buy the property with the intent to set up a daycare. That person would need the financial resources to navigate the lengthy licensing and approval process. And all that would need to happen in an area where a childcare facility is needed.
I’ve become really skeptical of all tax credits. It’s not that there wouldn’t be some small benefit, but it never addresses the root of the problem, and, frankly, they tend to only help corporations that were already going to set up shop regardless of the tax credit’s existence. Most small business owners have no idea that most tax credits they are eligible for exist.
- Johnny B - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:16 am:
Sue Rezin doesn’t know only Democrats are allowed to pass unfunded mandates in Illinois.
- Casper The Ghost Bus - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:17 am:
Any of the Republicans have anything to say about Trump’s thoughts on child care/day care and how states should have to raise taxes to pay for it becuase the federal government is busy fighting wars?
“We can’t take care of day care. You got to let a state take care of day care. And they should pay for it, too. They should pay. They have to raise their taxes, but they should pay for it. And we could lower our taxes a little bit to them to make up. But we, It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis, you can’t do it on a federal,” Trump continued.
- Root causes - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:17 am:
Higher wages would help struggling families more than lower taxes.
That said, I would support higher taxes on the wealthy (not on the working classes) to pay for many of the programs the IL Senate GOP proposes.
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:24 am:
‘There is a broken concept in Springfield that the taxpayers’ money belongs to the government”
Both sides can make their arguments here……but she’s not wrong in the premise of the Springfield/Chicago concept
- Homebody - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:44 am:
Rezin used a lot of words to answer a question “no”
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:45 am:
===There is a broken concept in Springfield that the taxpayers’ money belongs to the government.===
Who is the Government, Sue?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:49 am:
@Casper The Ghost Bus lays bare the hollowness and hypocrisy of the ILGOP proposals when it comes to child care and andything education related. If they really want to help working families, fully restore SNAP benefits and bring down the price of gas. That can happen without legislation and will have an immediate impact.
=Sue Rezin doesn’t know only Democrats are allowed to pass unfunded mandates in Illinois.=
LOL. Sure jan.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:58 am:
It affects the budget. So if you’re going to reduce the amount of money the state collects in taxes then you must have an idea of what you want to cut from the budget. The Republicans generally don’t want to put anything like that forward and usually just say “waste, fraud and abuse.” It may not be the “government’s money” but it certainly does have an effect on the government. Have the guts to say that and tell us what you want to cut to pay for your idea.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:59 am:
And, by the way Senator, you are part of that government.
- Huh? - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:18 am:
Sue, aren’t you a member of a legislative body of the government that you are criticizing?
- Johnny B - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:19 am:
How do you propose the GOP bring down the price of gas?
Perhaps by lowering or suspending the increase for the second highest gas tax in the US?
Of course not, it’s scheduled to automatically go up again this July as it will every year because of the inflation rider.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:45 am:
I am going to play Devil’s advocate here and argue that if Democrats cannot find common ground with Senate Republicans here, when the GOP has declared it shares the intent of making child care more affordable and reducing the cost-of-living for working families, then Democrats are as much to blame as the GOP.
Rezin is 100% wrong about her characterization of tax dollars.
But shifting the tax burden off of the sales tax and essentially creating an earned imcome tax credit for child care providers will in theory make the tax system less regressive.
Get a commitment from Rezin & Co to vote for a budget that makes this possible; add a prominent Senate Dem or two as chief co-sponsor; and see if you can work out the details like:
1) How would someone prove they were a child care worker?
2) would it have to be fulltime, 12 months?
3) How much would it cost and how would we make it budget neutral?
4) What’s an “eligible” pre-school program?
FYI, just because Democrats should work with Rezin and Senate GOP does not mean they should sheath their swords.
By all means, publicly applaud Senate Republicans for breaking with President Trump, who has tried to freeze child care funding in Illinois and said that funding the war in Iran has to take priority over daycare.
Trump wants to freeze and then eliminate $1 billion in federal funding for daycare in Illinois. Democrats should call on their Senate colleagues to lobby LaHood, Miller and Bost to make sure that does not happen, and publicly commit to opposing a budget that guts day care funding.
This is not rocket science, Democrats. Take the win.
- H-W - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:47 am:
I’m with Pundent.
The proposals are good ideas that address essential needs which will only worsen with the withdrawal of any and all federal support.
The devil is in the details, but in almost every other state where Democrats prevail, these would be seen as democratic initiatives. Help the children who clearly need help.
Similar to Pundent’s response, I also believe Rezin’s defensive posturing to a journalist’s legitimate inquiry was a missed opportunity to build a coalition. A better approach would have been to say, “I am not sure yet, but I hope we can work together to figure out the cost. Then we work together to figure out how to fund it.”
- Irreverent - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:51 am:
@low
We know exactly what they would cut. Everything that helps normal people instead of the rich and connected.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:53 am:
=== So if you’re going to reduce the amount of money the state collects in taxes then you must have an idea of what you want to cut from the budget. ===
I do not disagree with you, but this is the kind of sausage-making that happens in meetings of the Five Tops and their budget negotiators.
Rich is doing his job laudably by asking a basic question every journo should ask.
Senate Republicans gave the kneejerk response they always give.
“We hope to work with Democrats to find a way to pay for this” would have been a better answer, sure.
But I forgive Senate GOP for not being ready for this, its been almost a decade since they’ve taken a pro-active role in governing.
That said, Curran is not a bad person, but I do not think he has the relationship with Harmon that Radogno had with Cullerton.
Trust is the coin of the realm.
- Huh? - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:56 am:
Johnny B - you are aware that the gas prices are set on the New York Merchantile Exchange. There is nothing any politician can do to influence gas prices.
Having a MFT “holiday” would be damaging to the State and local highway authorities who depend on the MFT for highway and bridge maintenance.
Are you suggesting that roadway maintenance ought to be deferred?
- Garfield Ridge Guy - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 10:59 am:
==”What is the fiscal price tag of the broken status quo?”==
It’s just over $55 billion. That’s the state budget. Very silly rejoinder on the Senator’s part.
- Pundent - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:07 am:
=Perhaps by lowering or suspending the increase for the second highest gas tax in the US?=
Gas taxes are the method we’ve chosen for funding our road repair and replacement costs. Some states use other forms of taxes to fund their road work. Alternatively we could let our roads go to pot. And you might also want to consider that roads require a lot of petroleum based asphalt. And that ain’t cheap right now.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:09 am:
There is a way to pay for more stuff responsibly, but the ILGOP would rather protect rich right wing interests who helped make it a superminority than tax them a little higher, and cut taxes and pay for services for the vast majority of their constituents. And they accuse Democrats of being out of touch with working people?
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:11 am:
Somewhat related — it never ceases to amaze me how Republican pols focus their tax relief on everyone but people with crushing student loans. Big business? Of course. Small business? Duh. Families? Heck yeah. Wealthy people that want to buy an expensive 3rd vehicle? Why not.
Younger people who have lived their entire life in some sort of a recession and were forced to go to school for degrees (and advanced degrees) just to get minimum wage jobs and will never be able to afford a new home or even get married? Uh, no…we don’t care about them.
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:15 am:
There is a way to pay for more stuff responsibly,
Which is Political Speak for paying for it with someone else’s money.
- Johnny B - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:23 am:
The fair tax proposal was defeated by 53% of the electorate not by just the IL GOP.
- Mason County - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:31 am:
=- Root causes - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 9:17 am:
Higher wages would help struggling families more than lower taxes.
That said, I would support higher taxes on the wealthy (not on the working classes) to pay for many of the programs the IL Senate GOP proposes
=
How do you monetarily define wealthy and at what rate would be those additional taxes?
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 11:49 am:
“Alternatively we could let our roads go to pot.”
Or (just spitballing here) we could enact a statute that permits interstate freeways to be converted to toll roads? Just sayin’ …
- Steve - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 12:04 pm:
- that government services taxpayers need can be paid for by the hot air-
Hopefully one day public pension funds , in Illinois, can be funded without hot air.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 12:06 pm:
“Which is Political Speak for paying for it with someone else’s money”
The richest in Illinois have been enjoying the benefits of lower income taxpayers for decades. The ILGOP is more than okay with that, for all their crocodile tears about taxes and spending.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 12:07 pm:
Anyone Remember - one area where the Federal Highway Administration has jurisdiction in financing highways is the ability to toll interstate highways. A state statute alone won’t do it. There are base and pilot programs available to apply tolls to interstates (or additional lanes) but they are specific in what can and can’t be allowed.
https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Committees/Interim/2015-2016/Revenue-and-Transportation/Meetings/March-2016/fhwa-federal-highway-tolling.pdf
- Jibba - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 12:22 pm:
Thomas Paine must be new here if he thinks the GOP is a serious partner. The GOP has been saying nonsense like this for years. If you want to be taken seriously, say what you will cut other than waste, fraud, and abuse. I’ve heard the malarkey too many times to even listen anymore.
- H-W - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 12:41 pm:
@ Jibba
First, Thomas Paine has been around here a long time. No need to disrespect him.
Second, you dismissing even the possibility of working this out is problematic. It can be done because the primary goal can build consensus around the work needed. Child care deserves the effort, and as Paine said above, the sausage-making happens in meetings of the Five Tops and their budget negotiators.
- NorthSideNoMore - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 1:18 pm:
Anyone @11:49 Nope that can’t be done fed laws FHA prohibit it.,but we have the “lock box” The Gas sales tax fund should be overflowing gas at $4.00 a gallon. So that largesse will help with road projects.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 1:55 pm:
@Jibba -
I’ve been around long enough to recognize when the other party is waving its arms and begging you to throw them a life bouy.
“Grace” is forgiveness that is not necessarily deserved, probably not even asked for.
But Rezin is not floating these idea for pure political sport. Just as Marjorie Taylor Greene was not arguing we need to address Obamacare funding to troll you, personally.
Republicans are getting battered over cost of living by their constituents. Assume they are Democratic and Independent constituents for the sake of argument.
If you are JB Pritzker, do you want to refuse to talk to Sue Rezin and be against everything she is for just to score some political payback?
Or, do you want to try to solve problems?
“Generals are always fighting the last war,” and if you want to be a good political commander, you have got to recognize when the battlefield terrain has shifted, which means a wise opponent is going to shift tactics and probably so should you.
The GOP is about to lose 30+ seats in Congress. Probably the senate majority (although who knows how Fetterman and Platner will vote).
Another impeachment seems almost inevitable. Trump’s numbers are in free fall.
There is a solid reason Darren Bailey is distancing himself from
Trump.
Democrats have an opportunity here to shift the Overton window on the budget to the left. They should take it, in my humble view.
Also “How are you gonna pay for it?” Is a stupid GOP argument we should not be repeating.
If it’s a good idea, you stack it up with all the other ideas in the budget, prioritize them, and fund your priorities.
You do not presume that everything in the budget last year takes precedence.
That said, I recommend shifting money from some other tax expenditure program.
- Sue - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 2:46 pm:
Grandson- the Illinois tax rates imposed by the legislature apply to all income levels though the exemptions and property tax credits disappear at I believe 250/500 (Single / joint filers) so explain to all of us how the well off have benefitted from low rates on their State income taxes - would like to know seeing it is April 16 and yesterday was tax day
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 3:43 pm:
- That said, I recommend shifting money from some other tax expenditure program. -
If Rezin or any other member of the IL GOP was serious they could thumb through the budget and propose exactly what to shift. But she isn’t, and this is pure political sport.
- BE - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 4:34 pm:
I, too, would like to see more journalists talk to state GOP reps about Trump’s statements that states should do everything except the war stuff.
The biggest effect a politician can have on gas prices is to either start or stop a war in an oil-rich area.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 6:29 pm:
=== If Rezin or any other member of the IL GOP was serious they could thumb through the budget and propose exactly what to shift. ===
That would be an unserious, rookie move.
The beneficiaries of those tax expenditures would crush her plan before it got off the ground.
She needs to build support for her idea first.
And again, rank-and-file members do not decide revenue streams, The Leaders work out a deal for that.
Democrats propose new programs all the time with no clue how to pay. Are they not “serious” either? Do not make an argument against ILGOP that you are unwilling to make against Republicans.
Let me just say that there is a time to campaign and a time to govern. The Democrats have every single advantage going into the Fall, they can take a break from scoring political points and try governing together with the GOP on this one, small thing.
A good test is to ask yourself “Would I be against Rezin’s tax credits if they were proposed by Kam Buckner, or would I be for them?”
I think 90% of the folks complaining here about Rezin would be all in favor if the same ideas were proposed by Buckner, Peters, Cassidy or Gordon.
- Jibba - Thursday, Apr 16, 26 @ 8:57 pm:
TP- I have no interest in throwing the IL GOP a lifeline. They have earned my scorn through their antics over my lifetime and especially in the last 10 years of unseriousness. Their “rollout” of this is dripping with disdain for Democrats and spending but the proposals are half baked and intended for nothing more than a press pop. They deserve no attention at all from me. If this sounds bitter, it is, especially given that I just listen to daily outrages from the national scene. It is small solace that I can ignore them in Illinois. And no, I would not likely support these proposals from Democrats because I know we are severely budget limited and will only get more so as pension contributions dramatically in the next decade.
- Odysseus - Friday, Apr 17, 26 @ 12:48 am:
“There is a broken concept in Springfield that the taxpayers’ money belongs to the government.”
Can anyone translate that to English?
- Odysseus - Friday, Apr 17, 26 @ 12:53 am:
“How do you monetarily define wealthy and at what rate would be those additional taxes?”
You can do it in multiple ways.
Anyone in the top 1% is necessarily “wealthy”. The United States threshold for a top 1% individual earner was $450,100 in 2025.
Or you can do it by a multiple of the median income. In nominal dollars for 2024, the median US household income was about $83K. So for example five times the median income gets you to $415K.