Carbondale Reporter

The Illinois Supreme Court recently upheld a lower court's ruling that blocked Senate Bill 2412, a controversial law signed by Governor Pritzker in May. The bill aimed to halt the practice of slating candidates to fill ballot vacancies for the current election cycle, even as candidates were already collecting petition signatures and rearranging their lives to run for office. Republican lawmakers criticized the bill as an attempt to benefit Democratic incumbents and reduce voter choice in the upcoming election.

Governor Pritzker’s legislative allies petitioned the court to revisit the earlier ruling, but the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s decision, declaring the law unconstitutional since it attempted to alter election rules after the election cycle had begun. If the law Pritzker signed had taken effect, it would have prevented numerous candidates from being placed on the ballot in the 2024 general election. The measure drew swift criticism from many, including good government advocates, who viewed it as a blatant power grab by Democratic lawmakers to give vulnerable incumbents an advantage in November.

Under the recent ruling, candidates who had collected the required number of petition signatures by the official deadline will now be placed on the ballot for voter consideration.

State Senator Terri Bryant, who opposed the bill in the Senate, expressed relief that "the courts rejected yet another attempt by Pritzker’s allies to reduce voters’ choices and manipulate the electoral process."

With students back in classrooms and a new school year underway, parents and educators are reminded about available tax credits. The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is highlighting opportunities for financial relief through tax credits for education expenses.

The Illinois Education Expense Credit allows parents or legal guardians of full-time K-12 students under 21 years old to take a 25% tax credit on qualified education expenses over $250, up to a maximum credit of $750. Eligible expenses include tuition, book rental fees, and lab fees paid to schools where students are enrolled full-time. Homeschooling families can also claim book rental and lab fees exceeding $250 if they are part of an approved homeschool program.

Additionally, Illinois offers a K-12 Instructional Materials and Supplies Tax Credit for educators. Teachers working at least 900 hours during a school year can claim up to $500 for out-of-pocket classroom material expenses; this amount doubles for educator spouses filing jointly.

For more information on these tax credits, visit IDOR’s website at tax.illinois.gov or refer to Pub-112.

Senator Bryant announced that several libraries throughout her district will receive more than $496K in state library grants this year. These grants aim to ensure residents have access to quality resources and programming.

Grants awarded by the Illinois Secretary of State include Public Library Per Capita Grants for operational needs like purchasing materials and making capital improvements; Equalization Aid Grants providing minimum funding levels when local taxes fall short; Public Library Construction Grants addressing facility refurbishments; and New Technology Grants funding hardware/software additions and digital resource expansions.

Recipients within Bryant's district include Albion Public Library, Benton Public Library District, Carmi Public Library among others listed.

Illinois drivers will soon have options between four-year or eight-year driver’s licenses due to new legislation recently signed into law. Senate Bill 275 mandates that rules be established by January 1, 2027 with availability starting July 1 of that year. This change aims at reducing DMV visits frequency while aligning with other states offering longer license validity periods.

Lastly, tourism growth reached record levels in Illinois during 2023 according to reports from DCEO and Illinois Office of Tourism with over $47 billion generated from visitor spending attributed partly due increased leisure travel statewide by 4%. Further efforts continue through Route66 Grant Program offering $4 million towards boosting tourism & cultural preservation across state - details available via DCEO website.

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