SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) voted today for a responsible, bipartisan, balanced budget that keeps Illinois on its path to stability while funding much-needed programs for middle-class and working families.

“This is a responsible and balanced while funding vital programs,” Harmon said. “We are continuing to honor our commitment to ending the chaos of past years and moving toward stability for our state.”

The approved budget appropriates $375 million in additional funding for K-12 education, $25 million more than required by the evidence-based school funding formula. It also includes $50 million in new funding for early childhood education programs and expands eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program.

Human service providers that are still struggling to recover from the previous governor’s budget crisis will receive millions in funding, from domestic violence shelters to early intervention programs.

The budget also gives a long-awaited raise to home health care workers. Those who care for seniors and individuals with disabilities are set to receive an increase of approximately $3.50 per hour.

The budget package now heads to the governor for approval.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) passed legislation in the Senate today that would prevent local law enforcement officers from becoming deputized federal immigration enforcement agents.

The Keep Illinois Families Together Act would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies and officers from entering into or remaining in an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to enforce federal immigration law.

“With the toxic rhetoric surrounding immigration coming from the White House, people in my district are scared,” Harmon said. “This legislation takes a small step toward easing that fear by making sure they feel comfortable seeking assistance from police or reporting crimes.”

This legislation builds on a law passed last year, the Trust Act, that prohibits local law enforcement from detaining someone solely on the basis of their immigration status.

House Bill 1637 passed the Senate and awaits the governor’s signature.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) joined colleagues and Gov. JB Pritzker today to announce the passage of a proposed constitutional amendment allowing for a fair tax and the creation of a property tax relief task force.

“We have taken a major step today toward providing our state two things it desperately needs: long-term stability and tax relief for middle-class and working families,” said Harmon, the sponsor of the proposed amendment. “By finally starting the process to reform our regressive tax system and simultaneously holding conversations about property tax relief, I know that we are building a better future for Illinois.”

The proposed Constitutional amendment would remove language requiring a flat tax and allow the General Assembly to set lower rates for those making less and higher rates for the wealthiest Illinoisans.

Illinois is one of only nine states in the country to impose a flat tax. Harmon has worked to implement a fair tax for nearly 10 years, saying the state needs more flexibility in its tax structure.

The question of whether to amend the Constitution will now be placed on the ballot in November 2020. It will take effect if 60 percent of voters approve it.

SPRINGFIELD – After a decade of work to update Illinois’ outdated tax structure, Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) today earned Senate approval of a constitutional amendment that would allow for a fair tax.

The proposed constitutional amendment would remove language requiring a flat tax and allow the General Assembly to set lower rates for those making less and higher rates for those earning the most.

“We’ve had the same tax structure in our state for nearly 50 years,” Harmon said. “Middle-class and working Illinoisans have been hurt by our inability to modernize our tax structure to reflect a changing economy.”

The proposed amendment does not include specific tax rates, but, under legislation sponsored by Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), 97 percent of Illinoisans would get tax relief. Hutchinson’s measure only takes effect if voters approve the constitutional amendment.

“We’ve made great progress in putting our state back on a path to stability after years of chaos,” Harmon said. “We still have work to do, and the only options we have besides the fair tax are to raise taxes dramatically on everyone or enact deep, punishing cuts to state services.”

If the amendment passes both the Senate and the House with a supermajority vote, it will be placed as a question on the November 2020 ballot. The Constitution will be amended if 60% of those voting on the question approve it.

Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1 now heads to the House for consideration.

Yesterday we welcomed guests at the Capitol for Illinois Muslim Action Day. Young people from across the state came to advocate for important issues for and beyond their community, and to learn about being involved in government policy. This annual event is organized by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Chicago (CIOGC). I was happy to meet Ahmad Raza from Addison, Illinois who is a junior at Islamic Foundation School.

Ahmad hold leadership positions in various clubs at his school and spends his free time working as a tutor at Kumon Learning Center and volunteering at DuPage PADS and Northern Illinois Food Bank. He plans to attend medical school to get a PhD in psychology and become a psychiatrist or psychologist.