A property tax reform package pushed by Mayor Richard Daley and targeted at helping the needy and the elderly won the endorsement of a Senate committee Wednesday.
The action took place as another Senate panel approved legislation that would allow President Bush to be on the Illinois ballot, and a House panel defeated the governor’s proposal to ban soft drinks in schools.
The property tax measure is aimed at helping homeowners who may be “brick rich” but “cash poor” and cannot afford to pay rising property tax bills, said Sen. James DeLeo (D-Chicago), the sponsor.
The legislation would let a senior citizen with an income of up to $45,000, now $40,000, take advantage of the senior tax freeze. The program allows a person at least 65 years old to apply for an assessment freeze even though the value of the property continues to rise.
It also would boost the general homestead exemption from the current rate of $4,500 to up to $6,000 in Cook County and $3,500 to $5,000 throughout the rest of the state, depending on an owner’s income, officials said.
DeLeo said he expected tweaks in the proposal the House pushed through last week that would cap assessment increases at 7 percent a year.
The Bush proposal, sponsored by Sen. Frank Watson (R-Greenville), would let the state certify Bush as the Republican presidential candidate even though the GOP convention is a few days later than the Illinois deadline. Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) said Bush should be on the ballot so he is “held accountable for all of his misdeeds of the past couple of years.”
The Senate Executive Committee approved the bill, but Jones said he expected it to be amended.
A similar measure died during the veto session because the Bush provision was in a bill that allowed the State Board of Elections to eliminate the fines of several political committees.
Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) pushed a bill through the same committee that would ban city inspectors from going into a person’s home at any time without an owner’s consent to see if more than a certain number of people live in a house.
The bill, in response to complaints about Cicero and Berwyn, also would ban local laws that allow officials to require an owner to make unreasonable repairs identified by inspectors before a house can be sold, he said.
Sandoval said he has heard complaints from people who contend local ordinances allow officials to harass Hispanics.
The House Elementary and Secondary Committee fell two votes short of supporting Blagojevich’s proposed ban on soft drinks in schools.
Opponents said the bill would force districts to abandon contracts with soft-drink companies that provide millions of dollars in revenue to schools.
