Thank you for reading this edition of “Representative La Ha’s Latest.” It’s hard to believe August is almost over, but it’s been a fruitful summer. I’m excited to continue representing you as summer winds down. I am staying busy as I am committed to making sure that our District, and Illinois as a whole, is a great place for all of us to live. There is so much potential in our great state, but sadly many challenges too. But I firmly believe that together, we can overcome these challenges and help Illinois become everything I know it can be. Thank you for your role in this process, and never stop letting me know how I can best be serving you as your representative.
Back-to School Tax Credit
As the new school year gets underway, I’d like to remind eligible taxpayers that they may claim back-to-school expenses for their K-12 students on their 2024 Illinois individual income tax returns.
As inflation takes its toll on hardworking families, every cost savings is important. This tax credit can potentially help ease the financial burden of back-to-school expenses for K-12 students.
The Illinois Education Expense Credit allows parents or legal guardians of a full-time K-12 student under the age of 21 to take a 25% tax credit on qualified education expenses over $250 this year. The total credit may not exceed $750, regardless of the number of qualifying students. For tax years ending on or after December 31, 2017, the credit is not allowed if a taxpayer’s federal Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) exceeds $500,000 for returns with a federal filing status of married filing jointly, or $250,000 for all other returns.
Qualified educational expenses include tuition, book rental, and lab fees in excess of $250 paid to the school where the student is enrolled on a full-time basis. For home schooled students – book rental and lab fees greater than $250 are eligible when attending a qualified home school program.
Based on the latest final IL-1040 return data, over 203,000 taxpayers claimed the Illinois Education Expense Credit in Tax Year 2023. The total amount claimed was more than $65.4 million, with an average credit of $322.
The K-12 Instructional Materials and Supplies Tax Credit allows eligible teachers of full-time K-12 students to receive a tax break for qualified expenses on classroom materials paid during the taxable year. To qualify, taxpayers must be teachers, instructors, counselors, principals, or aides in a qualified school for at least 900 hours during a school year. They can claim a credit of up to $500 for qualified expenses they paid in the current taxable year. If spouses are both educators and are filing jointly, the maximum credit is $1,000.
Based on the latest final IL-1040 return data, over 68,500 taxpayers claimed the Instructional Materials and Supply Tax Credit in Tax Year 2023. The total amount claimed was more than $29.1 million.
Additional information regarding both tax credits may be found by visiting IDOR’s website at tax.illinois.gov and at Pub-112, Education Expense Credit General Rules and Requirements for Schools, Home Schools, Parents, and Guardians.
Summer Reading Program
Congratulations to Sophia, Emma, Nora & Julia of Homer Glen for completing my Summer Reading program!
Thank you to Village of Homer Glen Municipal Government for allowing us to acknowledge these highly motivated young readers! 
We have more readers across District 82 to share in the next few weeks! Well done!
WLS-890 AM Interview
I was grateful to join Ray Stevens and Nick Gale on WLS-890 AM this week. We discussed many important topics, all relating to how we can make Illinois a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Check out the full interview below!
Rep. Nicole La Ha Speaks on WLS-890 AM (Full Audio Interview) – Nicole La Ha (replaha.com)
General Assembly makes a small, but potentially valuable, change to the job-threatening Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The BIPA law, enacted in 2008, purports to protect the privacy of an individual’s biometric information from misuse in Illinois. Biometrics are the biologically unique identifiers that differentiate each individual human being, including eye and fingerprint markings. Illinois Democrats have a long record of alliances with law firms that issue contingent lawsuits for big-money damages. Especially in years that followed 2008, the BIPA law was interpreted by the courts to grant ‘standing’ to file enormous lawsuits against any business firm in Illinois that had collected biometric information about its employees, such as using biometric locks or time clocks.
After some of these lawsuits began to move to trial and massive verdicts, the Illinois business community began to warn the General Assembly that BIPA was becoming a deadly threat to job creation and retention. House Republicans sponsored bills to reduce or eliminate the threats created by BIPA misuse. Many Democrats, faithful to their alliance with the trial bar, did not want to take action. Under pressure, the leadership of the House and Senate Democrats partially gave in. In the 2024 spring session, they allowed a bill to come to the floor of the House and Senate. As passed by both houses, SB 2979 allowed many of the job-threatening features of BIPA to remain untouched: trial lawyers will continue to be able to use BIPA to file big lawsuits. However, SB 2979 also says that if a firm collects biometric information two or more times from one individual without explicit permission – as, for example, if a security camera repeatedly takes a picture of an individual reporting to work, and the same picture is taken every day – then only one act of alleged damage has taken place. No plaintiff or law firm can claim that two or more pictures, or fingerprints, create two or more episodes of damage for which huge sums of money can be awarded.
Even after passage of SB 2979 and its enactment into law, the Biometric Information Privacy Act continues to be highly hostile to job creation and retention in Illinois. Employers and job creators do not face similar lawsuits in any of the other states that compete with Illinois for jobs. Firms that use facial recognition, fingerprint-scans, or any of the other identification methods pinpointed by BIPA continue to be potentially liable for lawsuits and damages. House Republicans would have preferred a much more equitable biometric privacy law that would have balanced the interests of business and labor. Two House Republican bills, HB 2335 (Keicher) and HB 5635 (Keicher) are good examples of what an equitable BIPA bill looks like. Many House Republicans voted against the 2024 law because it fell far short of true BIPA reform.
However, the 2024 law is better than nothing and marks a rare partial defeat for the trial bar in Illinois. The SB 2979 biometric law modification statute was signed into law in August 2024.
llinois unemployment rate rises again in July. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced Thursday that the unemployment rate increased +0.2 percentage point to 5.2 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +12,900 in July, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The June revised unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, unchanged from the preliminary June unemployment rate. The June monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +10,400 to -4,300 jobs. The July unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In July, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Government (+11,400), Private Education and Health Services (+3,400), and Other Services (+2,300). The industry sectors with monthly payroll job declines included Manufacturing (-2,500), Leisure and Hospitality (-1,500), and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-800).
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.9 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for July. The national unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in July, up +0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.8 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.4 percent.
Morton Salt moves headquarters out of Illinois to Kansas. Morton Salt, which mines and distributes a wide variety of salt products, has been headquartered in the Chicago area for more than 100 years. The firm’s iconic slogan, ‘When it Rains it Pours,” is a product of Morton Salt’s Chicago years. The ownership family endowed what is now the Morton Arboretum in DuPage County, one of Illinois’ largest private parklands that is open to the public. When Morton Salt set up their current headquarters in Chicago, the office was the work focus of 350 Illinois-based employees.
Morton Salt is now leaving Illinois. Overland Park, Kansas, their new home, is close to a big Morton salt mine, and is adjacent to the airport and urban amenities of Missouri’s Kansas City. The firm is moving its headquarters to a state that is seen as more tax-friendly and business-friendly than the Chicago-dominated Prairie State. The Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate survey, a nonpartisan ranking of states and their business climates, currently ranks Illinois at #37 among the 50 states, well below the nationwide median point. The Tax Foundation reports that two of the states that border Illinois, Indiana at #10 and Missouri at #12, rank much higher than Illinois.
In the District
These summer months have been busy, but I love being out and about in the district! Below are some pictures of highlights of what I’ve been up to. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to connect with the people I serve. I’m always amazed by the people and places that make our district special!
With an IDOT Representative at our Job Fair
Presenting NEXT Door and Window with an EITP Grant
Upcoming Event
I’m hosting an event with Senator John Curran that I would love for you to attend. Join us in Willowbrook on September 17th for an ICash event! The event will take place at the Willowbrook Community Resource Center located at 825 Midway Drive from 10am-2pm.
Did you know the State Treasurer is holding $2.5 billion in unclaimed funds for Illinoisans? These lost funds are held until they are claimed by the rightful owners or their heirs, and they are returned at no cost with proper identification. This is a great opportunity to discover if any of these funds belong to you or your loved ones. I encourage you to come out, learn more, and claim what’s yours!
State Resources
Illinois Office of Tourism
The Illinois Office of Tourism is dedicated to showcasing the best of what our state has to offer. From world-class museums in Chicago to the natural beauty of Starved Rock State Park, Illinois is a place where history, culture, and nature converge. The Office of Tourism works tirelessly to promote these attractions, ensuring that both residents and visitors can fully experience the richness of our state. You can explore travel guides, itineraries, and more at enjoyillinois.com.
ICash Program
The Illinois Treasurer’s ICash program is designed to help Illinois residents reclaim lost or forgotten assets. This includes everything from uncashed paychecks and utility refunds to dormant bank accounts and life insurance benefits. The program is a crucial resource for residents looking to recover funds that rightfully belong to them. To search for unclaimed property or to learn more about the program, visit icash.illinoistreasurer.gov.
Museum Passes
Looking to take the family to any Chicago area museums? Our office can help! The 2024 Constituent Education Resource Card allows complimentary General Admission to many of the city’s esteemed museums.
Call my office at 630-410-8466 to reserve your pass.
Thank you for your continued support. I’m committed to working hard for our district. If you haven’t already, please visit my website at RepLaHa.com to sign up for email updates and stay informed about my latest news and initiatives.