BURBANK—State Senator Mike Porfirio announced the opening of a Disaster Recovery Center at Morton College in Cicero to assist residents with applying for financial relief following this summer’s storms and flooding.

“The recent storms caused immeasurable damage for many families who don’t know how they’ll get back on their feet,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “I encourage all community members who have not applied online for assistance to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Town of Cicero finalized the opening of the DRC on Tuesday, Aug. 29. The DRC, run by FEMA, is a location where residents who suffered flood damage can apply in person for Individual Assistance and Small Business Administration assistance, if they have not already applied online.

A Disaster Recovery Center may be able to help residents:

• Apply for FEMA assistance
• Learn the status of your FEMA application
• Understand any letters or contacts you get from FEMA
• Learn more about additional disaster assistance programs
• Find housing and rental assistance information
• Get answers to questions or resolve problems
• Get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance
• Learn about Small Business Administration programs

“Thank you to all the local, state and federal officials and agencies who have assisted our residents during this time of need,” said Porfirio. “With the opening of the Disaster Recovery Center, we can start taking the right steps to rebuild our community back stronger than ever.”

The Cicero Disaster Recovery Center is located within Morton College at 3801 S. Central Ave., and is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

BURBANK— State Senator Mike Porfirio announced that 12 school districts across the area will receive over $6.2 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“Evidence-based funding supports educational opportunities that contribute to the long-term success of our students,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “Through this funding formula, we can ensure that a solid foundation for improving education systems across the state is being laid, creating a positive ripple effect that extends beyond the classroom.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula — an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.

Local schools set to receive funding through the formula:

• Sterling Morton High School District 201: $2,154,390
• Cicero School District 99: $986,847
• Berwyn North School District 98: $894,808
• Argo Community High School District 217: $726,647
• Burbank School District 111: $635,647
• Riverside Brookfield Township District 208: $455,014
• Summit School District 104: $145,686
• Lyons School District 103: $106,047
• Reavis High School District 220: $52,716
• La Grange School District 102: $44,106
• Lyons Township High School District 204: $3,708
• LaGrange School District 105 (South): $1,105

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget invested $350 million in new funding into students’ success through the evidence-based funding model.

For more information on the FY 24 evidence-based funding distribution, visit the Illinois State Board of Education’s website.

BURBANK—With back-to-school season upon us, State Senator Mike Porfirio is reminding taxpayers they may be able to claim school expenses for their students on their 2023 income tax returns.

“Tax credits such as these help make education more accessible for our students,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “Expenses related to textbooks and other educational materials can be hefty for parents and educators. Through these breaks, taxpayers can have some of that financial burden alleviated.”

The Illinois Education Expense Credit allows parents or legal guardians of a full-time K-12 student to take a 25% tax credit on qualified education expenses over $250. Qualified educational expenses include tuition, book rental and lab fees.

Additionally, 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.

“Parents and educators invest so much time and money into their students’ education, so we want to support them in their respective roles any way we can,” said Porfirio. “I encourage all residents to take advantage of these tax credits while they are available.”

To learn more about the Illinois Education Expense Credit, click here. For home schooled students, click here. For any additional information, visit the IDOR website.

BURBANK– State Senator Mike Porfirio championed a measure that will expand the Residential Sound Insulation Program Advisory Committee by two members.

“By adding more members to the committee, additional insight will be provided when making suggestions to municipalities,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “The goal is to ensure that affected areas have adequate representation.”

Currently, municipalities can establish Residential Sound Insulation Programs to mitigate the impacts of aircraft noise and pollution on neighboring homes by replacing residential windows and monitoring the off-gassing of those replacements. At least 10% of window replacements must go to homes that are considered in extreme hardship.

The committee is currently comprised of nine members who monitored the various municipal programs and had the authority to determine which homes contain windows or doors that cause offensive odors and are thus eligible for replacement. Porfirio’s measure will add two additional members to the board.

“The city of Chicago has sound insulated more than 21,000 homes near O’Hare and Midway airports,” said Porfirio. “With more feedback from additional members, a quieter environment and better quality of life can be achieved.”

House Bill 3722 takes effect immediately.