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.

BURBANK– To build the public’s trust and establish ethical guidelines, State Senator Mike Porfirio supported a measure that addresses ongoing concerns regarding automated traffic enforcement.

“Being an elected official, it’s important to ensure you gain the public’s trust and hold yourself to the highest ethical standards,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “Accountability and honesty should be at the base of all we do.”

The measure prohibits campaign contributions from contractors who provide the automated traffic enforcement equipment, any political action committee created by such a contractor and any affiliates. Campaign contributions from such sources have been a cause for controversy in past years.

Further, beginning six months before an automated traffic law enforcement system is installed at an intersection, a county or municipality may not change the yellow light interval at that intersection.

Additionally, IDOT can revoke any permit for red light cameras if any official or employee who serves that county or municipality is charged with bribery, official misconduct or a similar crime related to the placement, installation or operation of the automated traffic law enforcement system in the county or municipality.

“It is our duty as state legislators to commit to ethical behavior,” said Porfirio. “Honesty and trust should be at the forefront of our minds. This law will ensure the public can trust those who represent them.”

House Bill 3903 goes into effect immediately.

BURBANK—State Senator Mike Porfirio is encouraging residents and businesses impacted by July's flooding to apply for federal assistance.

“The severe storms our state faced left a significant impact on our communities in Cook County,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “It is crucial that individuals and families take advantage of these resources while they are available so we can rebuild and regain stability.”  

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the storms. Currently, around 8,200 individuals have applied for relief, and the max amount of assistance being offered is $41,000—if a home is completely destroyed. To apply, people can either call 800-621-3362, visit disasterassistance.gov, or use the FEMA app.

Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are also available to businesses and residents. Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair disaster-damaged or destroyed property. Disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace real estate, and up to $100,000 is available to repair or replace personal property. Applications are available at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ or by calling SBA at 800-659-2955.

“We are committed to working tirelessly to facilitate a smooth and efficient recovery process,” said Porfirio. “Our residents and local businesses are the backbones of our community, so we want to ensure that every eligible person receives the help they need.” 

The deadline for both FEMA and SBA grants is Oct. 16. Porfirio encourages residents to apply as soon as possible.