Metro East Sun

Kevin Schmidt introduced HB0047 in the Illinois House on Jan. 9, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Property Tax Code. In a provision concerning the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, provides that, beginning in taxable year 2026, the taxpayer's annual household income for purposes of determining eligibility for the exemption shall be reduced by any amounts paid by the taxpayer as Medicare premiums during the calendar year. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Property Tax Code to modify the eligibility criteria for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption. Starting in the 2026 taxable year, it mandates that for determining eligibility, a taxpayer's annual household income will be adjusted to exclude any Medicare premiums paid by the taxpayer during that calendar year. This adjustment effectively reduces the reported household income, potentially allowing more seniors to qualify for the exemption. The changes take effect immediately upon the bill becoming law.

Schmidt graduated from Logan University with a BS.

Kevin Schmidt is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 114th House District. He replaced previous state representative LaToya Greenwood in 2023.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB0047	01/09/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. In a provision concerning the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, provides that, beginning in taxable year 2026, the taxpayer's annual household income for purposes of determining eligibility for the exemption shall be reduced by any amounts paid by the taxpayer as Medicare premiums during the calendar year. Effective immediately.
HB0058	01/09/2025	Amends the Use Tax Act and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Creates a sales tax holiday period for certain school supplies from August 2, 2025 through August 11, 2025. Effective immediately.
HB0059	01/09/2025	Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Requires the adopted school board policy for a remote educational program to allow a student to apply to participate in the remote educational program if the student (i) provides an employee pay stub, (ii) has a medical need, including pregnancy, or (iii) needs to care for a family member, including the student's own child.
HB1066	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group health plan or an accident and health insurer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall not discriminate with respect to participation under the plan or coverage against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider's license or certification under applicable State law. Provides that nothing in the provisions shall be construed as preventing a group health plan, an accident and health insurer, or the Director of Insurance from establishing varying reimbursement rates based on quality or performance measures.
HB1120	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Removes a provision that requires the Secretary of State to designate on each driver's license issued a space where the licensee may indicate his blood type and RH factor.
HB1121	01/09/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that the county clerk of the county where a decedent last resided shall (rather than may) issue certifications of death records from an electronic reporting system for death registrations as provided in the Vital Records Act and shall (rather than may) use that system to cancel the registration of any person who died during the preceding month.
HB1125	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Deletes language providing for reduced registration fees for active duty military personnel. Provides instead that the standard vehicle registration fee for passenger motor vehicles of the first division and motor vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds shall be waived for active duty military personnel. Effective immediately.