East Central Reporter

On July 14, Illinois Rep. Brad Halbrook issued a press release urging constituents to sign a petition to save the Invest in Kids scholarship program.The Invest in Kids scholarship program offers a 75% income tax credit for contributions to scholarship granting organizations, and offers school choice to parents in Illinois.

“Democrat legislative leaders and the Governor who sent their own children to private schools are denying that same privilege to thousands of Illinois parents who simply can’t afford it without these donation-based scholarship. We need to act in the fall veto session to prevent our only school choice program from ending on December 31st. You can help by signing the petition to make your voice heard," Illinois Rep. Brad Halbrook in a recent news release.

According to their website, the Invest in Kids Scholarship program dates back to 2017 and allows Illinois Taxpayers to receive a 75% tax credit for each dollar they donate to a qualifying scholarship granting organization. The program will expire at the end of this fiscal year if not included and funded in the FY 2023-2024 budget.

Representative Halbrook’s petition to save the Invest in Kids program is available here. It notes that the program “…is the only school choice program in Illinois, but it was eliminated from the Democrats’ state budget.”

The Illinois Department of Revenue frequently asked questions page for the Invest in Kids program notes that eligible students live in a “household whose federal adjusted gross income the year before he or she receives a scholarship under this program… does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level.” That student must be eligible to attend a public elementary or high school in the state before they receive a scholarship, or must be starting school for the first time.

Illinois Republicans aren’t the only ones who are looking for the continuation of the Invest in Kids Act. In a February fact sheet, the Illinois Education Association advocated for the removal of the sunset clause in the initial bills creating the Invest in Kids program. The organization points out the following: “Of the 9,348 scholarships received, 1,365 went to African American students; 2,280 to Hispanic and Latino students and 4,392 went to Caucasian students.” The organization also says that reasons to remove the sunset clause include that “Illinois is not fully funding the Evidence Based School Funding Formula,” and the prohibition of state funding for religious schooling is more tenuous, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brad Halbrook represents the people of the 107th House District in Illinois. He has previously served in the 110th District, from April 2012 to January 2015, according to his official biography on his website. He is a social and fiscal conservative, who lives in Shelbyville with his wife.