Rock Island Today

State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) is slamming the state’s Democrats for angling to kill off the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program. 

“Several of us put out a letter last week, it was all Republican signatories on it,” Halbrook said according to WFIW Radio. “Some of the Democrats were approached about it, they spoke favorably, but they didn’t want to sign.”

The program serves over 9,000 K-12 students who are the beneficiaries of the Invest in Kids Tax Credit. Gov. J.B. Pritzker noted in a May 24 press conference he would not be seeking to fund the program going further. 

“This is not something that’s been covered by the budget agreement. It’s something that still has time, potentially, but it’s not something that’s in the budget agreement,” Pritzker said at a press conference announcing a budget deal had been struck, a recent report from Prairie State Wire noted.

Also according to Prairie State Wire, The Tax Credit Scholarship Program allows its donors to obtain a tax benefit for donating to a state-maintained scholarship program for private schools for low-income families. Republicans are looking forward "to the sunset of this program being extended.” 

“We the undersigned members of the Illinois General Assembly are expressing our support of the extension of the ‘Invest in Kids’ Scholarship Fund,” the letter from GOP legislators reads. “This is a shared priority of both caucuses which benefits the education of underprivileged children.”

The Wall Street Journal called on the General Assembly to keep the plan in place for several reasons. 

“In 2022-23 more than 32,000 students applied for scholarships, which let them attend more than 760 private and religious schools across the state. Since 2017 the program has raised more than $330 million in private donations with the most common gift around $1,000. Voters can claim a partial state income tax credit for their contribution,” the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board wrote. 

WSJ's Editorial Board additionally noted that the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program is popular with voters. 

"In May 2021, an ARW Strategies poll showed 61% of Illinois voters approved the tax-credit program, including 67% of state Democrats. Seventy-one percent of black voters and 81% of Hispanics statewide approved of the plan,” WSJ's Editorial Board wrote. “The program’s popularity is one reason Gov. J.B. Pritzker has reversed his earlier opposition. He ran against it in 2018 but in 2022 indicated support on a Chicago Sun-Times candidate questionnaire.”