Legislation assisting Illinois' unemployed citizens to be considered by governor         

[MAY 21, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- On Wednesday, the House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation that would offer Illinois citizens claiming unemployment additional financial relief.

State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, and state Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Springfield, were chief sponsors of Senate Bill 2066, which requires the Illinois Department of Employment Security to offer unemployed citizens the opportunity to have state taxes withheld a little at a time, rather than expecting these individuals -- who are already financially burdened -- to be responsible for providing a large lump um payment at the end of the year.

"Often unemployed citizens owe significant amounts of money to the state when they file their taxes because no state tax was withheld from their unemployment checks,” Bomke explained. “This creates a needless economic strain on people who are already financially strapped."

Under current law, unemployed taxpayers are not even offered the option to withhold state income tax. By allowing a taxpayer to have 3 percent per pay period deducted from each check, rather than forcing these people to pay 3 percent of annual benefits in one lump sum, Bomke believes the proposal will help unemployed citizens to get back on their feet.

The bill would also improve fluidity of the state's cash flow, Bomke said. By withholding tax on a per-check basis, the state would receive revenue steadily throughout the year instead of continuing to cultivate a system where the collection of unemployment tax return revenue is contingent on the taxpayers filing their tax returns.

Senate Bill 2066 now moves to the governor for final approval.

[Illinois Senate Republican Caucus news release]