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Governor Quinn Signs Property Tax Relief Law

SB 1894 increases the Senior Homestead Exemption – property tax breaks for Illinois residents age 65 and older – from $4,000 to $5,000. Seniors in the city of Chicago will have the increase applied to their taxable year 2012 taxes, due in 2013. All other counties will benefit from the increase beginning next year.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Illinois.gov - Illinois Government News Network (IGNN) - Search the News Results

Casino gives pay-off to worthy seniors

The city of Elgin helps out many of its seniors with $200 checks.

The city has had the program in place since late 1996. To qualify for the money, a person had to be 65 or older, live Elgin, have a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption, and be the owner of a home or mobile home for the 12 months in the year the rebate was issued.

Qualifying homeowners received a $200 check, while qualifying mobile home owners received $35. Since the program’s start, the city has rebated $9,387,015 of its share of casino money with it.

Click on the following for all of the story:  http://couriernews.suntimes.com/10187867-417/swan-song-for-elgins-senior-tax-rebates.html

Representative Ryan Proposes Medicare Plan Under Which Seniors Would Pay Most of Their Income for Health Care | Beat the Press

According to the Congressional Budget Office analysis the benefit would cover 32 percent of the cost of a health insurance package equivalent to the current Medicare benefit (Figure 1). This means that the beneficiary would pay 68 percent of the cost of this package. Using the CBO assumption of 2.5 percent annual inflation, the voucher would have grown to $9,750 by 2030. This means that a Medicare type plan for someone age 65 would be $30,460 under Representative Ryan's plan, leaving seniors with a bill of $20,700. (This does not count various out of pocket medical expenditures not covered by Medicare.)

Click on the following for more details:  Representative Ryan Proposes Medicare Plan Under Which Seniors Would Pay Most of Their Income for Health Care | Beat the Press

Free Rides for Seniors May Be Hitting Last Stop : Illinois Statehouse News

February 11, 2010 by Ben Yount
Filed under Featured Stories, IL House, State News

In 2009, the state lost $37 million in revenue from the free senior ride services

Rep. Suzie Bassi is sponsoring the proposal, which provides free public transit rides to low-income seniors and the disabled who qualify for the Illinois Department of Aging Circuit Breaker program.

Bassi said she doesn’t want to end the “free rides for all seniors program,” but the state’s $13 billion budget crisis is forcing lawmakers’ hands.

“Income-eligible seniors will ride for free and the rest of seniors will ride at half fare,”

Click on the following for more details:  Free Rides for Seniors May Be Hitting Last Stop : Illinois Statehouse News

Property tax clinics for Boone County Taxpayers to be offered Nov. 19, Dec. 1

 

The Boone County Treasurer Curt Newport and the Boone County Board of Review will offer two property tax clinics for Boone County taxpayers.
The clinics will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and Dec. 1 at the Belvidere Township Building, 8200 Fairgrounds Road

Click on the following for more details:  Property tax clinics to be offered Nov. 19, Dec. 1 - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Effort stalls to end seniors' free rides

 

But lawmakers said today it would be wrong to take away a benefit from the elderly. They also said the CTA can't be trusted to provide honest figures about its budget problems.

A spokeswoman says Senate president John Cullerton has concluded he lacks the votes to cut back the free rides

Click on the following:  Effort stalls to end seniors' free rides :: The SouthtownStar :: News

Lawmakers reconsider free rides for seniors

SPRINGFIELD - -- Lawmakers are thinking about scaling back free bus and train rides for all but the poorest seniors to help cash-strapped transit agencies, a move that carries the risk of alienating a large group of voters with little more than three months until the primary election.

those 65 and older still wouldn't have to pay full fares -- half-price rides are a federal requirement.

Click on the following for more details:  Lawmakers reconsider free rides for seniors -- chicagotribune.com

Quinn indicates support for ending free rides for all seniors

eliminating blanket free rides for seniors on Chicago area mass transit in favor of a plan that would restrict the benefit to just low-income elderly.

Click on the following for the details: Quinn indicates support for ending free rides for all seniors - Chicago Breaking News