Safer Foundation congratulates Illinois State Representative Arthur Turner, Jr (D-9) and original sponsor Illinois State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-5), for their outstanding sponsorship and tireless efforts to eliminate barriers to employment and increase opportunities for people with criminal records in the state of Illinois. On May 31, 2013 in Springfield, Illinois, SB 1659 (Income Tax Ex-Offender) passed in the Illinois House by a vote of 91 yes to 27 no.
SB 1659, Provides that the total amount of the credit to an employer for wages paid to may not exceed $1,500 for each qualified ex-offender hired. Provides that an ex offender includes a person who has been convicted of a crime in this State or of an offense in any other jurisdiction, not including any offense or attempted offense that would subject a person to registration under the Sex Offender Registration Act (now, a person who is an eligible offender, as defined under Section 5-5.5-5 of the Unified Code of Corrections). Provides that the taxpayer is entitled to the credit for hiring ex-offenders if the taxpayer hired the ex-offender within 3 years (instead of one year) after the offender was released from an Illinois adult correctional center.
We also want to send out a special thanks to all of the co-sponsors, advocates, non-profits and individuals for their work and support of this legislation with legislator visits, calls, emails, letters and other contact you made to our policymakers. The next step for this legislation is concurrence and signature from the office of the Governor. We will continue to update you on progress of this critically important legislation.
