Will County Gazette

Harry Benton introduced HB2388 in the Illinois House on Jan. 31, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Property Tax Code. Increases the maximum income limitation for the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption from $65,000 to $85,000. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Property Tax Code to increase the maximum income limitation for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption from $65,000 to $85,000, effective for taxable years 2026 and thereafter. This exemption applies to senior citizens aged 65 and older, with qualifying household incomes, who are liable for property taxes and hold ownership interest in their primary residences. The exemption is intended to assist low-income senior citizens by freezing the assessed value of their homes, thus protecting them from property tax increases. This change is effective immediately.

Harry Benton is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 97th House District. He replaced previous state representative Mark Batinick in 2023.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB2388	01/31/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Increases the maximum income limitation for the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption from $65,000 to $85,000. Effective immediately.
HB2394	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated by an engine fueled wholly or partially by an electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell electric fueling system may exceed the posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds.
HB2395	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction for the full amount of union dues paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year if the taxpayer was not allowed a federal deduction under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that, if any amount of union dues representing federal miscellaneous itemized deductions was allowed as a federal deduction, then the amount allowed as an Illinois deduction shall be a specified percentage of the union dues disallowed under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that the deduction is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.
HB2406	01/31/2025	Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a federally licensed firearm dealer shall, upon the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person whom the dealer reasonably believes to be a first-time purchaser or transferee of a firearm, provide the purchaser or transferee of the firearm with printed or digital information about firearm safety courses available locally or electronically and the safe storage of firearms. Effective immediately.