North Cook News

Veteran state Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) is doing all he can to help parents adjust to the new financial hurdles they face stemming from the rise in remote learning brought on by COVID-19.

“We have hundreds of thousands of Illinois students back in school but not back in the classroom,” said Morrison. “Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) guidelines make it very difficult for many school districts to begin in-person instruction and parents have been left scrambling to figure out how to best provide for their kids’ education at home. It’s an unexpected burden for parents to budget for expenses like another computer so that their child can have online instruction.”

With that in mind, Morrison is now serving as the chief co-sponsor of House Bill 5834, which seeks to put in place an income tax credit for guardians of students for education expenses related to online learning. The list of eligible expenses includes computers, printers, internet access and tutors.

Hoping to entice more teachers to return to the classroom, the bill also offers additional tax credits if the parent or guardian is also an educator. The bill also establishes a tax credit for employers willing to assist employees in covering the cost for their child’s remote learning expenditures.

“This remote learning education expense credit will assist students and families when it comes to ensuring quality education for our schoolchildren,” Morrison added. “Everyone is doing their best to adapt to COVID-19 changes and the state needs to provide support wherever we can. In-person learning is preferential for both students and parents, therefore as long it is restricted or limited, Illinois families should have access to a credit like this.”

Morrison is hoping to see the bill advance when the House and Senate are both slated to gather for the fall veto session beginning Nov. 17.