Bill Text: IL HB4098 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Educational Choice for Illinois Children Act. Contains legislative findings. Provides that the State Board of Education, in coordination with the Department of Revenue, shall establish and approve a list of scholarship granting organizations that meet the requirements of Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to facilitate opting the State of Illinois into the school choice tax credit provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-02-10 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel J. Ugaste [HB4098 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB4098-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026HB4098 Introduced , by Rep. Tony M. McCombie SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Educational Choice for Illinois Children Act. Contains legislative findings. Provides that the State Board of Education, in coordination with the Department of Revenue, shall establish and approve a list of scholarship granting organizations that meet the requirements of Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to facilitate opting the State of Illinois into the school choice tax credit provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Educational Choice for Illinois Children Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Section 1 of Article X of the Illinois Constitution
provides that "[a] fundamental goal of the People of the State
is the educational development of all persons to the limits of
their capacities.". However, the State has failed to meet this
goal. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP), 62% of 4th graders in the State were below
proficient in mathematics, and 68% of 8th graders in the State
were below proficient in mathematics. In reading, 70% of 4th
graders were below proficient, and 67% of 8th graders were
below proficient.
(2) H.R.1 of the 119th Congress (The One Big Beautiful
Bill Act) was recently signed into law. It offers a federal tax
credit of up to $1,700 for individuals who donate to
Scholarship Granting Organizations, thereby increasing funding
for these organizations to help families pay for their
children to attend the K-12 school of their choice. The list of
eligible educational expenses includes tuition, fees,

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tutoring, educational therapies, transportation, technology,
and other expenses for children attending public schools,
private schools, and home schools.
(3) Illinois experienced great success with its own tax
credit program, the Invest in Kids Act, which was allowed to
expire at the end of 2023. According to the Department of
Revenue, over 40,940 scholarships were awarded during the time
that the Invest in Kids Act was active. Failure to opt into the
provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would place
Illinois at a competitive disadvantage with surrounding states
that are likely to opt into the school choice provisions of the
One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
(4) The ability to choose where your child goes to school
should not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Too many
students are trapped in an educational learning environment
that fails to meet their needs, and the financial burden of
attending a different school is too often out of reach.
Scholarships from scholarship granting organizations under the
One Big Beautiful Bill Act can help alleviate this financial
burden for families that could not otherwise afford private
school and would result in no additional cost to the State.
(5) It is the purpose of this Act to support school choice
in the State of Illinois by directing the Department of
Revenue and the State Board of Education to develop a list of
scholarship granting organizations to which qualified
contributions may be made under Section 70411 of the One Big

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Beautiful Bill Act.
Section 10. List of scholarship granting organizations. By
January 1, 2026, the State Board of Education, in coordination
with the Department of Revenue, shall establish and approve a
list of scholarship granting organizations that meet the
requirements of Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill
Act to facilitate opting the State of Illinois into the school
choice tax credit provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill
Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.