CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons reconvened his People's Legislative Council for Single Moms, bringing together moms and caregivers to hear from them how a permanent child tax credit in Illinois would benefit their daily lives.

“A child tax credit in Illinois would make a major difference in the livelihoods of 7th District families,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Hearing firsthand from local mothers on how this would help provide them economic relief and financial security makes it even more pressing to enact a permanent state-level child tax credit.”

With the cost of living on the rise across the country, children are often the most affected. Mothers on the People's Legislative Council for Single Moms shared that they used funds from the Federal American Rescue Plan in 2021 to cover childcare, diapers, clothes for their children, therapy costs, and to counter the rising costs of food, rent and other basic needs.

As a fierce supporter and legislative leader of creating a child tax credit since taking office in February 2021, Simmons has been to the White House twice in the last year to advocate for a permanent child tax credit in Illinois, promoting the beneficial impact it would have on families across the state and the state’s economy. Because of his own experience growing up in a single parent household where his mom struggled to make ends meet while raising him and his sister, this was one of the first bills he filed as a state senator. Simmons has since worked tenaciously to garner support to finally get it done.

“Households all across Illinois are making painful choices to pay for necessities like food and rent, while scrimping on other basic needs like keeping the lights on and paying for prescriptions,” said Simmons. “No Illinois family should ever have to make choices like these, and no child in Illinois should have to see their parents struggle like that.”

Simmons’ legislation, Senate Bill 1444, would create a $700 state-level child tax credit for eligible low- and middle-income families beginning in the tax year 2025. If enacted, Illinois would become the 15th state to enact a state-level child tax credit.

Senate Bill 1444 awaits discussion in the spring legislative session.