SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, voted to provide new funding to local schools by requiring the extremely wealthy to pay their fair share this week.
“Education is crucial to helping young people prepare to compete for good jobs and build a middle-class life, and asking the wealthiest people in our state to pay a little extra can go a long way towards giving these students the resources they need for success,” said Smiddy. “We must do everything we can to support economic mobility and education is how we do that, but the schools that are preparing these students must have the resources they need to make this possible.”
Smiddy voted to pass House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 26, which would begin the process of amending the Illinois Constitution to create a 3 percent surcharge on any personal income over $1 million per year. All revenue generated from this millionaire’s surcharge would be entirely used for the purpose of increasing education funding across the state. As the vast majority of the Illinois’ multimillionaires live in Chicago and suburban communities, the measure would significantly helped Western Illinois schools, which have long been underfunded to benefit Chicago schools.
Despite a statewide referendum on the 2014 ballot showing widespread support for this measure throughout Illinois, the governor and his allies blocked this effort to increase funding for local schools.
“Like so many of the people I represent, I am disappointed that some politicians have chosen to stand with their multimillionaire friends, at the expense of young people who deserve a fair chance at a good education,” said Smiddy. “We have to find a way to provide school district with the strong, consistent financial support they need to give every Illinois child a world-class education, and asking the super-wealthy to pay a little more in order to do this is not unreasonable. I’ll continue to fight for the resources children in our communities need for a good education.”
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