Bill
HB 2689
Property tax bills must show the exact dollar amount funding the local Veterans Assistance Commission, increasing transparency on veterans-related funding.
Status (as provided)
- Bill: HB 2689 — “PROP TX‑VETERANS COMMISSIONS”
- Introduced: February 2025
- Current procedural note: Rule 19(a) / Re‑referred to Rules Committee (per bill information supplied)
Note on source materials
- The file supplied included text from two unrelated HB 2689 measures (an Arizona public‑safety cancer insurance bill and an Illinois property‑tax bill). This summary addresses the Illinois Property Tax Code amendment in the document that adds Veterans Assistance Commission information to tax bills.
Purpose and intent
- Require that property tax bills (or an accompanying slip) show, in dollars, the portion of a taxpayer’s bill that is used to fund a county Veterans Assistance Commission (per Counties Code §5‑2006). The bill is intended to increase transparency by showing taxpayers how much of their tax bill funds specific local purposes, including veterans services.
Key provisions
- Amends Section 20‑15 of the Illinois Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/20‑15) to add:
- (b‑1) A line item showing the dollar amount of tax due that is used to fund a Veterans Assistance Commission under Counties Code §5‑2006.
- (b‑5) (already present in the committee substitute) a list of each tax increment financing (TIF) district in which the property is located and the dollar amount of tax allocable to the TIF district.
- Maintains existing requirements: itemized tax rates/amounts for each taxing district, total tax rate, total tax due, differences from prior bill, assessment, homestead exemptions, equalization factors, and other property valuation information.
- For bills mailed on or after January 1, 2026, the statement must include information about available tax exemptions, abatements, assistance programs, and contact information for the chief county assessment officer (in bold type).
- The county treasurer must list only taxing districts in which the parcel is located.
Who is affected
- Taxpayers: will receive more detailed, line‑itemized information showing the dollar amount allocated to local veterans assistance (and other specified items).
- County treasurers/collectors and local tax billing systems: responsible for adding new line items and explanatory information to bills — may require system updates and minor administrative work.
- Veterans Assistance Commissions: will be more visible to taxpayers as a distinct funding line.
- Local taxing districts/TIF administrators: their allocations will continue to be itemized and, where applicable, additional disclosure (TIFs) will be provided.
Implementation and timeline
- The bill amends the printing/content requirements for tax bills. The text specifies that the additional informational requirements apply to bills mailed on or after January 1, 2026 (for the taxpayer assistance/contact info provision).
- Practical implementation will require county treasurers to modify billing templates and possibly tax‑billing software to compute and display the Veterans Assistance Commission amount.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Transparency: improves taxpayer awareness of how much of their property tax funds veterans assistance locally.
- Administrative costs: counties may incur one‑time and recurring administrative and IT costs to change bill formats and calculation routines.
- No direct change to tax levies or rates: the measure is a disclosure/formatting change, not a tax increase or a change in how funds are levied.
If you want, I can:
- Draft suggested implementation guidance for county treasurers (data fields, calculation notes).
- Produce a short one‑page notice counties could send to taxpayers explaining the new line item.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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