SPRINGFIELD – Nearly one in four adults in Illinois lives with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To address the rising cost of living, especially for individuals who depend on welfare and disability programs being slashed by the federal administration, State Senator Laura Ellman is advancing legislation to make it easier for eligible residents to maintain critical property tax relief.

“Property tax relief programs should work for the people they are designed to support,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “By making this process more efficient, we are helping residents maintain stability and focus on what matters most in their daily lives.”

Senate Bill 2871 would allow automatic renewal of the homestead exemption for persons with disabilities in counties with more than three million residents, including Cook County, on a permanent basis. Current law allows this practice only through 2027, requiring many individuals to repeatedly reapply despite having long-term or permanent disabilities.

The legislation would ensure that exemptions are only renewed automatically when eligibility criteria continue to be met, while maintaining safeguards if a disability is not expected to persist or if eligibility changes.

“In recent years, we’ve piloted automatic renewal of this exemption. During that time, my office has been able to save over 30,000 people from the hassle and worry of completing an application each year,” said Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. “We review applications to determine ongoing eligibility, allowing us to save the vast majority of homeowners from an annual bureaucratic chore. Automatic renewal has been a big success, and should be made permanent.”

“Tax season comes quickly for all of us, but for people with disabilities, renewing the disability homestead exemption becomes another chore on top of other forms needed to maintain basic benefits,” said Nick Boyle, Economic Justice policy analyst at Access Living. “SB 2871 would be a major step forward to protect disabled homeowner's ability to maintain their own residence in their community of choice."

The initiative stems directly from constituent outreach and aims to make government processes more accessible while maintaining accountability in the system.

Senate Bill 2871 was heard in a subject matter hearing in the Senate Revenue Committee on Thursday.