May 2026 Newsletter
PEER Illinois has been deep into the grind of the legislative session, and we just came off of our biggest advocacy day yet. See below for a recap from advocacy day and more opportunities for you to support the full funding of Illinois public schools!
Advocacy Day 2026
A couple of weeks ago, almost 100 members of our coalition came together for our advocacy day. A huge thank you to every member who was able to join us to advocate for public school funding and progressive revenue measures to ensure our schools are funded now and in the future.
We started the day with small group meetings, discussing the plans for the day, then we headed into the Capitol to speak with legislators. We were also proud to participate with our partners and join the Illinois Revenue Alliance in an action to advocate for progressive revenue measures and taxing the rich to secure necessary investments for our communities, including funding for our public schools. It was an incredible rally with hundreds of working people from across the state and a press conference to raise awareness for four bills:
Digital Advertising tax - SB3353 (Peters) | HB4894 (N. Hernandez)
Corporate tax reporting - SB3486 (Martwick) | HB5318 (West)
Billionaire wealth tax - SB3376 (Villa) | HB5215 (Mah)
Closing corporate tax loopholes - SB3796 (Collins) | HB5125 (LaPointe)
We ended the day with conversations with legislators outside the chambers to speak about the experiences our members are having in their school communities. We are so grateful to all of our organizations, group leaders and everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us in Springfield. It’s important for our lawmakers to hear directly from our communities and experiences.
Follow us on social media to stay tuned for more information on bill actions and for more pictures and videos from the day! Links at the bottom of this email.
Millionaires Tax Statement
Last week there was a proposed constitutional amendment (HJRCA21) introduced by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to create a millionaires tax – unfortunately, Illinois lawmakers decided not to move the amendment forward. The proposed amendment would have imposed a 3% tax on income greater than $1 million and allocate 50% of the revenue collected to public schools on a per-pupil basis.
PEER Illinois supports progressive revenue measures and the intention to allocate funding to public schools, however if we want to make transformational changes for our communities, any proposal needs to ensure funding is fairly distributed to the students who need it most across the state.
Read our full statement here: https://www.peerillinois.org/newsroom/peer-illinois-responds-to-failed-proposed-constitutional-amendment-to-create-a-millionaires-tax
Upcoming Actions:
Citizens Action Illinois Phonebanking for Tax Justice!
Join our friends at Citizens Action Illinois to call fellow Illinoisans to educate them on progressive revenue proposals that would rebuild Illinois’s current tax system and create more dollars for our neighborhood public schools. Join them along with the Illinois Revenue Alliance on May 5 at 11:00am.
Senate Revenue Committee Meeting - Wednesday May 6, 5:00pm
This Wednesday, the Senate Revenue Committee will meet to hear all four of the aforementioned Illinois Revenue Alliance progressive revenue bill proposals. Each of these bills would create revenue for essential services our communities need to thrive like ensuring our schools can get the funding they need. We’re calling for witness slips to ensure your voice is heard on this critical issue!
Click here to submit a witness slip on bills:
SB3353 (Peters) digital advertising tax
SB3486 (Martwick) corporate tax reporting
SB3376 (Villa) billionaire wealth tax
SB3796 (Collins) closing corporate tax loopholes
Closing
Thanks so much for reading and be on the lookout for further updates and information about how you can get involved in the fight for public education as the legislative session winds down!