Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie has introduced two bills aimed at expanding school choice for students in Illinois. The legislation would help Illinois taxpayers seamlessly access federal tax credit opportunities for donating to Illinois-based organizations providing scholarships. McCombie filed the Education Choice Act in two versions this week in the Illinois House of Representatives:
- HB4098: requires the State Board of Education to create a list of scholarship organizations that meet the requirements of Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to facilitate opting the State of Illinois into the school choice tax credit provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- HB4099: requires the State Board to create a list of scholarship organizations and grants the State Board the authority to transmit the list to the federal government to opt Illinois organizations into the federal tax credit.
“It is important that we continue exploring ways to make school choice a reality for students across our state so they can access the best education possible,” said McCombie.
While Governor JB Pritzker has continued to wage battles at the federal level, Leader McCombie has made strides to advocate for Illinois families and work with the federal government to get the job done.
This summer, McCombie wrote a letter to congressional leadership in support of the federal Educational Choice for Children Act saying, “I believe our best foot forward is to empower parents to choose the learning environments that best meets their children’s individual needs. Regardless of funding debates, we must recognize that traditional public schools cannot be the only option available to families, particularly in underserved communities.”
The Educational Choice for Children Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 2, 2025, creates a federal tax credit for donations to approved scholarship organizations that fund K–12 student scholarships.
More information on McCombie’s legislation, HB4098 and HB4099, can be found on ilga.gov.