PARK FOREST – Senior citizens who have qualified for property tax exemptions in Cook County will only need to reapply one more time, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) announced.

Public Act 101-0622 removes the requirement that recipients of the Senior Homestead Exemption in Cook County reapply for the exemption every year.

Read more: Senior tax exemptions will now renew automatically

SPRINGFIELD – In an order to expand coverage of epinephrine – a life-saving medicine for people with allergies – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is co-sponsoring a measure to make it accessible to all.

“Money should not be a deciding factor for folks who direly need important medications,” Joyce said. “It’s simple. People who have serious allergies shouldn’t be put on the back burner because they can’t afford EpiPens.”

Senate Bill 2457 requires insurers to expand coverage for people who medically need EpiPens regardless of age.

Read more: Joyce applauds EpiPen for all bill

ESSEX – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) announced that several school districts in the South Suburbs have received the Illinois State Board of Education Property Tax Relief Grant.

“I think this is a great step toward correcting our broken property tax system,” Joyce said. “We all know how big a burden property taxes are on homeowners, which is why I am glad to see several communities receiving some relief from these grants”

The Property Tax Relief Grant gives school districts with high tax rates relative to other school districts with an opportunity to lower the property tax burden on local taxpayers. Allocating more state funding to local schools that have disproportionate high property taxes allows the amount of school funding provided by property taxes to go down. The amount of funding received by the grant will be included in future state funding for those school districts.

Read more: Joyce announces property tax relief for residents of the South Suburbs

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) announces that he agrees with most of the priorities Gov. Pritzker identified in his State of the State address.

“Governor Pritzker hit the nail on the head about many of the problems Illinois must fix,” Joyce said. “He mentioned tackling the property tax system, an issue I’m passionate about. The communities in the South Suburbs I represent have some of the highest property tax rates in the country. That must be corrected.”

“Health care is also an area we must focus on,” Joyce continued. “I plan to promote legislation that assures better advocacy within the health care system.”