Dupage Policy Journal

Janet Yang Rohr introduced HB1450 in the Illinois House on Jan. 21, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund checkoff. Provides that, through the checkoff, taxpayers may contribute to the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of awarding iGROW Tech scholarships. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill establishes the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships aimed at retaining graduates in the technology workforce. It amends the State Finance Act and the Illinois Income Tax Act to create a checkoff option on Illinois state income tax forms, allowing taxpayers to contribute to this fund. The funds collected, starting with tax years ending on or after December 31, 2025, will be allocated to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for scholarship distribution pursuant to Section 65.120 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. The Act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Janet Yang Rohr has proposed another six bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Rohr graduated from Northwestern University in 2002 with a BA and again in 2010 from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Janet Yang Rohr is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 41st House District. He replaced previous state representative Grant Wehrli in 2021.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1450	01/21/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund checkoff. Provides that, through the checkoff, taxpayers may contribute to the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of awarding iGROW Tech scholarships. Effective immediately.
HB1434	01/17/2025	Creates the Health Care Facility Fee Transparency Act. Defines terms. Requires hospitals or health care systems to provide transparency, including written notices and proper signage, regarding facility fees, with certain requirements. Provides that a failure to comply with these requirements constitutes an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Adds the Health Care Facility Fee Transparency Act to the list of other Acts that constitute a violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
HB1446	01/17/2025	Creates the Temporary Firearm Storage Act. Requires all law enforcement agencies to establish temporary firearm storage programs. Provides that a law enforcement agency may only store a firearm if the owner of the firearm fills out an application stating (i) that the owner of the firearm is requesting the law enforcement agency to hold the firearm on the owner's behalf, (ii) the length of time the firearm will be held by the law enforcement agency, and (iii) that the owner of the firearm agrees that the firearm shall be turned over to the law enforcement agency if the owner of the firearm does not retrieve the firearm by the agreed upon time. Requires law enforcement agencies to send notice to the owner of a firearm before a storage agreement expires. Provides that, if a law enforcement agency has a public-facing website, then it must describe its temporary firearm storage program on the website. Allows an individual or business that has a Federal Firearms License and is certified by the Illinois State Police under the Firearm Dealer License Certification Act to establish a temporary firearm storage program. Provides that a law enforcement agency may not use a firearm stored under a temporary firearm storage program for any purpose without a warrant. Provides that neither a law enforcement agency nor a private entity that establishes a temporary firearm storage program shall be held liable for damage to a firearm stored under a temporary firearm storage program. Provides that a firearm may not be stored in a temporary firearm storage program without a safe storage mechanism. Effective one year after becoming law.
HB1424	01/16/2025	Amends the Film Production Services Tax Credit Act of 2008. Provides that the credit under the Act shall include an additional amount equal to 30% of the Illinois labor expenditures generated as a result of work performed in Illinois by an actor who portrays, in the production, a woman working in a STEM-related field.
HB0045	01/09/2025	Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a grocery store that offers a digital coupon to consumers shall make available a corresponding paper coupon of equal value. Provides that the paper coupons shall be easily accessible at the service desk and may also be placed in other locations around the store. Provides that a grocery store that violates the requirement commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.
HB1072	01/09/2025	Creates the Mobile Panic Alert System Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as Alyssa's Law. Requires, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each public school to implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies. Requires, for the 2026 fiscal year, the State Board of Education to issue a competitive solicitation to contract for a mobile panic alert system that may be used by each school district. Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code to make a conforming change. Effective January 1, 2026.
HB1074	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that it is unlawful for an income tax return preparer or a software company to charge a separate fee for the electronic filing of returns under the Act. Provides that it is unlawful for a software company to offer for sale a version of its tax software that charges a separate fee for the electronic filing of returns under the Act and a version of the same tax software that does not. Sets forth penalties for violations of the provisions of the amendatory Act.