Rainbow flags, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer pride and LGBT social movements, are seen outside the Stonewall Monument in New York City on June 7, 2022. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
BY BROOKE MIGDON | THE HILL
People and health care providers forced to leave states with laws limiting access to gender-affirming medical care and abortion may soon be eligible for a $500 tax credit if they move to Illinois.
Legislation filed Thursday by Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat, would create the income tax credit. The benefit would be available only to taxpayers who permanently relocate to Illinois from a state with more stringent abortion laws or laws that restrict access to other “lawful health care,” including gender-affirming care, for the purposes of either providing or receiving treatment.
Public school teachers who relocate to Illinois because of “content-based restrictions” in their home state that prevent them from addressing subjects like race, gender identity or sexual orientation in the classroom would also be eligible for the tax credit, according to Cassidy’s bill.
Cassidy in a statement shared to social media late Thursday said the measure is meant to ease the burdens of moving for individuals and families who feel they have been left with no other choice but to uproot their lives and move elsewhere.
“When I left Florida in 1991 seeking a place that was more accepting of the LGBTQ community, it took months of planning and expenses,” said Cassidy, one of just two openly LGBTQ lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly.
“When I imagine a family with a trans kid being forced to flee their home just to access care for their child, or a couple facing a devastating pregnancy outcome realizing they’re simply not safe where they’ve made their home needing to act immediately, it’s just overwhelming to contemplate,” she added.
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