The Illinois House and Senate have voted to send out stimulus checks worth $500 each to residents who earned less than $75,000 in 2019.
If you’re an Illinois resident, you may soon be eligible to receive a second round of stimulus checks worth $500 per person.
The bill was passed by both chambers of the State Legislature recently. It now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is expected to sign it into law soon.
Governor JB Pritzker is expected to sign the measure into law, with $2.5 billion provided by the federal government to fund the payments. Details of how much money each Illinois resident will receive have not been announced but it is likely that individuals will receive a maximum amount of $500 and families will get up to $1,000 each year for 10 years.
The stimulus checks have been controversial because they would give money without requiring anyone who receives them to prove they need help with their finances or income level is below a certain point, unlike other programs that provide assistance in similar circumstances such as Medicaid or SNAP (food stamps).
Under the plan, individuals who earned less than $75,000 in 2020 would be eligible for a $500 check and families can receive a payment of up to $1,000 if they earned less than $150,000. Individuals can receive up to $500 if they earned less than $75,000.
The checks will be sent out this summer and fall as part of a push by Democrats ahead of 2020 elections to position themselves as champions of struggling Americans who have been hit hard by globalization and automation.
Stimulus Check: Residents To Get $500
The program is expected to cost about $900 million over five years—a relatively small amount compared with other economic stimulus measures but still significant for Illinois’ already strained budget situation.
The state’s Department of Employment Security said earlier this week it had been contacted by numerous residents wondering about when the new stimulus check would arrive.
The DES office said it has yet to receive the money from the federal government, which has not yet sent out any checks. The agency said it doesn’t know how long it will take for Illinois residents to receive their checks, but that people can expect them in the near future.
It depends on how fast the federal government can process all of Illinois’ applications and send out checks once they’re ready, according to DES spokesman Dave Druker. He added that because there are more than 1 million people in Illinois receiving unemployment insurance benefits, each check will likely come with a different date depending on when an individual applied for benefits and when they begin getting paid again based on their previous wages (or lack thereof).
