Governor Bruce Rauner visited our Rockford office yesterday to announce a new adoption tax credit to support Illinois families by making adoptions more affordable. The new $5000 tax credit removes one of the barriers for families to adopt and helps fulfill our mission to create hope, opportunity and bright futures for children and families.
Before the announcement, the governor met with some of our adoptive families and took a tour of our new Rockford office and MotherHouse Crisis Nursery. Cassie and Chad Beasley, adoptive parents who stood up with the governor during the press conference, have already adopted a little girl and plan to use the tax credit to help adopt four more children through foster care. The governor also met with staff throughout the tour to talk about the impact of our work.
The governor said the tax credit, a bipartisan initiative, is an important measure to encourage families to adopt. With this change, Illinois now has one of the highest adoption tax credits in the country. During his remarks, the governor praised our adoption efforts in Rockford and called Children’s Home & Aid a “model for the nation.” The governor said he wants to see Illinois become a national leader in adoption and is calling for a further increase to the tax credit.
Illinois State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) was on hand for the event and is who recommended Children’s Home & Aid to the Governor’s Office for the announcement. Other elected officials in attendance included Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford), Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Freeport), Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere), and Judge Donna Honzel, who serves in the family court in Boone and Winnebago Counties. Our Vice President of Public Policy Paula Corrigan-Halpern, Sen. Syverson, Judge Honzel and adoptive mom Cassie Beasley also spoke during the press conference.
