Graduated Income Tax: What does it mean for Illinois?

Representative David McSweeney

State Representative David McSweeney proudly serves the residents of the 52nd Illinois House District in the General Assembly. David capitalizes on his educational background, business experience, work ethic, and commitment to the community with a strong focus on fiscal responsibility and constituent service.

The community is another priority for the McSweeney family. They are members of the Lutheran Church of the Atonement. Margaret serves on Leadership Advisory Board for W.I.N.G.S. (Women in Need Growing Stronger), an organization that helps homeless women and their children get a new start in life.

As a college student, David completed an accelerated BA/MBA program and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University in 1987. He continued his education and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Duke Fuqua School of Business in 1988.

Representative Will Guzzardi

Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) represents the 39th District in the Illinois House, serving the Logan Square, Portage Park, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, and Avondale neighborhoods of Chicago. Currently in his third term, Guzzardi is chair of the new House Prescription Drug Affordability committee, and he is a founding co-chair of the new Illinois House Progressive Caucus.

In the legislature, Guzzardi has championed issues of pressing importance to working people and those in need. This session, he is advancing measures to end workplace discrimination; lower the cost of prescription drugs; make college affordable for every student; and curb abuses by the debt collection industry. And in February of this year, he passed historic legislation raising Illinois’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025.

Raised in North Carolina, Guzzardi graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature in 2009. He has lived in the Logan Square neighborhood since that time. Prior to joining the General Assembly, he was an editor for Huffington Post Chicago and the head writer for admissions at the University of Chicago. He was also an active organizer in his community, joining with neighbors to fight school closures and advocate for an elected school board in Chicago. 

Guzzardi’s successful outsider bid for elected office in 2014 — against one of Chicago’s most notorious political dynasties — is the subject of the recent short documentary, “The 39th.”

Senator Elgie Sims

Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. is serving his first full term as State Senator for Illinois' 17th Senate District, which includes portions of the south side of Chicago, Chicago's south suburbs, and Will and Kankakee countries. He previously served nearly six years as the State Representative of Illinois' 34th House District. 

Elgie continues to make a positive impact on every community he is a part of. He remains active in many civic organizations whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the communities they serve. As a community leader, he as worked to provide scholarships and books to children in need and worked to make our communities safer. 

As State Senator, Elgie continues to put families and communities first. During his time in the Illinois General Assembly, Elgie has championed legislation focused on improving the quality of schools, strengthening the middle class by creating jobs, bringing fiscal discipline to Springfield and passing common sense public safety initiatives with the aim of making our streets safer. 

Senator Chuck Weaver

State Senator Chuck Weaver has represented the 37th District of Illinois since 2015. The district includes 10 Central Illinois counties that are north and then east and west of Peoria.

Chuck understands job growth must be his primary focus and works to make fundamental changes that reverse the decline of our state. In that regard, his focus is workforce development and his passion is for quality education of our children. That passion led to his appointment as the Republican Spokesperson of the Senate Education Committee.

Chuck received his law degree from DePaul University and then joined his family's Kentucky Fried Chicken business. His reputation for operations and employee development led to the position of President of the American Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisee Association. Chuck has been active in real estate construction and development. He has been involved as investor and mentor or operator in more than 50 Limited Liability Companies with a focus on helping young enterprises bring jobs to central Illinois.

Chuck donates his legislative salary to local charities including his work with "Leaders Change Illinois" which launches new projects aimed at improving the community. To date, "Leaders Change Illinois" has granted more than 90 grants of $1K each to young leaders and not-for-profits throughout central Illinois.