SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — In a set of bills, Illinois House Republicans gave an outline of programs they'd like to be signed into law to help working families.

State Rep. Mike Coffey

This includes a bill that follows one of President Donald Trump's policies he promoted during the campaign trail, no tax on tips.

Other bills hope to make it easier and cheaper for Illinoisan to go into trade school, like a plan that would allow skilled trade workers to teach without requiring a bachelors degree.

State Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) brought his own proposal to give tax credits to citizens that donate money for scholarships to trade school. He said his bill and other Republican bills will best help those that live outside of Chicago.

"We can give relief to all these small businesses especially in downstate and Central Illinois," Coffey said. "We need more plumbers, we need more pipe fitters, we need more electricians so we can grow and build Illinois."

All of these bills will require Democrat support, as the Democrats hold a supermajority. The GOP lawmakers said they are ready to work with the opposing party.

"Everybody has got restaurants in their districts and this is a good thing for folks that work there," State Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Norridge) said. "With the cost of goods going up-it's all about simple math."

Some of these bills have been assigned to committees, where lawmakers could talk about them in the coming weeks.

Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.