Back in November, State Sen. James Meeks (D-Calumet City) was rightly outraged by a report highlighting Illinois’ annual give-away to big corporations for merely collecting sales taxes. Now he’s out to reclaim the money and hopes to use it to prop up the state’s struggling education system.

Late last week, Meeks introduced a bill (SB45) that would end these so-called "sales tax diversions," which cost Illinois $126 million a year—more than any other state in the nation, according to a report (PDF) last year by the Washington D.C.-based group Good Jobs First. Unlike in 13 other states, Illinois places no cap on the amount of money an individual store can receive through this policy, so mega-retailers like Wal-Mart reap the largest benefits.

Should Meeks’ measure pass, the 1.75 percent of sales taxes currently pocketed by those corporations would be redirected to preschools and truancy programs via funds established through the State Board of Education. Illinois would join 23 other states that do not divert any portion of their sales tax revenue to retailers. “I think WalMart can afford it,” Meeks told us back in November. He is now getting out in front of what’s bound to be an intense lobbying battle with the retail industry, which killed a similar measure several years ago.

Unlike Wal-Mart, Illinois’ education system can’t afford to lose another dime. Educators continue to struggle with bridging achievement gaps, bolstering retention rates and, of course, revenue shortages. “The state is cash-strapped and here’s a way to get money out of doing nothing,” Meeks told us during an earlier interview.

Seems like a no-brainer to us.