Unemployment agency responds to criticism over delays, deficit
Sarah Mansur, Capitol News Illinois
Feb. 12, 2021
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Acting Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Kristin Richards speaks at a virtual hearing of the Illinois Senate Labor Committee to answer questions about the department s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Jerry Nowicki | Capitol News Illinois
Representatives of the Illinois Department of Employment Security testified before the Senate Labor Committee about fraudulent claims, continued delays in responding to unemployment applicants and a multi-billion dollar deficit in the fund that pays out benefits.
Acting Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Kristin Richards and members of the department’s staff fielded questions about the backlog that individuals face when they contact the agency with questions about their claims.
Project based TIFs would expand rural redevelopment
The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs is considering S.33, a bill that would allow more towns to apply for project-based tax increment financing. TIFs allow municipal governments to fund new private infrastructure projects through the anticipated tax revenue that results from the new projects.
S.33 would create a pilot program limited to six projects with a $1.5 million cap per application. This bill was considered last year with a higher limit but was lowered to get the support of the Senate Finance Committee chair. Witnesses testified this week in favor of increasing the cap to at least $4 million.
Monday News: Nine thousand, nine hundred eighty three bluenc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bluenc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews
Feb 4, 2021 8:48 AM
During the week of Jan. 24-30, a total of 473 initial weekly claims for state unemployment benefits were processed by the Department of Labor and Regulation. This is a decrease of 107 claims from the prior week’s total of 580.
A total of $1.2 million was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $1.3 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), $38,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and $275,000 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits.
The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance was $157.8 million on Jan. 31.
The latest number of continued state claims is 5,291 for the week ending Jan. 23, an increase of 375 from the prior week’s total of 4,916. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.