Illinois Auditor General: Billions of Unemployment Payments Improperly Paid Out Between 2020 and 2022
July 27, 2023
CRIMINAL.
People should be going to jail over this.
The Illinois Auditor General published a report Wednesday that shows billions of unemployment tax dollars were improperly paid out by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) during the COVID pandemic from fiscal years 2020-2022. Wednesday’s report shows that the state made $5.2 billion in overpayments and made $46 million worth of payments to fraudsters, incarcerated criminals and deceased people. Meanwhile, honest, hardworking people like hairdressers and restaurant owners (whose businesses Governor Pritzker forcibly shut down) received nothing.
IDES is attempting to blame the Trump Administration for the billions of missing dollars when the truth is that they have long been a corrupt and incompetent agency that has never been held accountable.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_6c384196-2bfe-11ee-a6da-5bcc3a9dd43a.html#new_tab
Constituents should know that I have been asking for this audit for two years. In 2021 I sponsored HJR 17 requesting an IDES audit. While I am glad this report has come out, I am disappointed that it took this long and that no one will likely be held accountable for the sloppy incompetent way we handed out taxpayer money. More information is needed on the outside contractors hired by the Pritzker administration to adjudicate unemployment claims. To what extent should they be held accountable for fraudulent claims under their watch? This story is not over -we must make sure your taxpayer money is as secure and accounted for as the money in your bank account.
It’s no wonder Illinois continues to have one of the worst unemployment rates in the country:
Gun Crime Hypocrites
Remember this story next time you hear an Illinois Democrat foaming at the mouth about the need for more gun control. Illinois leads the country in the most gun laws already on the books. But what difference does that make if Governor Pritzker and his Democrat goose-steppers refuse to enforce any of those laws?
They’re keen to go after law-abiding gun owners but seem almost giddy about ‘compassionately’ favoring violent criminals.
Innocent victims be damned.
Brace Yourself for More Crime, Illinois
Earlier this week I expressed grave concerns over the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the unconstitutional and dangerous SAFE-T Act that will favor criminals over victims and put your entire community in harm’s way.
Governor Signs Bill Targeting Pregnancy Centers
Below is the press release from Illinois Right to Life that explains the bill and its effects.
ILLINOIS RIGHT TO LIFE RESPONDS TO GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER SIGNING OF SENATE BILL 1909
(SPRINGFIELD, IL) – – On Thursday, July 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1909, the “Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act,” sponsored by Sen. Celina Villaneuva (D-12) and Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-42).
Senate Bill 1909 empowers the Illinois Attorney General to take action against pro-life pregnancy resource centers through fines up to $50,000 for “deceptive practices” that dissuade a woman from receiving an abortion or delay receipt of care. The bill does not, however, provide adequate definition, clarification, or examples of what behaviors would be considered “deceptive” under the proposed law.
“Full stop, this bill is a brazen attack on pro-life pregnancy resource centers,” said Illinois Right to Life Executive Director Mary Kate Zander. “FOIA requests determined there have been zero complaints filed against pro-life pregnancy centers, yet Attorney General Raoul and sponsors of this bill have repeatedly pointed to unsubstantiated accounts to justify this legislation. It’s a clear violation of free speech and an attack on Illinois’ pro-life movement. They have not heard the last of us on this.”
Proponents of SB1909 claim that this bill was born from a recurrence of incidents involving manipulative practices by pregnancy resource centers. In response, the Thomas More Society filed a FOIA request on behalf of a client seeking insight into any formal complaints that have been made by the public over the past ten years. The request returned zero relevant complaints filed by the public against pregnancy centers, and no legal action has ever been taken. This suggests that SB1909 is effectively “a solution without a problem” – while the bill has been held up as a necessary step to solving a major issue, no documentation of the issue appears to exist at the state level.
Opponents of the bill repeatedly attempted to seek clarification regarding the legal definition of “deceptive practices” during a spring committee hearing on the bill, and the Deputy Attorney General for Policy repeated verbatim the same scripted legal response: “we would evaluate each complaint on a case-by-case basis.”
From the perspective of state pro-life advocates, this bill is a direct attack on the work of pro-life pregnancy resource centers and a violation of protected free speech. As the language in the bill explicitly exempts abortion providers from the law while leaving the definition of “deceptive practices” unanswered and open-ended, Illinois pro-life advocates see this legislation as a “gotcha” political attack from abortion proponents.
Pregnancy centers have historically provided critical services to vulnerable low-income women, including counseling, important medical screenings, and prenatal services – as well as connections to other local and state resources for women.
A recent study found that pregnancy centers are more likely than abortion providers to offer same-day appointments and free pregnancy testing.
Another study by The Charlotte Lozier Institute reported that pro-life pregnancy centers in the U.S. served nearly 2 million people in 2019; 8 in 10 of the nation’s 2,700 pro-life pregnancy centers offered free ultrasounds and 810 of those offered free STD testing.
Illinois’ Ban on Book Bans
Maybe we should just stop going to public libraries altogether. They have become a taxpayer-funded marketplace for liberal propaganda and conservative censorship. What a shame.
Look who the American Library Association decided to put in charge of telling you what you can and cannot read-
A SELF-PROCLAIMED MARXIST!
Illinois Poised to Fast Track Another Bad Idea
Already proven to be a potentially dangerous proposition, running C02 pipelines through the Midwest seems to suit the political and financial wiles of the Democrat party and their greedy business partners in Illinois and other states.
The hypocritical narrative claims that the project will help prevent planet-warming while in actuality it mostly supports the very industry the Left is constantly vilifying –
the oil industry.
Where Do You Go For The Best Ice Cream?
Nothing tastes better than a frozen treat in the heat of summer! You may frequent a popular local business (or maybe you make your own!) but here is a list of some top favorites in Illinois:
https://www.pbs.org/food/features/best-ice-cream-illinois/
Here is a map of the new 101st House District. Use this link for a clearer picture and to enter your address to see if you live in the district: https://repcmiller.com/district/
As your state representative, my office is available to assist you with any issues you may have when interacting with a state agency.
Please call our office at (217) 508-4108 to get help or schedule an appointment to see me.
The office is located at 1113 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, and is open Monday-Friday from 9am to 4 pm.