Some Illinois lawmakers are complaining about Governor J. B. Pritzker’s unilateral stance on a plan to re-open the state from the COVID-19 pandemic. State Representatives Mike Marron of Fithian, Dan Brady of Bloomington, and Ryan Spain of Peoria held a news conference via Zoom this (Wednesday) morning to air their concerns.
Representative Marron said lawmakers should have had the opportunity for input before the governor announced his five point plan for reopening the state….
{”The Governor had an opportunity to do politics differently than his predecessors. He had an opportunity to engage the legislature, engage local leaders, local health professionals, and the people who are working collaboratively across the state to try to figure out these monumental challenges. Instead, he over promised, he politicized the situation, and he failed the most vulnerable in our state,” said Marron.}
”We are simply not facing the same challenges in most communities today as they are in Chicago, and yet decisions about reopening our businesses and communities are being made by the same single source – Governor Pritzker,” said Representative Brady. ”The Governor needs to begin allowing for local input today, by agreeing to let members of the General Assembly weigh in on behalf of our communities, and make needed changes to his reopening plan,” added Representative Brady.
Representative Marron also pointed to repeated problems that people are having attempting to sign-up for unemployment benefits…
{”The portal continues to kick people out of the system who should be receiving benefits claiming that they are ineligible. And, of course, there is nobody there that anybody can talk to — a live person – to actually help them work through the system. The IDES failure is shocking, and I’ve had enough of our Governor not taking the rest of Illinois’ concerns seriously,” said Marron.}
Senator Scott Bennett says even with a new system in place, many people still cannot get through to IDES over the phone or online, and some have not received any payment at all. ”We cannot ask people to stay home if they aren’t receiving the necessary means to put food on the table,” added the Senator.
IDES said recently that it has taken steps to resolve the problems.
[The photo is of State Representative Mike Marron (on the left) with Senator Scott Bennett.]
