Keicher Reacts to Massive $5 Billion Unemployment Compensation Fraud under Pritzker

From State Rep. Jeff Keicher:

Rep. Keicher Responds to Report of Extensive IDES Failure 

70th State Representative District where Jeff Keicher serves. The upper righthand corner is in Crystal Lake. It was taken out of Suzanne Ness’ district so McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield would not be living in Ness’ district.

SYCAMORE – Yesterday, the Office of the Illinois Auditor General released a report detailing extensive overpayments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including massive amounts of fraud and identity theft, by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) totaling $5.24 billion. State Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) released the following statement in response.  

“Amid the Covid crisis, residents across Illinois were receiving notices from former and current employers, or from unfamiliar names, asserting they had been dismissed from their jobs and were now eligible for unemployment benefits.

“The signs were rampant that we had fraud galore within the unemployment system, yet we had zero response from the Governor’s Administration to address this fraud.  

“We in the legislature sought initial numbers from the Administration and IDES to address the spiraling fraud.

“However, we were rejected at every turn and now we know why.

“The Auditor General report released yesterday clearly shows that more than $5 billion in overpayments, rife with fraud, were paid through the unemployment system because of a complete failure to operate the system appropriately.

“The net result of that has been additional taxation on every single job in Illinois to close both the deficit created and to pay into a new pool of unemployment insurance. 

“Unemployment insurance is one of the most important safety nets that we establish for workers. To have such a callous disregard for protecting the resources that protect our workers when they are laid off is beyond the pale.

“I have mentioned multiple times over the past three years to both the Governor and other members of his Administration that this needs to be addressed.

“To date, we are still waiting for a response and a plan to improve the situation going forward. 

“I am utterly dismayed by this ongoing level of negligence.

“Going forward, I will continue to call for change and seek reform to ensure the responsible use of resources to minimize the burden that failures like this place on taxpayers and families in Illinois.”  

Rep. Keicher serves the 70th District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Kane, and McHenry Counties. For more information, visit RepKeicher.com.  


Comments

Keicher Reacts to Massive $5 Billion Unemployment Compensation Fraud under Pritzker — 4 Comments

  1. We’ll the good news is these selfless public servants, just got an 18% pay raise and pile on bennies the next four years, so maybe now they’ll show up to work.

  2. This is what happens when Unions run a state…

    We have legislators in Springfield who voted to give government sector Unions more power by voting for Amendment 1 the so called Workers Rights bill

    Constitutional changes are almost never good thing. States need to be flexible to compete and adapt to changes economic conditions.

    The list of locals:

    Ness = Yes
    Wilcox = Yes
    Dewitte = Yes

    Reick = No!
    Sosniwski = No!
    Weber = No!
    McGlaughlin = Excused Absence
    Ugaste = No, but he did vote yes to forward it out of committee!

    Close your eyes and ears to what they say and print.

    Open your eyes to how they vote

  3. This is what happens when Unions run a state…

    We have legislators in Springfield who voted to give government sector Unions more power by voting for Amendment 1, the so called “Workers Rights” bill.

    Constitutional changes are almost never a good thing. States need to be flexible to compete and adapt to changes in economic conditions.

    The list of locals:
    Keicher = Yes
    Ness = Yes
    Wilcox = Yes
    Dewitte = Yes

    Reick = No!
    Sosniwski = No!
    Weber = No!
    McGlaughlin = Excused Absence
    Ugaste = No, but he did vote yes to forward it out of committee!

    Close your eyes and ears to what they say and print.

    Open your eyes to how they vote

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