Illinois State House District 106 issued the following announcement on May 5.
The federal government recently sent out stimulus checks to Americans to help get us through the tough economic times caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Many of these were direct deposits into bank accounts, while others were paper checks which had to be cashed at local banks. For some Illinoisans this presented a challenge because more than one in five Illinoisans either do not have a bank account or are not able to cash their stimulus check without incurring fees. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is attempting to help.
The IDFPR has teamed up with several Illinois banks to offer check-cashing options for non-customers of those banks. You can contact IDFPR about the program by sending an e-mail to ILBanks@illinois.gov, where you can set up an appointment. Along the same lines, a group of nonprofits in Illinois have set up a website at www.getmypaymentil.org to help Illinoisans without bank accounts find information on how to receive their stimulus payments.
We’ve talked a lot about the Department of Corrections recently, but one issue that no one disputes is how grateful we are to our correctional officers and employees for the hard work that they do every day to keep us safe. Correctional officers and employees deal with difficult situations every day, and they handle them with professionalism and dedication. These frontline workers stand in harm’s way on a daily basis, and this week we observe National Correctional Officers and Employees Week to recognize their service. Thank you for all that you do!
Ford County authorities seek ‘voluntary compliance’ with stay-at-home order
Authorities in Ford County issued a joint statement following the announcement of the Governor’s modified stay-at-home order. The Ford County Sheriff and State’s Attorney, joined by police chiefs in Paxton and Gibson City said they will respond to calls concerning alleged violation of the order and, “when necessary, seek voluntary compliance through education and discussion with anyone violating the EO.” The authorities went on to say that if they observed other violations of the law, such as criminal trespass (for example, someone refusing to wear a mask inside a business then refusing to leave when asked to do so by the owner), that act could still result in arrest and prosecution. Read the full statement here.
Nutrition assistance available for children
Many Illinois children were receiving free or reduced price lunches at schools before the pandemic hit and forced schools to close in mid-March. To ensure that those healthy, low-cost meal options remain accessible to Illinois students, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is sharing information about its Pandemic EBT SNAP benefits program. Families of students who were already eligible under the National School Lunch Program will be eligible for benefits under the P-EBT program. The funds to cover these additional meals will be automatically loaded onto Illinois LINK EBT accounts. Find out more from DHS here.
More news from around the state
The latest Department of Public Health update includes one death in Iroquois County
Workplace Health and Safety Guidance for Employees and Staff of Businesses
Information about unemployment benefits for self-employed and independent contractors
U.S. District Judge rules stay-at-home order Constitutional
Illinois continues to expand availability of free COVID-19 testing
DCEO: Alternative Occupancy Restriction for Essential Stores
Updated Frequently Asked Questions regarding essential businesses and operations
DNR receives USDA award to continue land access program
For additional helpful resources, click here.
For continually updated news from state agencies, visit: coronavirus.illinois.gov or my website at repbennett.com and click on COVID-19 Info. Persons with coronavirus questions or concerns should call the statewide toll-free coronavirus hotline at 1-800-889-3931. You can also submit questions via e-mail at dph.sick@illinois.gov. The call volume on these lines has been high recently, so please be patient as the Department of Public Health works to answer your call.
My district offices remain closed to in-person visits, but are still accessible by phone at (815) 432-0106 (Watseka) and (815) 844-9179 (Pontiac).
Original source can be found here.
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