Peoria Standard

Illinois lawmakers are frustrated with the state's unemployment offices and their constituents waiting a month or longer for an unemployment insurance callback.

Lawmakers have questioned the offices' lack of efficiency, including state Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) in March, state Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Vandalia) in January and recently state Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford). 

"Why are our unemployment offices in the State of Illinois still closed?" Sosnowski asked on the Senate floor last week. "I know when Speaker Welch started he brought up issues of unemployment and those folks not being able to get problems taken care of. It is now almost the month of May 2021 and our unemployment offices around the state are closed."

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) oversees the employment offices and has been drowning in unemployment claims, including over 1 million fraudulent ones, since the pandemic began. 

Sosnowski introduced House Resolution 226, a bipartisan effort to immediately reopen the state's unemployment offices. He isn't the only lawmaker trying to get the ball rolling in IDES: Elik introduced a plan to convert the IDES unemployment system into an appointment model so Illinoisans out of work wouldn't have to stress about when the office will contact them. 

Elik went so far as to offer using her office as a go-between where virtual meetings can be held for complex and difficult cases.

"I don't believe this is a political issue," Sosnowski said. "I know members on both sides of the aisle have the same concern. [...] This is a governance issue, this is a leadership issue. This is not a political issue."

Sosnowski cited Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose offices have been open and serving thousands since May of last year. 

"Our unemployment offices need to open today," Sosnowski said.