GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Midwest Hydrogen Coalition: Illinois joined six other Midwestern states in the development of the Midwest Hydrogen Coalition, an agreement that the state’s hope will boost decarbonization efforts. The coalition includes Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The coalition will collaborate with leaders in industry, academia, and community engagement. Read more here.
Illinois State Board of Education: Dr. Steven Isoye was appointed to chair the Illinois State Board of Education effective immediately. Dr. Isoye replaces Darren Reisberg, who served as chair for the past two years.
Illinois Department of Employment Security: The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Illinois Department of Employment Security a $6.8 million equity grant which will allow the agency to better understand and address equity gaps within the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) system.
IDES plans to leverage the equity grant to fund four major equity projects which will use expanded data to identify potential inequities in the unemployment pipeline within underrepresented groups. The Department intends to refine UI service delivery systems, processes, and communications for more equitable access and experience, including making UI information easier to understand, translating information into multiple languages, expanding self-service digital options, and increasing outreach to community level organizations.
Executive Order: Executive Order 2022-20 Reissues previous Executive Orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic through October 15, 2022.
102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee will hold a subject matter hearing on September 9 at 10:00 am in the Bilandic Building in Chicago to assess students’ awareness of financial literacy.
Senator Emil Jones, III is being charged in federal court with three criminal counts related to his dealings with a red-light camera company. Jones, who is the son of former Senate President Emil Jones II, has served in the Senate since 2009 when he was appointed to replace his father. Senate President Don Harmon called the allegations “grave” and asked for and received Senator Jones’ resignation as Deputy Majority Leader, Chairman of the Senate Licensed Activities Committee and Vice-Chair of the Public Safety Committee effective immediately.
Governor Pritzker is now calling for Senator Jones and Senator Hastings, who is also facing allegations of misconduct, to resign. The Governor stated “They should answer the charges and have their day in court. But in the best interests of their constituents, these men must resign from their offices. Resigning only their leadership roles falls short of what the public should expect. I want to send a clear message to the people of Illinois: corruption and abuse have no place here.”
Jones is running unopposed in the November election. Hastings, who calls the allegations politically motivated, faces Republican Patrick Sheehan in November.