GOP lawmakers call for Illinois Department of Employment Security audit

Four Republican House members are requesting an audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security after repeated complaints from people seeking unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agency has been plagued with problems, including staffing and website issues, since the statewide stay-at-home order because of the pandemic that put more than 1.1 million people out of work.

State Reps. Mike Marron of Fithian, Terri Bryant of Murphysboro, Charlie Meier of Okawville, and Brad Stephens of Rosemont held a video new conference on Thursday to call on the Auditor General to investigate the issues at IDES.

Stephens said the companies Gov. J.B. Pritzker hired to assist with the record number of unemployment filings failed.

“The governor is spending an extra $22 million to bring in outside assistance to get this thing working properly,” Stephens said. "That’s not working. That’s a failure.”

Stephens added when the governor issued the stay-at-home order, he should have been prepared with a ramped-up IDES system, knowing that people were going to be out of work and seeking unemployment benefits.

During his daily briefing on Thursday, Pritzker said other states are experiencing the same problems.

“There’s no doubt about it, like many other states, it has taken longer to file and get claims delivered upon than any of us would like,” the governor said.

The governor noted the state has processed more 1.3 million claims from March 1 through May 23.

Marron said he won’t let up until things at IDES are rectified.

“We have to get IDES fixed, and my efforts are going to go to holding the governor’s feet to the fire and get this problem fixed because this means too much to the constituents in my district,” he said.