By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – They would not go so far as to seek a recall, but four Illinois House Republicans said Thursday they want an audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, as it pertains to the security and customer service failures since the pandemic threw about 1 million people out of work.
Actually, State Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) says it’s not the pandemic – it’s Gov. JB Pritzker.
“When the governor issued this action and the “stay at home” (order),” said Stephens at a Zoom news conference, “he should have been prepared and ready to go with a ramped-up IDES system, knowing that people were going to be out of work and knowing this was going to happen. You have to be ready for this kind of situation when you’re creating the action.”
Asked about how much responsibility he bears for the IDES troubles Wednesday, Pritzker said, “Look – I’m the governor. The buck stops here.”
Earlier in the week, State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) said he wanted Illinois voters to recall Pritzker over the IDES snafu. Thursday, State Rep. Mike Marron (R-Fithian) dodged the question of where he stood on the recall, and Stephens and the other lawmakers attending, State Reps. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) did not answer.
While Republicans in the legislature have criticized the appointment of former State Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) to auditor general – largely because of alleged discrepancies in his campaign finance reports – Meier praised him for how his office handled an audit of the plan to close Murray Developmental Center in Centralia.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
