(SPRINGFIELD) With the state’s unemployment rate already now at 5.3%, many statewide lawmakers are warning that the majority of people in Illinois are being hurt by policy decisions in Springfield, which only figures to get worse. New U.S. Bureau of Labor data shows Illinois’ unemployment rate is now the second highest in the nation, but also the highest of all neighboring states in the Midwest. Since the pandemic, the job recovery rate in Illinois ranks 46th in the U.S. with only 13,500 more jobs that were available in early 2020.
(SPRINGFIELD) Some Illinois lawmakers have proposed laws to regulate hemp, while others are calling for the federal government to get involved. A recent report from the Reason Foundation shows that although Congress federally legalized hemp-derived products in the 2018 Farm Bill, it failed to establish a regulatory framework. Meanwhile, a measure that did not make it out of the Illinois General Assembly would allow the sale of hemp products, but only by businesses licensed under the current cannabis law. Many in Springfield believe the legislation and proposal will be revisited by lawmakers this fall.
(NORMAL) Administrators at Illinois State University are ordering all divisions at the school to immediately cut spending by 2% to avoid a deficit in the general fund by the end of this fiscal year. According to an academic administrative email sent to each division of the university late last week, including the President’s Office and Athletics, a 2% cut must be made of all money that comes from general funds, while Auxiliary Facilitites Services faces an unspecified lump sum reduction that likely will be announced later this fall.