ILLINOIS STATE NEWS BRIEF (10/30/2024)

(SPRINGFIELD) Investigators continue to find cases of Paycheck Protection Program fraud in Illinois by state workers. The Executive Ethics Commission has published 12 additional reports relating to program fraud, adding to the 17 that had been previously published. The cases involve state employees at five different agencies under the Inspector General’s jurisdiction, including the Departments of Human Services, Healthcare & Family Services, Children & Family Services, Postsecondary & Career Expectations, and Natural Resources.

(SPRINGFIELD) Governor J.B. Pritzker joined the Governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware in sending a letter of concern to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for northern Illinois and the aforementioned states. The Governors are calling on the company to take urgent action to address the increasing cost of electricity bills after the record-high prices coming out of the region’s capacity auction, saying PJM’s high price increases showcase a complete disregard of vulnerable communities across state lines.

(SPRINGFIELD) Although a new survey reveals that nearly half of all nationwide small businesses are struggling to pay rent, many are optimistic about sales in the final three months of 2024. The small business network, Alignable, reports that 48% of small business owners could not make a full rent payment in September, which is a three-year high, while the number is slightly lower at 43% in Illinois, which is the highest percentage since last February. The National Retail Federation says that its 2024 forecast shows winter holiday spending is expected to grow by about 3% over year ago numbers from 2023.

(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has announced the Illinois Flag Commission recevied nearly 5,000 entries during the six-week submission period that closed nearly two weeks ago, on October 18th. The Commission will now meet before the end of the year to select the top ten (10) designs, and beginning in January 2025, the public will have the opportunity to vote online for one (1) of the ten (10) newly submitted designs, or choose one of the three former flag designs, including the current state flag.