Representative Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) issued the following statements following the passage of SB2803 regarding the unemployment insurance trust fund debt.
“I am extremely disappointed in the passage of this bill. Our state government has $6.9 billion in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and we are $4.5 billion in debt in our unemployment insurance fund. Instead of making the fiscally responsible decision to use these relief funds to pay off this debt, the supermajority and Governor Pritzker will allow half of this debt to remain. The result? Tax hikes on jobs and benefit reductions. This will harm every single working Illinoisan. We should take the common sense approach, pay our debts in full, and show the actual fiscal responsibility this state desperately needs.”