SPRINGFIELD – Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) joined her colleagues virtually today to hear Gov. JB Pritzker introduce his budget proposal to the General Assembly, and released the following statement in response:

“I believe our key priority must be a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for Illinois families. Other goals would be difficult to achieve unless we can keep people healthy, get people vaccinated, and rebuild a strong economy with good jobs.

“As Chair of the Labor Committee, I’m well aware of how the Illinois Department of Employment Security has been overwhelmed to perform during this crisis. IDES is 100% federally funded, but this budget gives the governor the authority to utilize it.

“The additional funding will help the agency take steps to upgrade the IDES systems and increase call center capacity to help meet the unprecedented need to continue to make improvements to speed up payments to help families across the 42^nd District and fight fraud.”

The governor’s budget address kicks off the start of the General Assembly’s budget process. Holmes looks forward to working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft a plan that prioritizes the values of the 42^nd District.