The Illinois Department of Employment Security was not ready for a pandemic and therefore could not handle the number of unemployed workers who needed their help. This is the message that State Representative Brad Halbrook wants everyone to know as the legislative session wraps up. IDES has been reopened to the public for almost 440 days. As of May 14th, there are over 27,000 calls waiting for a response from IDES Staff. 

A resolution has been passed by the House of Representatives to call upon the IDES to make an immediate commitment to reopen their public employment offices to provide face-to-face help to residents who need assistance. Representative Halbrook says that it is a huge issue that people call about.

The House Resolution is HR226. The Bill says, “That we support the working people of Illinois, whether currently employed or not, including the working people of IDES; we recognize the stressful circumstances of operating a publicly accessible office in a time of pandemic.”