Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Monday, Jan. 4, 2021

Illinois House to return to Springfield on Friday

The Illinois House announced that members are headed back to Springfield on Friday.

Representatives will hold session and committee hearings at a Springfield convention center, similar to how they did in May 2020.

That three-day session cost taxpayers an extra $143,000 on top of the regular costs. It’s unclear if the Illinois Senate will also come back for a legislative session before the new General Assembly is seated next week.

Illinois pays out $19 billion in unemployment benefits

The state of Illinois has paid out $19 billion in unemployment benefits.

How much of that is fraud hasn’t been revealed. The state’s unemployment agency says fraudsters are using fictitious addresses and they want employers to register with a state data exchange to help combat such fraud.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Illinois finished the year with nearly 339,000 insured unemployed, behind only California, New York and Texas.

University of Illinois Springfield professor says studies show schools safe

A University of Illinois Springfield professor says data suggests almost all K-12 schools should be open, despite COVID-19 concerns.

Professor Gary Reinbold reviewed data from nearly a dozen studies on the issue and found children can attend school, even if just part-time, without contributing to spreading the virus.

As of Dec. 18, of more than 1.9 million students in Illinois, nearly 1.2 million only attended school remotely.

Most applicants miss out on Business Interruption Grants

Illinois businesses hoping to get state aid via Business Interruption Grants were largely let down last week.

Roughly 8 out of 10 businesses that applied were notified that they wouldn’t get any money, something bar and restaurant owners are saying came as a surprise that will likely lead to closures.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker used the grants as leverage to ensure bars and restaurants obeyed his COVID-19 mitigations, saying anyone who broke his rules wouldn’t get state aid.

Some state lawmakers won’t return to Springfield

Illinois lawmakers are set to reconvene Friday, but not all members will be attending.

Some lame-duck members of the Legislature are announcing they won’t attend or are resigning due to the state’s policy that cut their state-funded insurance coverage at the end of 2020.

State Rep. Yoni Pizer announced he would resign last week.

Illinois reports 170,000 vaccinations

Illinois has administered vaccinations at higher rates than most states.

Bloomberg tracks the figures and, as of Sunday, Illinois reports it has administered 170,000 of the initial shots.

Only California, Florida, Texas and New York have administered more.

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