Sen. Righter named Champion of Free Enterprise by Illinois Chamber of Commerce

Illinois State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) has been named a Champion of Free Enterprise, an award given by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce to legislators who have made special contributions to the defense of free enterprise, and the furtherance of economic opportunities for Illinoisans.

“The business community of our state has been hit hard due to the ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our job creators, especially our smaller employers, have faced unprecedented challenges,” said Righter. “It is more critical than ever that Illinois lawmakers recognize the importance and necessity of strengthening our economy. I am honored to be recognized by the Chamber of Commerce for advocating for pro-growth reforms that support our hardworking job-creators and represent our small business community.”

The Illinois Chamber rated all members of the101 st General Assembly based on legislators’ votes on the key business legislation as determined by staff and the Illinois Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee. The Champion of Free Enterprise Awards are given biennially to members with Illinois Chamber ratings averaging 85 percent or higher over the previous two General Assemblies who have demonstrated their commitment to legislation that frees the entrepreneurial spirit.

“The General Assembly simply won’t be the same without the contributions of Sen. Righter,” said Illinois Chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch. “For decades he has defended the interests of his district and the interests of the business community because he knew they were one in the same. He has been a steadfast friend of employers and job creators and we are proud to honor him with his final Champion of Free Enterprise Award.”

The votes in the Senate and House are selected based on their impact on the business community. None of the bills used in the report are weighted, as there were an adequate number of bills voted on during this General Assembly.

“It is our job to educate our members on the record of their representatives and hold them accountable for it,” said Illinois Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Government Affairs Clark Kaericher. “We believe the Chamber’s legislative ratings are an effective tool in determining that accountability and commitment to economic growth.”

Click here to view the 101st General Assembly Legislative Ratings

Deadline to Apply for Emergency Rental Assistance Extended

This week, it was announced that the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has extended the deadline for Illinois renters to apply for aid by one week to 12 p.m. on August 28 due to those impacted by last week’s the storms. Additionally, landlords will be given to August 30 to complete their portion of the applications. The Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program provides $5,000 to eligible tenants who have seen their household income decline because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Landlords are required to submit additional documentation before their application period closes for an application to be considered complete. It is recommended that renters notify their landlords that they have applied for assistance under the ERA program and that they will receive an email from IHDA requesting them to submit required documentation.

Renters affected by the storms, or those requiring assistance with their application, are urged to reach out to one of IHDA’s partnering Community and Outreach Assistance organizations. These organizations can be found on the “resources” page at era.ihda.org.

For additional help, applicants may also contact IHDA’s call center at: (312) 883-2720, or toll-free at: (888) 252-1119. For those who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, please contact Navicore Solutions for free assistance at: (877) 274-4309 (TTY).

IDES Partnering with IDFPR, Financial Institutions to Combat Unemployment Fraud

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is partnering with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) – Division of Banking and Division of Financial Institutions to work with financial institutions in detecting and combating unemployment fraud.

Unemployment fraud can often be identified early on at the financial institutional level. Coordinating and engaging financial institutions has been a proven and successful approach to identifying fraudulent actors, and detecting and recovering improper payments.

Financial institutions should be on the lookout for the following suspicious activities to assist IDES in preventing unemployment fraud:

New account with sudden multiple deposit transactions from state unemployment insurance programs.
Name and/or data on the account does not match the name and/or data with ACH transaction(s).
Account holder is receiving unemployment insurance transactions from a state(s) in which he/she does not reside.
Account holder is receiving multiple unemployment insurance transactions from multiple states.
Same device is accessing multiple accounts.
Point of sale transactions are inconsistent with the address on the account.

Last month, IDES announced it was working with local and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate, pursue, and prosecute the widespread unemployment fraud scheme being conducted nationwide, impacting the state’s federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programs.

If you have not filed an unemployment claim but has received a debit card or an unemployment insurance (UI) finding letter in the mail, you have most likely been the target of fraud. It is important that individuals follow these steps if they have not filed unemployment claims and have incorrectly received unemployment debit cards or UI finding letters in the mail:

Immediately report the claim online or call IDES at 800.814.0513 and when prompted
- Select the English or Spanish language option.
- Select option 1 for claimants.
- Select option 5 to report identity theft.
Do not activate the debit card that was mailed to you.
Have your credit report checked for possible suspicious activity and post a fraud alert.
Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website to learn helpful tips on recognizing and reporting identity theft.

Ameren offering rebates on smart thermostats

Ameren Illinois recently announced a new partnership with Google to provide smart thermostat rebates to residential customers.

As part of Ameren’s ongoing COVID-19 Economic Hardship Recovery Program, Ameren is working with Google to help customers lower their energy bills through the utilization and improved access to smart technologies.

According to Google, smart thermostats can help customers better manage energy usage and costs. The multi-national tech company reported that Nest Thermostat E users save an average of up to 15 percent on cooling costs and up to 12 percent on heating costs, totaling an estimated average saving of approximately $140 each year.

The offer from Ameren is valid until Sept. 15 and only on the Ameren Illinois Marketplace. Residential customers who have an Ameren Illinois heating source are also eligible to receive a variety of other smart thermostat brands for little to no cost.

Customers can access these devices in two ways:

Smart Savers Initiative – Customers living in certain zip codes may be eligible to receive a smart thermostat on us through the Ameren Illinois Smart Savers Initiative.

Online Marketplace – Residential customers can purchase low-cost smart thermostats from leading brands like Google, ecobee, Honeywell, and Emerson through the Ameren Illinois Online Marketplace. Ameren Illinois is offering customers a $125 discount and free shipping on top of the manufacturers' rebates resulting in steeply discounted prices on the devices.

Visit AmerenIllinoisSavings.com/smart for device information and to access savings.