Democrats Accepting Congressional Map Proposals Ahead of October Hearings
Democrats in the Illinois House and Senate are now accepting proposed congressional district maps from the public through their online map making portals.
In a press release, the lawmakers said they plan to hold a series of public hearing in October to gather input on the Congressional maps. Both the House and Senate are expected to pass a new congressional map during the upcoming veto session Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28.
“It’s never been more important that every resident of Illinois has a strong voice in Congress, and that starts with ensuring everyone has a voice in the mapmaking process,” Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero) chair of the House Redistricting Committee, said in a statement. “This mapmaking tool gives everyone the opportunity to share their thoughts and help us create districts that reflect our state.”
“Now is the time for residents across Illinois to make their voices heard to ensure our state has strong representation in Washington,” Omar Aquino (D-Chicago), chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, said in a statement. “We encourage residents to take advantage of these opportunities to directly participate in the map making process, as the best map is one that reflects the diverse voices across our state.”
Per the state’s slight population loss in the 2020 U.S. Census, Illinois will be losing one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, sending just 17 members to Congress under the redistribution of seats.
The map making portal can be accessed at www.ilsenateredistricting.com and www.ilhousedems.com/redistricting.
IDES Launches New, Secure Login System for Unemployment Insurance
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology have launched a new login system for the state’s unemployment insurance benefit system aimed at making the login process more simple and secure.
The new ILogin system including multi-factor authentication and identity proofing, in addition to other technology, in order to protect accounts and prevent fraud.
“IDES is excited to integrate ILogin to its unemployment insurance benefit system and provide claimants with a more simplified, secure account,” IDES Acting Director Kristin Richards said in a statement.
“Account and identity protection is top of mind for the Department, particularly as personal information was taken advantage of at such an unprecedented rate nationwide during the pandemic. ILogin will enhance existing protections for users and increase the Department’s ability to monitor and track fraudulent user activity within the system.”
Returning claimants will be required to complete an additional account set-up with the new system while new claimants will be required to undergo an identity-proofing process in addition to account set-up.
Total 2021 State Fair Attendance Down from 2019
More than 472,000 individuals visited the Illinois State Fair in Springfield earlier this year, falling behind the record-breaking numbers the fair pulled in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois State Fair announced Tuesday.
A record 508,900 individuals visited the 2019 fair, 7.2 percent more than this year. However, the fair’s opening weekend saw attendance increase by more than 15,000 over 2019 numbers.
“We were happy to be able to hold the 2021 Illinois State Fair after it was canceled in 2020 and now seeing how many people came out to enjoy it with us is really special,” Illinois State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon said in a statement. “Obviously this being the first fair after 2019’s near record setting year for attendance, the bar was set pretty high. I think being able to overcome the challenges brought on by the pandemic and safely bring back so many families to the fairgrounds is a great accomplishment.”
Next year’s Illinois State Fair will run Aug. 11-21, 2022.
