Sen. Jason Barickman along with other Illinois lawmakers discuss the impact that COVID-19 is having on the economy. | Sen. Jason Barickman / Facebook
Sen. Jason Barickman along with other Illinois lawmakers discuss the impact that COVID-19 is having on the economy. | Sen. Jason Barickman / Facebook
State lawmakers in Illinois are concerned about COVID-19 and the impact it will have on the economy.
Members of the House and Senate are having remote meetings and conference calls, but are expressing concern the virus will have on the nation's economy especially with thousands of individuals being unemployed, Week reported.
Approximately 134,000 Illinois residents have filed for unemployment benefits in March.
Residents will also be helped by the federal government as an emergency package was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
In Illinois, lawmakers are working on a revised fiscal year 2021 budget and separate financial assistance programs for residents.
Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) said lawmakers need to give relief to residents because it's critical to help those who continue to struggle with rent or mortgage payments, Week reported.
"There's no amount of government that can replace an economy that's churning along," Barickman said to Week. "So while we need to play our part, the best thing we can do is get people back to work as soon as possible."
He also said that Illinois lawmakers are discussing how to recover from the COVID-10 pandemic.
"How do we assemble that and how do we pay for those things? How do we give some certainty and assurances to the public, first of all, that this pandemic is going to conclude and get over and we're going to get back on with life," Barickman said to Week.
Barickman also urged Gov. J.B. Pritzker to delay the deadline for state taxes.
"I applaud the federal government's move to delay the deadline to file taxes until July 15th, which provides some much-needed flexibility to people dealing with an unprecedented situation," Barickman said in a press release. "Illinois needs to follow suit. As anyone who has filed taxes knows, you can't file your state return without determining your federal AGI first, which is part of your federal tax return. In other words, unless Illinois moves its deadline as well, people here will still have to do all the calculations required to file their federal taxes by April 15."
The governor did move the deadline to file state taxes to July 15.
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