HONORING STATE CHAMPS!
Congratulations to the Normal Metcalf 7th grade boys basketball team on your IESA state championship! I was honored to host the team, bring them to the House Floor, and introduce the group during session this week. I enjoyed visiting with everyone and hope you all enjoyed your experience in Springfield!
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
I was honored to join my colleagues Representatives Nicole La Ha and Jennifer Sanalitro in hosting a press conference this week outlining our fight against human trafficking in Illinois. House Republicans will continue to back efforts to stop human trafficking and hold criminals accountable.
Read more and watch the press conference at my website. Rep. Tipsword, House Republicans Lead Fight Against Human Trafficking – Dennis Tipsword
HOMESCHOOL BILL
Democrats passed the Homeschool Act through committee this week despite tens of thousands of witness slips filed in opposition to the bill. This legislation infringes on the rights of parents who choose to homeschool their children and opens the door to more intrusive mandates down the road.
We believe that children should be able to learn in the environment that best suits their educational needs. We will continue to fight against this government overreach as the bill heads to the full House for consideration. Thank you to all the advocates who came to the Capitol, filed witness slips, and contacted legislators to protect homeschool freedom in Illinois. I was honored to meet with a homeschool family from Benson earlier this week.
Illinois House panel advances bill to strengthen homeschooling oversight | Capitol News Illinois
WELCOME TO SPRINGFIELD!
Every day is a GREAT day in Springfield when ABATE comes to town!
IMMIGRATION
Democrats rolled out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants in Illinois and it has cost us dearly. We’ve introduced a package of bills to stop illegal immigration and put Illinois citizens first.
ELECTORAL MAP LAWSUIT
The Illinois Attorney General has declined to defend Democrats’ gerrymandered maps in our Illinois Supreme Court case against them. So, who did they hired to defend them? None other than Michael Kasper, a top lawyer for ex-Speaker Madigan who has been called ‘Vader,’ the ‘prince of darkness,’ and Democrats’ ‘chief weapon against remap reform.’ WATCH: Illinois GOP optimistic in redistricting lawsuit after AG’s refusal to defend state | Illinois | thecentersquare.com
PROFESSIONAL LICENSING
When we work together, we can get great results for our residents. In 2023, we passed bipartisan legislation to modernize IDFPR’s professional licensing system and made sure the agency followed through.
Now, Illinoisans can apply or renew many professional licenses online. Illinois department streamlines online licensing system | Capitol News Illinois
AGRICULTURE
This week, we recognized National Ag Day, which celebrates the hard work of farmers and agricultural workers across the state of Illinois. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy and communities statewide.
I recently attended the Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District yearly work group meeting to review progress of last year’s goals and to prioritize this year’s areas of focus.
Thank you to all of the dedicated agricultural workers for the hard work you do. The Caucus Blog of the Illinois House Republicans: National Agriculture Day: Celebrating the Backbone of America and Illinois
MAKERS MADNESS
The sixth annual ‘Makers Madness’ contest is now down to the top 16. You can cast your vote in this bracket-style tournament to help name the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. 6th Annual “Makers Madness” narrows to Top 16 | Community | wandtv.com
JOBS
Illinois’ unemployment rate was 4.9% in January. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced last week that nonfarm payrolls were almost unchanged, down -1,100 (0.0%), while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in January, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The December monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +8,800 to +12,200 while the revised unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, -0.3 percent lower than the preliminary December unemployment rate of 5.2 percent.
Illinois’ 4.9% January 2025 unemployment rate continued to be significantly higher than the nationwide jobless rate, which was 4.0% for the same month. This continued to signal that Illinois’ economy is underperforming the outlook of the 50 states. In addition, the January 2025 figures showed that Illinois continues to lose jobs in key economic sectors. During 2024, Illinois lost significant numbers of jobs within the following three sectors:
- Professional and Business Services – 17,800 jobs lost in calendar year 2024
- Manufacturing – 5,900 jobs lost
- Construction – 3,400 jobs lost
Gains in private education, health services, and government created small numbers of net new jobs in Illinois during calendar year 2024, but this trend indicated continued movement in Illinois away from the actual handling and manufacturing of material goods and a continued turn within Illinois towards public-sector and health services.