Prairie State Wire

Another can of worms has been opened after statehouse reporter Mark Maxwell reported another oversight by the Pritzker administration.

Maxwell’s report revealed that there have been non-operational businesses that were given COVID-19 relief assistance.

"A review of state records shows the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity sent at least $1.1 million in Business Interruption Grants to 72 companies the state considers “dissolved,” wrote Maxwell in a piece published on March 10.

“Pritzker’s schtick in running for this office was to be responsible and get back to the basics of governing,” ILGOP Spokesman Joe Hackler commented. “Whether it’s been the disaster at IDES, the tragic death of over 30 veterans at a state-run facility, or this colossal waste of taxpayer money - the Pritzker administration has been a complete failure at running state government.”

Notably, some of the businesses have been non-existent several decades ago.

"Five of them dissolved in the 1990s. One of them dissolved in 1987," Maxwell reported.

WCIA also noted that “state senator Jason Barickman’s remarks (R-Bloomington) called the lapse in ‘due diligence’ a ‘red flag’ that shows ‘there’s some dysfunction’ in the Pritzker administration.”

“These are public funds, and the public expects the government to be prudent about how they’re used,” Barrickman said. “When the government does this, when they rush to put money out into the community and around the state, sometimes mistakes happen.”