THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...State missing energy goals...Lost SNAP for Illinois
July 10, 2025
Good morning, Illinois.
Just a quick programming note. Our plan is for no subscriber newsletter tomorrow unless something big happens today. We’re off next week.
There’s nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule today.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Audit finds state agency fell short on social equity initiatives outlined in Gov. JB Pritzker’s landmark climate bill (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker’s economic development agency fell short in implementing elements of the governor’s landmark climate bill aimed at ensuring social equity in the effort to move the state toward a carbon-free future, Illinois’ auditor general said in a report released this week.
From June 2022 to June 2024, the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity failed to implement programs designed to assist clean energy contractors in underserved areas and to deliver clean energy jobs training to people exiting Illinois prisons, two social equity elements that were part of one of the country’s most ambitious climate bills, the audit found.
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, outlines the Pritzker administration’s plan for reaching 40% renewable energy by 2030 while also creating opportunities for workers from underserved groups. Christian Mitchell, the governor’s pick as his running mate for next year’s election, led negotiations on the law when he was a deputy governor in 2021.
“It’s obviously frustrating when you see this legislation not make progress, and it’s taken time to fully staff up the agencies and ensure those programs are on deck,” said Francisco Lopez Zavala, who leads workforce programs at the Illinois Environmental Council. “But I continue to remain very positive.”
The law contains many specific programs designed to bring climate job opportunities to workers from diverse backgrounds, but several fell short in the first years that the law was on the books, the audit said.
For example, the law designates the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program as a “central small business support program” to provide services including “low-cost capital, training, mentorship” and networking at certain sites in Illinois communities, according to an October 2023 press release. Pritzker at that time said DCEO would award $21 million for the program.
While the department said it selected some sites for awards, “no grants were executed by the end of the examination period,” the audit said.
DCEO has made progress in implementing CEJA since the time period covered by the audit, Lopez Zavala said, but applications for the incubator program remain under review, according to DCEO’s website.
The audit also found DCEO failed to administer a program to prepare people prior to their release from from Illinois prisons for work in the clean energy arena. Pritzker announced $6 million in funding for that program in February 2024.
As with the contractor program, applications for the “Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program” remain under review, according to DCEO’s website.
And a program for community-based organizations to receive funding as energy “navigators” — providing outreach services to ensure vulnerable people know about job opportunities — didn’t specifically prioritize grants to organizations that had experience serving people affected by climate change, as mandated by CEJA. The department said in a response included in the audit that it does look at capacity to serve communities “most vulnerable to environmental injustices.”
DCEO did not dispute the auditor’s findings, according to the response included in the report. In some cases, the department indicated the delays in implementing CEJA initiatives were the result of “necessary lead time” to administer the programs.
Pritzker’s office referred questions about the audit to DCEO. In its response to questions from the Tribune, DCEO spokesperson Jordan Troy said the department had made “substantial progress on key initiatives sine the time of the audit.”
Federal food assistance changes threaten benefits for thousands of Illinoisans (Capitol News Illinois)
Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans could lose benefits from a federal food assistance program while the state will be required to cover more costs under changes passed in the latest domestic policy plan.
President Donald Trump signed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” into law on July 4, making sweeping changes to social services programs, including Medicaid. Among the programs being revamped is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP. The bill institutes new work requirements for many people to remain eligible for benefits and shifts some costs for the program to the states.
Food stamps were first established in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Renamed to SNAP in 2008, the program provides monthly stipends for low-income Americans to purchase select foods at grocery stores. While states implement the program and pay a portion of administrative expenses, the federal government has historically covered the cost of the benefits.
Under the law, work requirements to qualify for SNAP benefits have been expanded to include people up to age 64, along with homeless people, veterans and young adults leaving foster care. Previously, only people age 18-54 had to meet work requirements.
Those populations didn’t previously have to prove they were doing a certain amount of work, but when the changes kick in, they will have to do 80 hours of paid, unpaid or volunteer work each month to qualify for benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The law continues to provide exemptions for people who are physically unable to work, such as for pregnancy.
The changes could leave 360,000 people in Illinois at risk of losing eligibility, according to the state.
“Trump and Republicans would rather children go hungry so their friends can receive tax cuts,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “Here in Illinois, we have been working to combat food insecurity for years, and while no state can backfill these costs, the State of Illinois will continue to fight against these harmful impacts and stand up for working families.”
About 1.9 million people were using SNAP in Illinois as of March 2025, according to the USDA.
TOP STORIES SO FAR THIS WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois lawmakers have mixed results in efforts to rein in AI (Chicago Tribune)
Convicted former Ald. Ed Burke leaves prison for community confinement after 9 months (Chicago Sun-Times)
State Farm to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 27.2% in August (Chicago Tribune)
Stratton says no to corporate PAC money in Senate race (Bloomington Pantagraph)
More than $1 million spent in Orland Park, Tinley Park mayoral campaigns (Daily Southtown)
Editorial: Compromise and public transit: Mayors raise valid concerns about restructure, but reasonable minds can avert crisis (Daily Herald)
Harmon: I disagree with the Illinois State Board of Elections that my campaign violated fundraising limits (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: The housing shortage is real — and fixable (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Digging deep on COGFA data is worth the effort (Shaw Media)
Opinion: Illinois needs the nuclear option for our energy needs (Chicago Tribune)
JOIN US