DuPage committee records $6.14 million state grant notification; staff warns of potential federal rescission

The DuPage County Economic Development Committee received and placed on file a grant proposal notification June 17 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Department of Labor for $6,140,333 intended for workforce programming.

Committee members approved the recordation after staff discussion. The committee chair called for the motion, received a second and the item was passed with all members voting “aye.”

Why it matters: county staff said the allocation, if sustained, would represent an increase from the prior program year and affect planning for workforce programs, but it may be reduced depending on federal budget actions in Congress.

Lisa, a county staff member, told the committee that “in a normal year, this would represent a significant increase of our total allocation over last program year, from 5,400,000 to 6.1 and some change this year. That’s based on Illinois’s unemployment rate, the population. There’s a whole formula that the federal government uses for that.” She added that the county receives an initial segment of the allocation to cover July through Sept. 30 and cautioned that “there could be a rescission to this allocation that will hit us come October depending on what they decide in congress.”

Staff offered to send committee members a timeline and follow-up information; the committee chair asked staff to provide those details to members who requested them.

Ending: The committee recorded the grant notification for the record and directed staff to follow up with additional information; no appropriation or program changes were adopted at the meeting.