Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Tom Weber (R-Fox Lake) was chosen by House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) to lead a working group on protecting at-risk children, Weber said in a news release.

"I want to thank Leader McCombie for asking me to lead the Sustaining and Protecting At-Risk Kids working group for our caucus," Weber said. "In 2019, a little boy named AJ Freund was found buried in a shallow grave in McHenry County. AJ's death forever changed my work here in Springfield. I wish I could say his case was unique, but we all know that it is not. Despite several previous interactions between the family and DCFS, little AJ died because the agency suffers from systemic problems that need to be addressed. And not only by throwing more money at it." 

Funding for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) increased to $1.5 billion in the governor's last budget, Weber said.

"However, the inspector general's report released in January showed an alarming 40% increase in the death of children who had prior contact with DCFS," Weber said.

In 2022, 171 children died, the legislator said.

"That's 49 more than in 2021," he said. "That, my friends, is disturbing. Children at risk of abuse at the very definition of our most vulnerable people in Illinois, yet they are being failed in the worst possible way. Protecting vulnerable children is not and should not be a partisan issue. Protecting them is our most basic responsibility. Failure is not an option."

The five working groups are Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids; Supporting Women and Families; Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy; Literacy Improves Future Endeavors and Improving Public Safety.

Weber is currently the Republican spokesperson for the House Health and Human Services and Consumer Protection committees. He also serves on the House Adoption and Child Welfare, Judiciary - Civil, Labor and Commerce and Mental Health and Addiction committees.

Weber has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since January 2019, according to his legislative biography. He lives in Lake Villa and is a small business owner. He is married and has two sons.