Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Tom Weber, who is running for re-election for Illinois State House District 64, recently made a statement regarding the state's economic status and job market. 

"It's interesting that I usually hear the Governor and Illinois Democrats claim that our state has become an 'economic powerhouse' under their one-party rule," Weber said in a Facebook post. "So imagine my surprise when they ran a resolution on Friday calling for work permits for undocumented immigrants to fill the void of tens of thousands of unfilled jobs across the state. Perhaps instead of giving a free pass to undocumented immigrants, we could change the years of bad policies in this state that are driving workers and their families to other states, like our neighboring states, that have better opportunities and lower taxes! Also, they slipped this resolution through on a voice vote instead of a recorded vote, and then when we Republicans called for a motion to reconsider, Democrats rejected it!"

Weber, in his Facebook post, provided a link to an Illinois General Assembly webpage that focuses on House Joint Resolution 0069. This resolution "urges the President of the United States to authorize the DHS Secretary to establish a program to evaluate parole and work authorization on a case-by-case basis for long-term immigrant workers who are undocumented and residing in Illinois to address the State’s critical need for labor and to secure the family life for tens of thousands of mixed status families in Illinois and to work with DHS and the US Department of Justice to zealously defend any such program from potential legal challenges." The bill also calls upon the Governor "to work with federal partners to urge, by all possible means, the establishment of such a parole and work authorization program for the long-term immigrant population who are undocumented and residing in Illinois."

Screenshot of Rep. Weber's May 20 Facebook post | State Representative Tom Weber's Facebook page

The aforementioned bill was filed by Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez on April 22, 2024, and was adopted on May 17, 2024. A motion to reconsider this vote was filed by Rep. Patrick Windhorst on that same day but it failed with 39 votes in favor and 68 against.

In another Facebook post, Weber shared screenshots of specific sections from this bill's text. He highlighted: "In the State of Illinois, we are experiencing a prolonged staffing shortage that is harming their growth and competitiveness. Illinois has, on average, 76 available workers for every 100 jobs."

Weber was first elected to represent the 64th House District in 2018. Before this, he served on the Lake County Board and Forest Preserve Board from 2012 to 2018. He is a St. John’s Military Academy graduate and started his own construction company in 1996, serving the residents of Lake and McHenry County for over two decades, as per his official biography.