Chicago City Wire

The new COVID-19 relief bill is set to be finalized on Tuesday and Illinois will get a large chunk of the package.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will share $13.2 billion with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to help Illinois and Chicago get back on their feet after a year of being pulled back by the coronavirus outbreak.

On top of the huge relief package, Illinois still has $1,400 stimulus checks that are allotted to people making less than $75,000 a year. Also, individuals who are left without jobs due to the pandemic have extended and enhanced unemployment benefits. In addition to those aids, billions of dollars are also going to schools throughout the state to help them reopen safely.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) spoke with reporters last Sunday at a virtual meeting and said, “I think it may be the most significant assistance given to our state, and the states in general, in my political lifetime.”

The rescue package includes:

·         $7.5 billion for Illinois

·         $1.8 billion for Chicago

·         $5.5 billion for other governments

·         $2.4 billion for Illinois counties

·         $2.4 billion for larger cities

·         $681 million for smaller municipalities

- $275 million for vaccine distribution efforts in Illinois