Illinois Department of Employment Security Revenue and Competitors

Appointed by the Governor on June 3, 2011, Jay Rowell was confirmed by the Senate later that month. The Governor's vision for the Department is to provide assistance to Illinois families in difficult times, to advocate for taxpayers by guarding against fraud and to get people back to work by being the state's employment office. To that end, Rowell was a lead state negotiator on the 2011 Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund reform legislation. The legislation reduced taxes on Illinois businesses over the next eight years by $400 million, laid out a path to solvency for the fund, and created the necessary tools to prevent fraud and crack down on criminal abuse. Rowell partnered with the Internal Revenue Service on a new anti-fraud system that recovered more than $37 million in just five months. He required IDES to participate in the National Directory of New Hires which will save the state $40 million annually in overpayments. Rowell also created a partnership with the Illinois Attorney General's office to hire attorneys to criminally prosecute those who willfully defraud the agency.