McHenry Times

Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is not pleased with the latest unemployment figures that place the state second only to Nevada for the highest rate in the country.

"We should be a leader in growing job opportunities for our residents," Ugaste posted on Facebook recently. "We have the resources, but our state's high taxes and bad public policies drive employers away. We have to be more competitive to get innovators and job creators to invest in Illinois."

At 4.7% for the month of December, Illinois' unemployment rate continues to lag behind the national average of 3.5% and is also significantly higher than those of neighboring states in the Midwest including Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri.

Ugaste, who has served in the legislature since 2019, was recently appointed to serve on six House committees, three of which he will hold the role of Republican spokesperson. He will be the spokesperson on the House Labor & Commerce, Judiciary – Civil, and Financial Institutions & Licensing committees. He will also serve on the House Police & Fire, Public Utilities, and Prescription Drug Affordability committees.

A lifelong Illinois resident, Ugaste is an attorney with a Chicago law firm specializing in workers compensation defense, his legislative biography said.