SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) is informing the constituents of the 118th district that he has been assigned to several Illinois House Committees for the 104th General Assembly.
Jacobs, an optometrist and former small business owner, will serve on the Appropriations Higher Education, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics & IT, Ethics & Elections, Health Care Licenses, Prescription Drug Affordability, and Veteran’s Affairs committees as a regular member. Jacobs will also serve as the minority spokesperson on the House Museum, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Committee.
“My committee assignments cover a wide variety of topics, and I’m looking forward to getting going in this new General Assembly,” Jacobs said. “We have a lot of work to do to get this state turned around. One of the major items we must address is ethics reform so we can finally rid our state of the embarrassment of public corruption. I plan to be a strong voice for corruption and ethics reforms as a member of the Ethics & Elections Committee.”
Jacobs says his more than 45 years of practice as an optometrist has provided him with a great education on the failures of the state government when it comes to providing health care licensing in a punctual manner.
“I’m happy to be back on the House Health Care Licenses Committee,” Jacobs said. “I have seen first-hand how pathetic our state has been at getting people their professional licenses on time so they can get to work in the health care industry in our state. We have made some progress with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation in bringing them into the 21st century, but there is much more to do to address shortages in our healthcare workforce.”
Jacobs also expressed optimism as he has been named the House Minority Spokesperson, or ranking member, to the House Museum, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Committee.
“Serving as the ranking member on this committee will help me bring a greater voice for tourism to the capitol for Southern Illinois interests,” Jacobs said. “We are blessed to have some wonderful historical sites and world-class entertainment facilities in our region, and I look forward to giving voice to those entities to increase tourism to our state.”
Jacobs is serving his 3rd term as State Representative. His Marion District Office, located at 600 N. Halfway Road, can be reached at 618-559-7018 or by email at Jacobs@ILHouseGOP.org.
