Bill advances that requires state jobs be in Sangamon County

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois House panel has approved a bill that would require most new and vacant state jobs be located in Sangamon County.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the measure cleared a House committee Friday and is now headed to the full House. The bill would make the capital city of Springfield and the county the default location for state agency and governor's office employees. A reason would have to be given explaining why a job needs to be located somewhere else.

Republican state Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez of Leland Grove is the bill's lead sponsor. She says the measure's purpose is "to recognize that Springfield is the capital of Illinois."

A 2016 study from the state's Department of Central Management Services found that nearly 400 state jobs could be moved to Springfield.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com