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| Advocacy Report With about two weeks left in the General Assembly session before the scheduled May 31 adjournment date, lawmakers are focusing on budget and revenue matters. On May 15, the House voted on 73 separate appropriations bills that in total exceeded available state revenues - an exercise that most observers believe will force a vote on the extension of the temporary income tax increase. Speaker Michael Madigan introduced substantial changes to the EDGE income tax credit, which were passed by the House Revenue and Finance Committee on May 14 by a vote of 8-2. The legislation, contained in Floor Amendment #1 to HB 3890, includes the following provisions: - Eliminates the $1 million capital investment requirement for businesses with fewer than 100 employees;
- Requires a "but for" affidavit for all future EDGE agreements;
- Lowers the maximum credit for retained employees, except in targeted areas;
- Makes numerous changes to the "special EDGE" program which allows companies to claim the credit against employee withholdings; and
- Requires that all future "special EDGE" agreements be approved by the General Assembly, create jobs in high poverty and unemployment areas, and publicly disclose confidential tax information.
DCEO Director Adam Pollett testified in favor of the EDGE program overhaul; business groups are opposed to many of the proposed provisions and believe that it will become a complicated and burdensome economic development tool. HB 3890 is pending in the Illinois House.
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| Legislative Activity House Bill 3814 (Madigan) - The House Labor Committee on May 16 approved by a vote of 12-7-1 Amendment #1 to HB 3814 which would put an advisory referendum increasing the minimum wage on the November ballot. Sponsored by Speaker Madigan, the legislation would direct the State Board of Elections to ask the following: "Shall the minimum wage in Illinois for adults over the age of 18 be raised to $10 per hour by January 1, 2015?" The Chicagoland Chamber is opposed to the bill, which is pending in the House. House Bill 4609 (Feigenholtz) - This bill was amended to prohibit the State Fire Marshal from issuing future sprinkler mandates and to clarify that such an action can only be taken by the General Assembly. HB 4609 also created the Task Force on Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Education, on which the CAA would be represented. This legislation, supported by the Chicagoland Chamber, was re-released from the Rules Committee on May 5 and is pending in the House.
Senate Bill 2758 (Biss; Currie) - This legislation creates the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act. It establishes a retirement savings program in the state treasury in the form of a mandated automatic enrollment payroll deduction IRA to promote retirement savings for private-sector employees. (Fact sheet available here.) Opposed by the Chicagoland Chamber, this legislation is scheduled for a hearing in the House Pensions Committee on May 22.
Senate Bill 3287 (Raoul; Bradley) - This legislation amends the Workers' Compensation Act to provide changes regarding the right to recover damages for injury or death from a service organization that is wholly owned by the employer or the employer's insurer or broker. (Fact sheet available here.) The Chamber is opposed to this legislation which would eliminate the workers’ compensation exclusive remedy/immunity enjoyed by many companies that provide safety consulting services. There is also a coalition of business and construction groups opposed to this legislation. SB 3287 passed the Senate 35-19 and is pending a vote on the House floor.
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Deputy Mayor Koch Addresses Public Policy CommitteeOn Tuesday, April 22 Deputy Mayor Steve Koch presented the City of Chicago’s plan for municipal pension reform to the Public Policy Committee. Koch explained how the Municipal and Laborers pension funds operate and gave a detailed background on City employee pension funds, including an overview on how and why the Municipal and Laborers’ funds have fallen significantly over the past 10 years. Koch stressed the urgency of the situation to the Committee, presenting data which reflected that Municipal & Laborers’ funds will both be insolvent within 9-17 years without decisive action, and the negative impact these large legacy pension liabilities have on the City’s credit rating. According to Koch, the City’s proposed plan will address the unfunded liability of Municipal and Laborers funds over a 40-year stabilization plan.
Pension Reform Update A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge granted a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction, as requested by the We Are One Illinois coalition and its plaintiffs, halting the implementation of SB 1 (Public Act 98-599). This stays the legislation in its entirety so that the pension systems and other defendants are enjoined from implementing or administering any provisions of the act until further order of the court or the court issues a final ruling on the merits of the act’s constitutionality. The court found that plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on their contention that Public Act 98-599 violates the Pension Protection Clause of the Illinois Constitution.
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Reps. Bradley and Harris Discuss State Financial Challenges with Taxation Forum
Rep. John Bradley, Chairman of the Revenue & Finance Committee, and Rep. David Harris, Minority Spokesperson, met with the Taxation Forum on Friday, April 25 at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in advance of passing the state's fiscalyear 2015 budget. Reps. Bradley and Harris answered questions related to county use tax litigation, municipal pension reform, and the Harney case and emergency local sales tax sourcing rules, among other agenda items.
Photo (L-R): John Carpenter, Jim Kane, Rep. John Bradley, Kevin Lennon, Rep. David Harris
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| Environment & Sustainability Forum Focuses on Local Sustainable Efforts Jamie Ponce, Chicago City Director for C40 Cities Climate Leadership, joined the Environment and Sustainability Committee on Monday, May 12 for a discussion on climate issues and a competitive, livable and sustainable Chicago. Ponce presented the city’s Sustainable Chicago 2015 strategy, which is based on the objectives and approaches outlined in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. Over the next three years, the goal of the plan is to establish Chicago as a hub for the growing sustainable economy by improving energy efficiency and increasing clean energy efforts. This also includes fighting climate change, enhancing parks and open spaces, expanding access to healthy food, and improving our transportation infrastructure, water and wastewater management, and waste and recycling systems. John Carpenter, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of External Affairs, also gave an update on the Chamber’s recent legislative activity, including the plastic bag ban and petcoke storage issues at the city level and the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act at the state level.
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| Upcoming Public Policy Events
Logistics and Mobility Forum The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Logistics & Mobility Forum invites you to join us for a unique training opportunity hosted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Supply Chain Security Workshop. Time and Date:
Thursday, May 29, 2014
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Location:
Palmer House Hilton
17 E. Monroe
Click here to learn more and register for the workshop.
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| Reminder: Contribute to the Chamber PAC Your financial support of the Chamber's Political Action Committee (CPAC) is key to creating a pro-business climate in our state. The CPAC's efforts to help elect business-friendly public officials directly impacts your future success.
CPAC is in the midst of a major two-year fundraising campaign. This year's state and county elections and next year's municipal contests may determine the long-term health of our state's economy. Your contribution is a direct investment in our region's economic well-being. Please support the 2014-2015 PAC campaign.
Please click here for more information on the Chicagoland Chamber’s Political Action Committee. Please click here to make a donation.
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| Public Policy Committee
Mark Segal, Chair, The Habitat Company | Susan Sher, Vice-Chair, University of Chicago Hospital | Wes Lujan, Union Pacific Railroad | Michael Foley, UPS | James Kane, Kane & Co. | Kevin Lennon, CME Group | Anil Anuja, CCJM | Manny Sanchez, Sanchez Hoffman Daniels | Ira Azulay, Immigration Attorneys, LLP | Kevin Scanlan, MCHC | Robin L. Brown, Ingredion Incorporated | Pat Cermak, Wight & Company | Harry Seigle, The Elgin Company
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Public Policy Division
John Carpenter, Senior Vice President External Affairs
312.494.6736
Katie Hamilton, Manager of Committees & Programs
312.494.6734
Chamber Policy Consultant
Joan Parker
Joan A. Parker Government Affairs
312.909.1313
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Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
410 North Michigan Avenue | Suite 900 | Chicago, IL 60611
312.494.6700 | ChicagolandChamber.org |
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