March 29th, 2024

This Week in Illinois from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce

Spring Session Update

The House will return to Springfield this Tuesday, April 2nd for four scheduled days. The House committee deadline is this Friday, April 5th.

The Senate will return on April 9th with the Senate third reading deadline set for April 12th.

If you haven't already, please register for Chamber Day 2024 at the link near the end of this newsletter. Chamber Day is the annual gathering of local chambers and businesses from across the State and will be taking place this year on April 10th. We look forward to seeing you there.

Click to view the House and Senate calendars

Your turn: Excellence in manufacturing contributing to aircraft safety in Illinois

Recently, Illinois Chamber President & CEO Lou Sandoval penned an op-ed published in the State Journal-Register on how rigorous aircraft safety and manufacturing excellence in Illinois work together seamlessly. Provided below is a portion of the editorial.

A state’s economy is the number one indicator of long-term strength and success. For Illinois, the manufacturing industry is a high-impact contributor.

Manufacturing accounts for nearly 13% of the state’s total output and employs over 9% of the workforce.

Advocating for this critical component of our economy is crucial to creating opportunity now, and in the years to come. 

Our manufacturers produce everything from fabricated metals and electronics to rubber products and chemicals. Illinois’ manufacturing sector represents a market size of $4.4 billion and includes businesses across the state that provide jobs and economic output for our communities. 

These companies also play an important role in the aerospace industry; producing parts that help build aircraft engines, fuselages, and aircraft technological systems. 

Multi-million-dollar investments from companies like Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, which designs, develops, and services the world’s leading business aircraft, help to increase the capacity of operations and jobs. 

The work of our state’s aerospace manufacturers not only is a contributor to the state’s economic outlook, but it also is important to maintaining commercial aviation’s safety standards.

The parts produced throughout Illinois are high-quality, premium products that follow the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) best practices guidance for manufacturers as well as undergo rigorous safety checks and tests before they’re shipped and included in an aircraft’s final assembly. 

The self-imposed safety checks performed by Illinois manufacturers within their facilities are the first steps in a long process of quality control measures that an aircraft and its parts endure to ensure that they meet FAA safety standards.

Read the rest of the piece here.

Illinois Chamber Meets With Senate President Harmon and Cook County Board President Preckwinkle

This week, Illinois Chamber President and CEO Lou Sandoval collaborated with fellow advocacy leaders who are part of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) in a series of meetings with Senate President Don Harmon and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle to champion support for long-term migrants.

Work Continues on Junk Fee Bills

Last week, the Illinois Chamber provided an update to our tech council about an important issue, junk fee bills. Rep. Bob Morgan and Senator Omar Aquino are working together to address the issues of junk fees in Illinois.

They have filed HB4629 and SB3331 respectively in response to a White House initiative to reduce the increasingly common use of hidden fees. Consumers have been facing these types of situations due to the recent jumps in inflation that have caused businesses to find alternate revenue sources. Examples given include a situation where a restaurant patron orders a burger off the menu for a given price, is served the meal, and then finds that there is an additional fee on the bill which they are required to pay – after the burger has been eaten. The current language of the parallel bills is currently far too broad.

To both sponsors’ credit, they hosted a large meeting of lobbyists and advocates to hear out specific concerns and are considering amendments. From the Chamber’s perspective, any action in the bill should not take effect before the FTC issues forthcoming rules at the federal level that would pre-empt the efforts at the state level. Our team is engaged in the process and look forward to finding an approach that protects consumers while providing compliance continuity for businesses.

If you have any questions, please contact kwheeler@ilchamber.org.

Upcoming Illinois Chamber Energy Roundtable Event

Economic development and business growth in a rapidly evolving world require building on a strong foundation, leading with innovation, investing in people, and collaborating across sectors.

Please join the Illinois Chamber of Commerce to discuss how business leaders are working together to build a strong economic future in Illinois.

This informative event is sponsored by Nicor Gas and hosted by Jenner & Block LLP.

Registration: Here

Illinois Chamber Releases Q1 Business Leader Magazine

The Illinois Chamber is excited to announce the release of the Business Leader Magazine for quarter one! Read about what our members and Chamber staff have been up to by clicking here.

This quarter's magazine will cover Governor Pritzker's State of the State Address, information regarding insurance coverage for BIPA lawsuit, member spotlights, and more.

National Small Business Week

For more than 60 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week, which acknowledges the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

This year, National Small Business Week takes place April 28 - May 4, 2024, and is when SBA officially recognizes their hard work, ingenuity, and dedication, including their contributions to the economy. This year’s activities include in-person events and an educational virtual summit on a variety of business topics.

Learn more here.