There are many ways that we as a Chamber influence legislation in Springfield. For example, we have personal meetings with area legislators and their staff, we work in partnership with other associations and chamber groups in joint advocacy efforts such as sign-on letters to key leaders in the General Assembly, and we take visits toContinue reading
Takeaways from the Second Chance Employees Webinar on Oct. 19 We have had an overwhelming response to our webinar hosted on Oct. 19 where we explored hiring workers with a criminal record and/or formally incarcerated individuals re-entering the community. Here are some general takeaways from the event and links to the resources presented. JOB TRAININGContinue reading
Illinois Back to Business B2B Grant Opens You should have received an announcement from us earlier that the Governor’s Office Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced a $250 million Back to Business (B2B) grant program. It opened Wednesday, August 18th and closes October 11th. We encourage all Members to get their applicationsContinue reading
Biometrics are physical or behavioral human characteristics that can be used to digitally identify a person to grant access to systems, devices, or data. Biometric information can come in an array of technologies including facial or fingerprint recognition, voice scans, and more. Employers have used fingerprint technology recognition for employee shift check-in/out, access to facility spaces, andContinue reading
The Illinois General Assembly is in full swing with over 6,700 bills being introduced over the last several weeks. I have identified some key pieces of legislation that is on the NACC Business Works Committee radar taht could potentially impact our Chamber Members. 9% Prejudgment Interest Bill | HB 3360 This bill would require payment of prejudgment interest (at a rate of 9% a year) in civil cases, including medical malpracticeContinue reading
End of Year Member Survey We are keenly concerned with how our business community continues to navigate the challenges brought about by the pandemic. We have sent questionnaires periodically throughout to last 10 months to take a pulse as we moved through different “Restore Illinois Mitigations”. We have created a 2020 End of Year QuestionnaireContinue reading
Federal Stimulus Update We were encouraged to learn last week that a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives have a new COVID-19 emergency relief framework proposal in play. There has been an agreement between Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) and Mitch McConnell (Senate Majority Leader) that this new legislation should be the framework in which to fund the nextContinue reading
“Too Close to Call” seemed to the be mantra throughout election night and for the days following. One thing that was consistent among many of the local, state and federal races is the small margins between the party candidates. Democrats are expected to keep majority control of the U.S. House, although they will have aContinue reading
The NACC continues to be vigilant protecting the interests of our business community. Two major issues we are keeping an eye on this week are: Governor Pritzker’s new proposed emergency rules for establishments to require masks or face significant fines Update on federal Phase IV stimulus package and how it’s shaping up for support ofContinue reading
As a young person who is one semester away from completing two master’s degrees, I constantly ask myself whether I can afford to move back to Illinois. I can easily list off the names of people who already left our communities to live in other states. According to a 2018 study conducted by the UniversityContinue reading
