November 30, 2011

Public Policy Advocacy Report

Business Tax Package Stalls in General Assembly

The Illinois General Assembly met in special session on Tuesday, November 29th and failed to pass legislation to provide tax relief and incentives for businesses in order to keep and attract new jobs and employers in the state. Ultimately, the House and Senate could not agree on details of legislation that would help keep CME Group and Sears from considering leaving Illinois for more tax-friendly jurisdictions. The bills, SB 397 and HB 1883 contained essentially the same language regarding CME and Sears incentives. But the bill approved in the Senate (HB 1883) had more generous tax breaks for individuals.

The Chamber supported SB 397 and provided written testimony on the measure in a House Revenue & Finance Committee hearing. We are disappointed the General Assembly was unable reach agreement but we are hopeful a solution will be found soon.

Tenaska Bill Approved by Senate

SB 678, authorizing development of Tenaska's Taylorville Energy Center, won approval in the Senate by a 30-28 vote. The measure was not taken up in the House. The Chamber opposes the project to build a "clean coal" electricity generating plant using unproven science and technology that will shift burdensome costs onto consumers with no protections. We are a member of the Stop Tenaska coalition and will continue to oppose the bill if and when it is voted on in the House.

If you have any questions, please contact the Government Relations Department.

Government Relations Staff

John Carpenter, Senior VP Public Policy
312.494.6736
jcarpenter@chicagolandchamber.org

Michael Mini, Director
312.494.6787
mmini@chicagolandchamber.org

Christopher Johnson, Manager
312.494.6727
cjohnson@chicagolandchamber.org