Chicagoland Chamber PAC AdvocacyChampion Award Luncheon

On March 23, the Chicagoland Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC) will honor Patrick Donelly, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency, for his advocacy of the hospitality community and a competitive business climate. Patrick will receive our PAC Advocacy Champion Award. The Chamber’s PAC is a critical component of our advocacy strategy, and vital for retaining elected officials who understand our issues and the importance of maintaining an economically competitive environment.

Join business, civic, and elected leaders in honoring Patrick.

For details, tickets, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Reever at mreever@chicagolandchamber.org or click here.

Policy Issues at a Glance

City of Chicago

Mayor Emanuel, this week, is expected to introduce an ordinance at the City Council meeting seeking to massively expand O’Hare’s passenger areas, with dozens of new gates and terminal space. This effort will ensure that Chicago and the region’s economic engine remains strong and competitive in today’s global marketplace. It will create jobs, continue to attract headquarters and economic growth, and all at no cost to the taxpayer. The Chicagoland Chamber is supportive of the proposal. Read more here (including a quote from Chamber President and CEO Jack Lavin) and here.

Cook County

In brief, Cook County continues to discuss major changes to the County’s Property Tax Incentive Assessment Classes by mandating prevailing wage rates to any owner of real estate who applies or is a recipient of any class of property tax incentives. In addition, it would require the owner of the property and tax incentive to maintain for 5 years all payroll records of all workers engaged in construction. Finally, the payroll records would be considered “public” information that would be available through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the recipient of any incentive would be required to ensure that any contractor and/or subcontractor participates in an approved apprenticeship program through the United States Department of Labor.

Please contact Michael Reever, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Government Relations directly should you have questions and/or concerns related to this particular piece of legislation, at (312) 494-6736 or mreever@chicagolandchamber.org.

State of Illinois

On February 14, the Chamber attended Governor Rauner’s Budget Address to a joint session of the state legislature. While we continue to review the Governor’s proposals, we are discussing and monitoring the budget situation with legislators on both sides of the aisle.

A few items worth noting: 

  • House Bill 4819 was introduced as a so-called, “net neutrality” bill. The Chamber has taken no official position, as we continue to reach out to our members.
  • House Bill 5046
    was introduced, and would mandate scheduling practices throughout Illinois. The Chamber has been actively monitoring similar legislation at the City level. The Chamber is opposed to the proposed legislation at both the City and State levels. It is critical we hear from you about how this legislation may impact you so we can convey that to policy-makers.
  • House Bill 4081
    was introduced which would mandate notice be given to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office of the moving of “large” call centers from Illinois to another state or foreign country, or face fines of $10,000 for non-compliance.

Chicago is “All In” for Amazon

Check out this video on why Chicago is “All In” for Amazon.

Illinois Unclaimed Property – Check to See if the State Owes you Money or Property!

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has personally reached out to the Chamber to ensure our members are aware that you may have unclaimed property being held by the State that you are owed. It is worth checking if you have any unclaimed property, personally or in your business. Please visit the Treasurer’s website to search, here.

Chamber in the News Chicago Tribune: “Emanuel starts sales pitch on ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ $8.5 billion O’Hare expansion”Chicago Sun-Times: “Aldermen get an earful, then approve Riverwalk concessions”Chicago Sun-Times: “Anti-soda tax PAC jumps in Cook County Board races”Illinois Review: “Chamber of Commerce on Rauner budget speech: Stand ready to work on needed business reforms”

We want to hear from you about any policy issues that may be of importance to you and your business. Please contact Michael Reever, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Government Relations directly at mreever@chicagolandchamber.org or (312) 494-6736.

Public Policy CommitteeChair: Robin L. Brown, Ingredion Vice-Chair: Matthew Summy, Comcast Amalia Rioja, Baker & McKenzie | David Ritter, Barnes & Thornburg | Mary Kenney, BMOHarris | Rick Bodnum, CME Group | Stanley Kaminski, Duane Morris  | Harry Seigle, The Elgin Company | Adrian Guerrero, Union Pacific | Ray Drake, UPS | Benjamin Gibson, University of Chicago and University of Chicago Medical Center

Your Government Relations TeamMichael L. Reever, Esq. Senior Vice President, Strategy and Government Relations mreever@chicagolandchamber.org Danielle StanleyManager, Policy and Programs dstanley@chicagolandchamber.org Ryan McLaughlin Mac Strategies GroupPR and Communications Consultant Matt Murphy Mac Strategies GroupState Government Affairs Consultant