State Representatives Doug Bennett, Dan Brady, Peter Breen, Jim Durkin, Brad Halbrook, David McSweeney, Allen Skillicorn, Joe Sosnowski, Ryan Spain and Keith Wheeler led the Illinois House with their votes ten bills that would have affected the industry.
State Senators Jason Barickman, Tim Bivins, Bill Brady, Mike Connelly, Tom Rooney, Chapin Rose, Jil Tracy and Stanley Weaver showed the way for manufacturing issues in the other chamber.
"We congratulate all those that reflected knowledge and concern about Illinois' $100 billion annual manufacturing Industry as they voted on issues that would have a huge impact," Dennis LaComb, the Technology & Manufacturing Association's Government Relations Director, said.
LaComb oversaw the accumulation of scores for TMA's 2017 Legislative Scorecard. Jay Shattuck is the group's lobbyist in Springfield.
TMA focused on ten bills:
- HB 2462 – Prohibits employers from inquiring about applicants' wage histories.
- HB 2525 – Places into statute workers comp reform that would lock meployers into court-epanded liability basis for injury causation.
- HB 2771 – Requires employers to provide 40 hours of paid sick leave within a 12-month period.
- HB 3369 – Requires Illinois Stae Board of Education to list high skill manufacturing trade schools on state website.
- SB 6 – Sets into effect an unbalanced FY 2017-2018 State Appropriations budget bill.
- SB 6 – Would override Governor's veto of an unbalanced budget proposal.
- SB 9 – Implements FY 2017-2018 State Revenue budget bill with a 33% income tax hike on businesses, 32% tax hike on personal incomes, with no system reforms.
- SB 9 – Would override Governor's veto of tax hikes.
- SB 81 – Requires minimum wage hike to gradually be $15 per hour in 2020.
- SB 1905 – Creates Collective Bargaining proposal that would restrict local government units from opitons in regulating collective bargaining agreements.
TMA encourages their members to acquaint lawmakers with issues that matter to manufacturers and makes the effort to provide legislative scorecards in order to inform those affected by anti-manufacturing policies.
Overall, TMA was in full agreement with Governor Rauner's vetos and efforts to promote and revitalize manufacturing in Illinois.
The scorecard is available online on TMA's Website HERE.
