HR0680 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0680 LRB100 15482 MST 30504 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives welcome and encourage Amazon to consider locating their second headquarters (HQ2) in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, On September 17, 2017, Amazon announced plans to open a second company headquarters in North America known as HQ2; and

WHEREAS, Amazon requested proposals from state and local governments for HQ2 and has received 238 proposals from state and local governments from throughout the United States, including multiple bids from Illinois and bi-state regions; and

WHEREAS, If Illinois is successful in bringing HQ2 to the State, we have an opportunity to gain up to 50,000 new fulltime jobs with average salaries and benefit packages exceeding $100,000 over the next 10 to 15 years; and

WHEREAS, Amazon HQ2 is anticipated to generate tens of billions of dollars in additional investment in the community surrounding HQ2; and

WHEREAS, Amazon's ideal site and building requirements for HQ2 include being 30 miles from a population center, within 45 minutes of an international airport, 1-2 miles from major highways and roads, access to on-site mass transit (i.e. direct access to rail, train, subway/metro bus routes), 500,000 square feet of building space for Phase 1 in 2019, and up to 8,000,000 square feet beyond 2027; and

WHEREAS, We are confident Illinois can meet Amazon's ideal site and building requirements due to the fact that Illinois is the fifth largest state in the country, is home to 107 public and private airports, maintains 18,154 total interstate and state highway miles, operates 63 public transit systems, has 9,982 miles of railroad tracks with nearly 1,100 miles of navigable waterways, and encompasses 55,519 square miles of land; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we believe Illinois can meet the needs of Amazon's second headquarters in North America and look forward to offering a warm welcome if they so choose Illinois as home for HQ2; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Amazon as a symbol of our admiration and respect for one of the most innovative companies in the world.