HR0719 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0719 LRB101 18596 ECR 68051 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Bringing a resurgence of economic opportunity and workforce development to underserved areas to ensure that those who have faced historical structural barriers have the same opportunity to participate in the economy and benefit from economic growth as everyone else is part of the Governor's economic plan for Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) supports upgrading Illinois workers' skills to remain current in new technologies and business practices; ETIP enables Illinois companies to remain competitive, expand into new markets, and introduce more efficient technologies into their own operations; incentives are available to pre-qualified Illinois businesses that apply for training funds as part of an Economic Development Incentive Project; and

WHEREAS, Employment Opportunities, Personalized services, Individualized training, and Career Planning (EPIC) is a pilot program that tests innovative career pathway approaches to increase work opportunities for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, ultimately leading to a reduced dependency on SNAP benefits; this initiative addresses the needs of the underemployed and unemployed SNAP recipients in Illinois who require basic and technical skills and work experience to get good jobs, increase earnings, and reduce reliance on public assistance; and

WHEREAS, Through the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG), Community Action Agencies (CAAs) offer a variety of services to assist individuals and families in moving towards self-sufficiency; federal funding is provided to Illinois' 36 CAAs to deliver locally designed programs and services for low-income individuals and families; and

WHEREAS, The Participation Loan Program (PLP) delivers participation loans through pre-approved Illinois financial institutions to accelerate investments and ease traditional credit underwriting standards for small businesses that may not otherwise qualify for traditional bank financing; and

WHEREAS, Important parts of the Governor's economic plan for Illinois include investing in transportation, broadband, and small business development, bringing down barriers to accessing the job market and capital in communities of color, and fostering collaboration by developing regional economic hubs, which can be accomplished by having clear communication among key economic actors in Illinois including state and local governments, industry, unions, universities, and non-profits; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage companies to bring pre-training and pre-hiring placement centers to underresourced and underserved communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the State of Illinois to explore creating a pilot program or grant program for these companies.