HR1053 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1053 LRB097 21475 GRL 69548 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Since 1963, the State of Illinois has recognized the President's proclamation for National Small Business Week, honoring the contributions of small businesses; and

WHEREAS, This year, in conjunction with National Small Business Week on May 20-26, 2012, the State of Illinois joins the business community in recognizing the crucial contributions and achievements of small business owners and entrepreneurs from the State of Illinois and throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, We applaud the Illinois Small Business Person of the Year, Michelle Hayward, President of Bluedog Design, who will be honored in Washington D.C. during National Small Business Week with her peers from other states; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois will recognize and honor all Illinois' award winners during Illinois Small Business Week from June 10-16, 2012; and

WHEREAS, We appreciate all small business concerns and small business advocates for their endurance, perseverance, and growth through recent tough economic times; and

WHEREAS, We also thank small business owners for their efforts to incite economic recovery by putting local people back to work and express our gratitude for the role that small businesses play as the largest job creation engine in the country; and

WHEREAS, Small businesses, most of which have fewer than 20 employees, generate almost 3 of every 4 new jobs in the country every year; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, the number of new businesses that are opening is higher than those that are closing; and

WHEREAS, Illinois small businesses represented 62.6% of the net new private-sector jobs from 2005 to 2008; and

WHEREAS, As of 2009, there were over 1.1 million small businesses in Illinois; small businesses represent 98.3% of all employers and employ almost half of the private-sector workforce, estimated at 2.5 million employees; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate the week of June 10-16, 2012 as Illinois Small Business Week in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois legislators and citizens to join in this observance as we celebrate and applaud the accomplishments and commitment to excellence of Illinois' entrepreneurs, small business owners, and their employees, and pledge to support and encourage the development of new small businesses and job creation in our State.