Full Text of HR1040 094th General Assembly
HR1040 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
HR1040 |
|
LRB094 19958 RSP 57342 r |
|
| 1 |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The capital construction program proposed by the | 3 |
| Governor is estimated to generate 230,000 new living wage jobs | 4 |
| across Illinois; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, The proposed program intends to invest over $6 | 6 |
| billion in capital projects that would build critical roads, | 7 |
| improve mass transit, and construct and maintain the quality of | 8 |
| school buildings; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, This program would provide a needed avenue to | 10 |
| provide employment for disadvantaged job seekers and the | 11 |
| opportunity to improve State and federally funded training | 12 |
| programs that ready job seekers for skilled placements; and | 13 |
| WHEREAS, Access and placement into living wage jobs is one | 14 |
| of the main challenges faced by low-income and disadvantaged | 15 |
| individuals and families; over 71% of participants surveyed at | 16 |
| Illinois Workforce Investment Board Act programs in Chicago | 17 |
| asked for assistance with job search and job leads, the most | 18 |
| requested service; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, Women and minorities continue to be | 20 |
| underrepresented in the construction industry workforce and | 21 |
| face barriers that limit access and retention in such jobs; and
| 22 |
| WHEREAS, Families transitioning off of welfare are having | 23 |
| difficulty accessing jobs, with almost half of the surveyed | 24 |
| families in Illinois not finding employment in 2003; ninety | 25 |
| percent of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families caseload | 26 |
| who did find work remained in poverty; and
| 27 |
| WHEREAS, Even for families with working members, income is | 28 |
| oftentimes insufficient for self-sufficiency; in Illinois, the | 29 |
| wage needed for a family of four to be self-sufficient ranges |
|
|
|
HR1040 |
- 2 - |
LRB094 19958 RSP 57342 r |
|
| 1 |
| from $36,408 to $43,704; and
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, While finding and maintaining employment is | 3 |
| crucial for ex-offenders re-entering society, employment and | 4 |
| job placement continues to be a serious challenge; studies of | 5 |
| ex-offenders in Illinois indicate that only 28% of those | 6 |
| surveyed in 2005 had some form of employment a year after their | 7 |
| release; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Jobs generated through the capital construction | 9 |
| program offer Illinois an opportunity to provide employment | 10 |
| with sufficient wages to populations that need employment the | 11 |
| most by expanding job opportunities for disadvantaged and | 12 |
| underrepresented populations; and
| 13 |
| WHEREAS, In order to connect individuals with jobs | 14 |
| generated by the capital construction program, a greater pool | 15 |
| of skilled applicants is necessary; training opportunities | 16 |
| need to be made available to disadvantaged and underrepresented | 17 |
| populations to contribute to expanding the qualified | 18 |
| workforce; therefore, be it
| 19 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 20 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 |
| the Governor and the General Assembly establish goals and | 22 |
| mechanisms that will increase the participation of | 23 |
| disadvantaged and underrepresented groups in the workforce and | 24 |
| ensure that the benefits of the capital construction program | 25 |
| will reach all populations in Illinois; and be it further
| 26 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 27 |
| presented to the Governor of the State of Illinois, the | 28 |
| President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Director | 29 |
| of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the Secretary of | 30 |
| Transportation.
|
|