Full Text of HR0655 100th General Assembly
HR0655 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a strategic interest in | 3 | | developing the best possible strategy to create the most jobs | 4 | | for the least amount of taxpayer money; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, State of Illinois and City of Chicago officials | 6 | | have responded to Amazon.com, Inc.'s "Request For Proposal" for | 7 | | their new facility with a package that likely includes | 8 | | subsidies and other taxpayer-funded incentives to entice them | 9 | | to choose Illinois; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Amazon.com, Inc. has a market value of nearly $400 | 11 | | billion and the necessary capital to construct a new facility | 12 | | without taxpayer assistance; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a bill backlog of nearly | 14 | | $16 billion, which includes social service agencies, | 15 | | small-business medical providers and many others who are | 16 | | struggling to continue operating without the funds they are | 17 | | duly owed; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has already awarded more | 19 | | than $112 million in subsidies to Amazon.com, Inc. for | 20 | | constructing distribution facilities that its business model | 21 | | requires, with little credible evidence of benefit to the |
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| 1 | | State's economy; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, The average wages at Amazon.com, Inc. warehouses | 3 | | are significantly lower than the prevailing wage for comparable | 4 | | work within the same areas; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, In 2015, Amazon.com, Inc. generated approximately | 6 | | $1.5 million in sales in Illinois for every full-time warehouse | 7 | | worker it employed, while the State's brick-and-mortar retail | 8 | | stores employ about seven people to accomplish the same sales; | 9 | | and | 10 | | WHEREAS, The actual economic impact of trading large | 11 | | taxpayer subsidies to corporations for promised jobs is poorly | 12 | | understood, and the supposed benefits are disputed by many | 13 | | academics and experts in the field; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Foxconn Technology Group was recently awarded | 15 | | more than $3 billion in taxpayer subsidies to locate a plant in | 16 | | Wisconsin, at a cost of more than $230,000 per job created, | 17 | | representing a massive transfer of wealth from Wisconsin | 18 | | taxpayers to corporate shareholders; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, It is of crucial importance for policymakers to | 20 | | understand whether the cost of potential future subsidies to | 21 | | Amazon.com, Inc. is justified based on the job creation and |
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| 1 | | retention benefits generated by an agreement; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 4 | | urge extreme caution in the pursuit of Amazon.com, Inc.'s new | 5 | | facility, as an offer of subsidies approximating the Foxconn | 6 | | Technology Group deal in Wisconsin is almost certain to be a | 7 | | net negative for Illinois taxpayers; and be it further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That we believe job growth and retention is | 9 | | crucial, but fighting with taxpayer money to win a bid from a | 10 | | corporation that has absolutely no financial need for | 11 | | subsidization is a dangerous path to tread; and be it further | 12 | | RESOLVED, That it violates both free-market principles and | 13 | | good common sense to subsidize Amazon.com, Inc.'s facility with | 14 | | more public money per new job than is likely to be repaid in | 15 | | state and local taxes; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That we urge policymakers to hold public hearings | 17 | | before any final deal is agreed to, complete with expert | 18 | | testimony in order to fully demonstrate to the public the | 19 | | potential economic merits and drawbacks.
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