Investing in Job Creation

• Launched the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the largest in state history, to rebuild roads, bridges, and schools while creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs
• Cut taxes for 400,000 small businesses
• Strengthened the Illinois Works Jobs Program by investing in community-based organizations to recruit diverse apprentices to work on the Rebuild Illinois capital program
• Created new high-paying technology and construction jobs with a data center tax incentive program, as well as incentives for job creation on new construction and renovations in underserved communities
• Attracted $1 billion in private and public investments in research centers of excellence focused on Illinois’ innovation industries, including the Discovery Partners Institute and 15 Illinois Innovation Network startup hubs around the state

Making Illinois’ Economy Work for Everyone

• Raised the minimum wage to a living wage for all Illinois workers to give 1.4 million people a raise
• Expanded access to banking services to reduce reliance on predatory lenders through the “Bank On” initiative and capped high-interest payday loans
• Provided millions of Illinoisans relief from high interest on consumer debt
• Developed a low-interest loan program to help small municipalities that were financially impacted by high natural gas prices due to extreme weather conditions
• Created a business loan fund to expand opportunities for minority business owners
• Supported community college workforce development programs that concentrate on high-growth industries
• Created a business apprenticeship tax credit to encourage job growth and workforce development, in addition to creating the largest small business grant program in the nation
  

Creating Jobs and Fostering Innovation

• Led the Midwest in business startup creation and had a higher business growth rate than Texas and Florida
• Reopened seven Small Business Development Centers closed by Bruce Rauner and supported over 41,000 business owners in 2020, more than ever served before in the program
• Extended the film industry tax credit, creating and supporting thousands of entertainment industry jobs
• Invested in the innovation economy with new business incubators and an extension of the research and development tax credit for manufacturers
• Established annual reporting on corporate board diversity for public companies to encourage greater representation