OCTOBER 19, 2012

Illinois needs more job opportunities. That much we know. But what you may not know is the progress we have made since House Republicans introduced and successfully fought for our Jobs Package last fall.

We understand the frustration Illinois families feel about the gridlock in Springfield. We’re frustrated too. We witness the impediments to jobs and growth each and every day caused by the failed policies of the Blagojevich and Quinn Administrations over the last ten years. We continue to fight the status quo and push for bipartisan compromise on issues important to all Illinois families; chief among them jobs.

We have shown over this past year that Republicans and Democrats can work together to make meaningful progress for Illinois families on jobs. We can and must do more.

Here’s the rundown of the pro-jobs initiatives House Republicans spearheaded into law this year that are producing real results:

 Equipped small business men and women with a proven and essential tool during recessionary times to help struggling businesses and start-ups that traditionally lose money in the early years by reinstating the Net Operating Loss Deduction for employers through 2014;

 Incentivized innovators and entrepreneurs to explore new avenues of growth and create countless new jobs by extending the Research and Development Credit for 5 years.

 Incentivized communities across Illinois to invest in jobs by extending the life of Enterprise Zones; enabling the state’s 68 zones nearing expiration by 2018 to reapply and qualify through a process strengthened by new transparency and reporting measures.

 Strengthened the preservation of family farms without a crushing state tax burden and better protect family-owned businesses from having to sell land, buildings, or equipment in order to pay the estate tax by increasing the exemption to $4 million (previously capped at $2 million).

We did not achieve every single jobs proposal we introduced, but we have demonstrated forward progress while swimming upstream against the twin obstacles of a lagging economy and a Democrat-controlled House chamber.

Jobs remain our top priority heading into the General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session in November and December. We cannot wait until next year to make further strides toward unshackling the potential of employers and entrepreneurs to jumpstart meaningful job growth in every corner of our state; from the economic engine that is Chicago; to the small businesses and innovators that define the suburbs, to the agricultural strength downstate that is the linchpin of Illinois’ economic heritage.

Our vision to improve Illinois’ jobs climate in the immediate future includes adding teeth to workers compensation reform, accelerating the rollback of the income take hike on employers, expedite and simplify licensing requirements for businesses, and reducing the cost of setting up an LLC from $750 down to $100.

We are all in this together; Chicago, suburban, and downstate. We all share the same stake in the future and many of the same concerns about the quality of the job market for our kids and families. That is why we must continue to work together in Springfield on jobs.

Tom Cross
House Republican Leader
State Representative, 84th District