Chamber travels to Springfield to continue conversations with legislators

The Quad Cities Chamber traveled to the Illinois Capitol on Wednesday, March 20 for a day of impactful conversations with top Illinois legislators and our local members of the General Assembly.

During our meetings, we discussed the need for new programs to support middle-income housing, historic redevelopment and remediation and redevelopment of environmentally challenging properties across the Illinois Quad Cities. The Chamber made progress in educating legislators on the need for these programs and looks forward to testifying in hearings later this year on behalf of each unique bill.

“Building and improving housing and mixed-use spaces in the Illinois Quad Cities are crucial to growing our economy and ensuring all communities in the Quad Cities are thriving,” said Shea Doyle of Modern Woodmen of America. “Workforce housing is a distinct need in the Illinois Quad Cities, and we are looking forward to seeing the progress that can be made this legislative session.”

The Chamber also addressed employer concerns about the continued overregulation of employer-employee relationships. This included the proposed increase to tipped wages, the recently enacted paid-leave-for-all law, proposed bans on non-compete agreements and administrative requirements for small businesses. The Chamber consistently engages our legislators to push back on overly burdensome regulations that hit our smallest employers the hardest.

“Workplace regulations are a top concern for Illinois business owners,” said Peter Tokar III, President & CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber. “Ensuring a competitive workplace for employers is key to attracting new investment to the region and maintaining existing investment, whether that’s limiting bureaucratic red tape or ensuring employers are positioned to manage their staff efficiently. We continue to advocate strongly for a more fair and competitive workplace for Illinois employers."

The discussions concluded with an emphasis on getting passenger rail from Moline to Chicago. Our work has brought us to a point that feels more promising than it has in years, and we made sure that the legislature heard that passenger rail is a top priority for us. 

“The deployment of passenger rail in the Quad Cities will be transformational for the quality of life and economic competitiveness of our region,” said Alex Elias of Renew Moline. “We are happy to hear that passenger rail continues to be a priority of our legislative partners and the Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT). We are more hopeful than ever that we can get this project over the finish line.”

Read the Chamber's Illinois Legislative Agenda.

Stay up to date on legislation with our bill tracker.