Mark Denzler President & CEO

Every year, the Illinois General Assembly votes on thousands of bills and amendments, many of which have an impact on the manufacturing sector. While the global pandemic resulted in largely virtual legislative sessions in 2020 and 2021, the General Assembly returned to the Capitol in 2022 albeit in a shortened session as a result of the legislative remap process and delayed Primary Election.

This year’s General Election is the most important in a decade because every seat in the General Assembly, every seat in Congress, and every Constitutional Officer is up for election this year. Two open Illinois Supreme Court seats that will determine control of the court are also on the ballot. The IMA’s Legislative Report Card showcases where lawmakers stand relative to support of Illinois’ manufacturing economy and highlight those that vote against job creators. We often hear political rhetoric from legislators that claim to support jobs and investment but then their actions don’t back their words.

Does your legislator support Illinois’ manufacturing sector and the half a million women and men working on factory floors? Did your legislator vote in favor of higher energy costs? Did they support incentives for electric vehicles and semiconductors? Do they oppose costly regulations or support manufacturing innovation? Did they help find solutions for workforce challenges?

The IMA believes it is important for employers, employees, and Illinois residents to know exactly where their lawmakers stand on issues important to the business community. This objective Legislative Report Card will let you know whether your local lawmakers supported the manufacturing sector and large business community on critically important issues related to tax policy, environmental regulations, workers’ compensation, labor law, transportation, and more.

IMA’s Legislative Report Card

We hope that you will share this information with your colleagues, employees, family, and friends so that they can support pro-manufacturing, pro-growth candidates for office who understand that actions have consequences, good and bad. It’s important that Illinoisans elect pro-manufacturing lawmakers from both political parties who support free enterprise and economic growth.

The results at the ballot box will have a profound impact on your business. Every manufacturer in the United States faces the same challenges and opportunities across the country and the world. However, state policies can severely curtail or entice economic development across the nation, and we continue to see Illinois lagging neighboring states in manufacturing job growth. Illinois has many advantages, but the difference is often state laws and regulations that demonize employers.

The IMA appreciates those lawmakers that have a strong record of support for the manufacturing sector. We look forward to re-electing those officials and increasing the manufacturing majority in the General Assembly.

Illinois Manufacturers' Association State House Ratings

HB 62 (Flowers) – IMA Opposed: Creates the Health Care for All Illinois Act that provides that all individuals residing in this State are covered under the Illinois Health Services Program for health insurance.

HB 559 (Durkin) – IMA Supported: Provides for Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) reform. Provides that an action brought under BIPA shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrued if, prior to initiating any action against a private entity, the aggrieved person provides a private entity 30 days’ written notice identifying the specific provisions the aggrieved person alleges have been or are being violated. Provides that if within the 30 days the private entity actually cures the noticed violation and provides the aggrieved person an express written statement that the violation has been cured and that no further violations shall occur, no action for individual statutory damages or class-wide statutory damages may be initiated against the private entity. Makes other changes.

HB 804 (Williams) – IMA Opposed: Creates the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) and re-regulates Illinois’ energy marketplace by moving Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 and with a carbon-free power sector by 2030.

HB 1207 (Moeller/Castro) – IMA Supported: Amends the Equal Pay Act of 2003 to allow for conversations between a job applicant and potential employer concerning unvested equity or deferred compensation if a job applicant voluntarily broaches the topic.

HB 1769 (Vella/Stadelman) – IMA Supported: Creates the Reimagining Electric Vehicles (REV) in Illinois Act contains a super EDGE program providing for electric vehicle tax credits for both new and existing EV manufacturers and EV component parts manufacturers, as well as specific credits for larger and smaller companies.

HB 3090 (Harper) – IMA Opposed: Creates the Illinois Environmental Justice Advisory Council to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Governor, the Illinois EPA, and the other State agencies about broad, cross-cutting issues related to environmental justice and on policies, practices, and specific actions.

HB 3296 (Ness/Bush) – IMA Supported: Requires all school districts to implement state-approved career exploration pathway programming for students beginning in grade six through grade 12.

HB 3437 (Walsh/Hastings) – IMA Opposed: Requires the payment of prevailing wages on privately financed projects for refineries, ethanol facilities, and chemical plants.

HB 3743 (Walsh/Hastings) – IMA Supported: Among other things, extends the repeal dates of the Telecommunications Article and the Cable and Video Competition Article from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2026. Provides that any cable service or video service authorization issued by the Illinois Commerce Commission will expire on December 31, 2029 (rather than December 31, 2024).

HB 3898 (Godon-Booth) – IMA Opposed: Requires all Illinois employers regardless of size to offer paid leave to every employee – full and part time – up to 40 hours per year.

HB 3940 (Walsh/Belt) – IMA Opposed: Revokes an existing law that allows auto manufacturers and dealers to have uniform agreements and instead would force manufacturers to compensate dealers by a third party time-guide not intended to be used professionally for repair compensation.

HB 4093 (Harper/Villanueva) – IMA Opposed: Establishes wide-ranging environmental justice (EJ) regulations.  Loosely define “environmental justice” and provide that any new facilities established in EJ areas that are subjected to the Clean Air Act Permit Program (CAAPP) and/or will require a Federally Enforceable State Operating Permit (FESOP) will have additional regulations placed on them. Additionally, existing facilities that are CAAPP or FESOP sources would also be subjected to the new regulations should their emissions increase. Additional regulations involving local siting approval and the requirement to complete an environmental justice assessment would also apply to Illinois companies seeking a permit from the Illinois EPA.

HB 4356 (Gabel) – IMA Opposed: Creates a stewardship program for carpet that is to be funded completely on the backs of manufacturers.

HB 5412 (Evans/Castro) – IMA Opposed: Calls for wage-theft protections for contractors and subcontractors that have a negative impact on women and minority owned construction companies and provide no real protection of wage theft.

Illinois Manufacturers' Association State Senate Ratings

SB 72 (Marmon/Hoffman) – IMA Opposed: Adds prejudgment interest in certain personal injury lawsuits in the state.  The bill further lowers the prejudgment interest rate from 9 percent to 6 percent and provides the interest begins when the case begins.

SB 116 (Morrison/Morgan) – IMA Supported: Amends the Business Corporation Act of 1983 to allow a corporation to determine whether shareholder meetings should be held remotely or physically.

SB 294 (Castro/Didech) – IMA Supported: Creates the Wipes Labeling Act to provide that, subject to specified exceptions, certain covered products manufactured on or after July 1, 2022 must be labeled clearly and conspicuously with certain “Do Not Flush “labeling requirements. It further specifies the size, location, and the manner of display of certain “Do Not Flush” symbols and label notices that manufacturers of covered products.

SB 645 (Hastings/Hoffman) – IMA Opposed: Creates a minimum level of benefits for employees who fall under collective bargaining and the Employee Sick Leave Act.

SB 1099 (Collins/Tarver) – IMA Opposed: Allows third party lending for litigation without transparency and safeguards against extremely high interest rates.

SB 1693 (Bennett/Yednock) – IMA Supported: Creates the Illinois Industrial Biotechnology Partnership Act to establish the Industrial Biotechnology Public-Private Partnership as a State-sponsored board consisting of specified members to promote and market Illinois as a destination for research, development, and commercialization for industrial biotechnology.

SB 1915 (Morrison/Carroll) – IMA Opposed: Provides that when a state agency or institution of higher education contract is to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, an otherwise qualified bidder who will fulfill the contract through the use of compostable foodware or recyclable foodware may be given preference over other bidders unable to do so; provided that the bid is not more than 5% greater than the cost of products that are single-use plastic disposable foodware.

SB 2408 (Harmon/Evans) – IMA Opposed: Reregulates Illinois’ energy marketplace and represents the largest electric rate hike in Illinois history.  Requires 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and requires the Illinois Power Authority to procure 40 percent renewable energy by the year 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.  Provides all private coal and gas plants must cease operating by 2045 and reduce emissions by 45 percent by the year 2035. Municipal coal plants (CWLP and Prairie State Generating Campus) must reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2035.  Further provides nearly $700 million in subsidies over five years for certain nuclear plants in Illinois.

SB 2531 (Stoller/DeLuca) – IMA Supported: Allows pass-through entities, such as S-corporations and partnerships, to avoid the $10,000 cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction by permitting small business owners paying taxes through individual rates to opt-in and have the taxes run through the business itself.

SB 2803 (Harris/Holmes) – IMA Supported: Provides $2.7 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) dollars to help reduce the state’s $4.5 billion unemployment insurance debt.

SB 3073 (Johnson/Mayfield) – IMA Opposed: Provides that when CCR generating facilities close in the state, those facilities located within a certain distance of Lake Michigan must close by completely removing all CCR on site.

SB 3146 (Villanueva/Collins) – IMA Opposed: Amends the state’s One Day Rest In Seven Act to increase fines on employers who violate the Act.  The bill further provides that employees working in excess of 7.5 continuous hours shall be entitled to an additional 20 minute meal period for every additional 4.5 continuous hours worked.

SB 3917 (Glowiak-Hilton/Halpin) – IMA Supported: Provides tiered financial incentives to eligible semiconductor manufacturers and microchip manufacturers (chip manufactures) in an attempt to bring and/or grow the industry in Illinois.

SJRCA 11 (Villivalam/Evans) – IMA Opposed: Seeks to change Illinois’ Constitution to ban the state or units of local government from passing Right to Work laws.