March 25, 2018
Good morning and happy Sunday, Illinois Chamber Tech Council members!
The Illinois legislature is off on spring recess and will not return to town until the week of April 9th.
The biggest news coming out of the political world was Tuesday's primary election. Out of the eleven candidates endorsed by the Chamber's political action committee, nine won their primary. Without going into too much detail, I have provided a
scorecard showcasing our results and another
document highlighting the spreads.
The Tuesday primary also provided the gubernatorial match up for the November general election. Democrat
JB Pritzker
is set to take on
Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner for the keys to the governor's mansion (which will be newly renovated by May 2018). Pritzker, who is managing partner and co-founder of the Pritzker Group. He is also known among the tech community for his involvement in establishing the tech incubator 1871.
It is hard to ignore the fact that the guy has been a champion for the tech community in Chicago since the dot-com boom. I would add though, when the debate last year raged on over the so-called "geolocation bill," Rich Miller of CapitolFax asked the then field of Democrat candidates: "As governor, would you sign this bill into law?" Pritzker's answer at the time was that he would sign it. This bill would have made Illinois an outlier in the nation by requiring Illinoisans to navigate through a series of complex and confusing prompts written by a special interest group before you can use your favorite app-rather than the useful short-form disclosures you currently see today. The bill also put businesses of all sizes at risk of frivolous lawsuits by unfairly voiding terms of service agreements for simply forgetting to include a minor piece of information in a service contract. It was a long, fought battle that was opposed by the Illinois Chamber and several other trade associations in town. The bill eventually passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Rauner.
Which leads me to the Republican nominee, Governor Bruce Rauner. While he doesn't have 1871 on his resume, he learned to bet on tech in his previous career as the head of a private-equity fund and as an angel investor. As mentioned above, he vetoed the geolocation bill last year, which gives him a record of standing with the industry.
At the state government level he has also pushed to upgrade the state's outdated computer systems. Governor Rauner issued Executive Order 01-16 establishing the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT), a new state agency with responsibility for the information technology functions of agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor. Gov. Rauner has also been very keen on the University of Illinois' planned Discovery Partners Institute.
Not necessarily advocating for either, but understanding that the office has major implications to sway public policy. I think we could all agree, for the technology industry, it could be much worse.
There is also another race that has major implications for tech. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is not seeking reelection. On Tuesday, Democrat candidate and current state Senator Kwame Raoul defeated a crowded field of candidates to be crowned the Democrat nominee for the state's top lawyer. As you may recall, Sen. Raoul presided after then-state Senator Barack Obama left the Illinois legislature to run for U.S. Senate.
On the Republican ticket, a
ttorney and former Miss America
Erika Harold soundly defeated her opponent Gary Grasso to be crowned the GOP nominee for attorney general.
This office has huge implications on issues of privacy and data breaches. Keep an eye on this race as it has major implications for the tech community.
AMAZON VISITS CHICAGO
Amazon was in Chicago this week to scope out the city in its search for its second headquarters, otherwise known as "HQ2." There are strict confidentiality agreements between Amazon and the 20 finalist cities - so little is known about their trip. Crain's Chicago did run an article (see below in links) about who they met with and a few details of what they did.
Speaking of HQ2, William Shatner narrated a video that showcases Chicago as the ideal destination for the e-commerce's new headquarters. If you haven't checked it out, you can view it
here.
APPLE PLANS ANNOUNCEMENT AT LANE TECH HS
Apple is also coming to Chicago this week. Their visit to the Windy City will come on the heels of Amazon's visit. Apple is rumored to be preparing to introduce new low-cost iPads and education software
at Lane Tech Prep in Roscoe Village neighborhood on the north side of the city. Apple and Amazon's visit continue to demonstrate that the technology industry see's Chicago and Illinois as a major market for investment.
CHAMBER TEAMS UP WITH INDIA CONSULATE
The Consulate General of India, Chicago in collaboration with Illinois Chamber's International Business Council and Grant Thornton presents "Make in India." Make in India is a signature event that aims to showcase the potential of design, innovation and sustainability across India's focus sectors through a series of highly visible outreach initiatives designed to forge global engagement and industry partnerships. The event takes place on Wednesday, March 28th from 5:00PM - 8:00PM at the Chicago Grant Thornton offices on 171 N. Clark St. To register for the program, please RSVP to
Laura Ortega. The flyer with agenda can be found
here.
