Session is back! (Kind of)  

Like Jordan in the late 1995, session is coming back and similar to Jordan wearing the number 45, this session week is going to be weird. Both the House and the Senate are going to meet Wednesday-Friday.  The Senate will meet in the capitol, but the House will meet at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center.  All elected officials will agree to additional screening procedures and will be largely separated from the public.  Lobbyist activity will be greatly restricted.  

• The COVID-19 pandemic or other disasters; 
• The state budget and its implementation; 
• Economic recovery, infrastructure projects, and funding thereof; 
• The explanation, arguments for and against the Progressive Income Tax; 

• Laws or authority scheduled to sunset prior to June 1, 2021; 
• The 2020 General Election and the State Board of Elections; and 
• The hospital assessment program    

The following legislation was filed, or action was taken in the last two weeks. As always, your input on these measures is very much appreciated:   

 

HB 5770 (Ford) - Amends the Broadband Advisory Council Act. Directs the Council to develop a plan to provide access to broadband services at no cost to all residents of this State. Provides that the Office of Broadband within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall support and assist the Council in the development of the plan. Requires that priority be given to zip codes identified as having high levels of poverty and areas lacking the infrastructure necessary to meet requirements for high-speed access to the Internet. Requires the Council to identify existing and new streams of State revenue necessary to implement the plan. Provides that the Council shall report the plan and recommendations for legislation necessary to implement the plan to the General Assembly by March 31, 2021. Effective immediately.  

 

HB 5769 (Thapedi) - Creates the Personal Protective Equipment Responsibility Act. Requires an employer designated as an essential employer under a disaster proclamation issued pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Act or an executive order issued pursuant to the disaster proclamation to provide personal protective equipment to independent contractors and to all employees during the duration of the disaster proclamation or executive order. Defines terms. Authorizes the recovery of damages, including punitive damages, and attorney's fees. Effective immediately. The Chamber opposes this legislation and is working with the sponsor to develop something more workable.  

 

United States Senate Commerce Committee Holds Rural Broadband Hearing 

On Wednesday morning, the US Senate Commerce Committee held hearings on the expansion of rural broadband.  One estimate shows that average broadband usage as increased 47% since the various state shutdowns.  Broadband is becoming, really already is, a necessity of modern life.  The FCC plans to disburse $20 billion for rural broadband; $16 billion of that is scheduled to be dispersed this October.    The Chamber wishes to thank the Senate for taking up this important business development issue, including Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.  

 

We should also note that Illinois is slightly ahead of the curve on this issue.  Our recently passed capital bill included over $50 million for broadband expansion.  

 

Expect Work from Home to Accelerate after COVID-19 

This pandemic has proven that many employees can work from home without missing a beat. In fact, Twitter just announced they are making work from home a permanent option for some employees.  This is a nice perk for employees and should serve as a great recruitment tool for the company.  The news is a sign of things to come, especially for the tech industry which largely employs white collar workers who can work remotely. ( https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/350582?utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2Bentrepreneur%2Flatest%2B%28Entrepreneur%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner)   

 

To underscore why workers would want to work remotely (besides the lack of a commute), lets take a typical software engineer for a Silicon Valley tech company with the option for two homes.  We will call her Amy.    

 

Option one: 842 Marshall Drive in Palo Alto. Driveable to her office and listed for $2,600,000. Its also smaller than my fraternity house bedroom  (seriously).  Hopefully, Amy doesn't have children or they will be sharing a bedroom.  At least the weather is nice...   https://www.zillow.com/homes/842-Marshall-Dr-Palo-Alto,-CA,-94303_rb/19499747_zpid/?  

 

Option two: Amy decides to work remotely. She finds a house in Edwardsville, Illinois. Its located 10 miles from St. Louis and features a top ten school district in the state.  It's also 7x(!) bigger than the house in Palo Alto and less than half the price at $1.1 million. With the money leftover, Amy can pay for her children's college, or hire household staff.    https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3025-Sunset-Hills-Blvd-S-Edwardsville-IL-62025/72601954_zpid/  

 

I'm not sure what our fictional Amy would decide, but I think the choice is easy. Many companies will follow Twitter's lead on this one - recruitment for talent is a contact sport.  

 

Administrative Rules Update 

The DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE proposed an amendment to Use Tax (86 IAC 150; 44 Ill Reg 7855) implementing provisions of Public Acts 101-9 and 101-604 concerning the collection of the 6.25% Illinois use tax by marketplace facilitators. A companion emergency rule was effective 12/23/19 for 150 days. Effective 1/1/20, marketplace facilitators must collect and remit use tax on their sales to Illinois customers if, within any 12-month period, they conduct at least 200 transactions with Illinois customers or collect at least $100,000 in gross receipts from Illinois customers.

 

Upcoming Illinois Chamber of Commerce Webinars