Legislation seeking to curb the number of jobs being outsourced to other states is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. House Bill 1554, sponsored by State Senator Neil Anderson, would create the Quad Cities Outsourcing Prevention Task Force.
“The goal of this task force is to use the Quad City area as a case study for the rest of the state,” said Sen. Anderson. “As a border community, with the Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf right across the river in Iowa, our area is a prime location to study why businesses are moving across the border and out of Illinois. It’s my hope that this task force can identify the problems and recommend solutions that can then be applied to the rest of the state in an effort to keep jobs in Illinois for Illinois residents.”
If signed into law by the Governor, the Quad Cities Outsourcing Prevention Task Force will consist of 11 members—8 lawmakers (2 from each caucus), one member appointed by the Department of Commerce Economic Opportunity, one Rock Island County union worker, and one member who represents the business community in the Quad Cities.
The Task Force would be required to submit a report to the General Assembly by January 1, 2020, outlining recommendations on how to keep employers in Illinois and identifying best practices to prevent outsourcing of Illinois jobs.
HB 1554 passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday, May 21.