Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
State Government: Agencies/Departments/Divisions | Commerce & Economic Development
Recent News About Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity View More
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Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation to Fight Food Insecurity and Increase Availability of Healthy Options
Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation to Fight Food Insecurity and Increase Availability of Healthy Options. -
Gov. Pritzker Announces Six Appointments to Illinois Authorities, Boards, Commissions and Tribunals
Gov. Pritzker Announces Six Appointments to Illinois Authorities, Boards, Commissions and Tribunals. -
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER: Gov. Pritzker Takes Bill Action
Governor JB Pritzker took the following bill action. -
IL Inspector General's effort to block access to state hiring reports show IL not ready to lift feds oversight: Court filing
While Gov. JB Pritzker says the state is ready to emerge from federal court oversight of its hiring practices, a new court filing asserts efforts by the Office of the Executive Inspector General to impede court-appointed monitors from seeing certain state hiring reports says otherwise. -
Local chambers of commerce implore Pritzker to reconsider indoor dining ban in Metro East
The presidents of chambers of commerce in Madison and St. Clair counties are urging Gov. JB Pritzker to reconsider his latest COVID-19 edict for "Region 4" - restricting indoor dining in the Metro East. -
Nearly 1.5M Illinois workers risk layoffs or reduced hours from COVID-19 economic fallout
A quarter of Illinois’ workers are staring down the economic impacts of a global pandemic. -
Illinois gas tax hike comes packed with pork
Illinoisans deserve a pothole-free future. But are they getting a bang for their gas tax buck? Or is Pritzker’s $45 billion “Rebuild Illinois” program just another vehicle to deliver special favors? A deep dive into the capital plan points toward the latter, showing at least $1.25 billion in pork-barrel projects. -
Doubling Illinois' gas tax, other tax hikes will go to fund more than $1.4 billion of waste and pork
Lawmakers sold 21 new taxes and fees as necessary to rebuild crumbling roads and bridges and balance the budget. Instead, taxpayers will be funding dog parks, swimming pools, snowmobile paths, a vacant theater and pickleball courts. -
Two local lawmakers want to create new government agency for development
Metro East Development Authority could borrow money, issue bonds for 'more just economic and social environment' -
As nation celebrates small businesses, Illinois politicians take them for granted
A history of tax hikes to prop up unsustainable spending makes Illinois a frosty climate for small businesses. -
One of Illinois' top tax credit recipients to shutter 1,000-employee HQ
Illinois issued more than $60 million in EDGE tax credits to Takeda Pharmaceuticals from 2003 to 2013, more than any other company received over that time. -
New laws set to take effect Jan. 1 include ban on part-time participation in IMRF
More than 200 new laws will take effect in Illinois on Jan. 1, including one that restricts part-time office holders, whether elected or appointed, from participating in or receiving benefits from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). -
Illinois workforce shrinks by 33,600 in July
Illinois’ preliminary jobs report shows the unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent in July due to large numbers of residents dropping out of the labor force for the third consecutive month. -
ITLA: Corporate frontgroup presses to deprive the disabled, disfigured and deceased of the chance for justice
Illinois has its share of problems, as all states do, but so-called “lawsuit abuse” is not one of them. -
Critic calls CUB an appendage of power structure; State lawmaker says it's the job of legislators to protect citizens
While the Citizens Utility Board may be prohibited by law from backing candidates for public office, there's no law barring CUB leaders from backing politicians. -
State grants to CUB under Quinn are examples of 'mis-prioritization' of spending, lawmaker says
A tax exempt organization that lobbies and litigates against utility companies was awarded $1.5 million in state grants that was used to pay the salaries of existing staff members as well as rent and utilities. Citizens Utility Board received the economic development grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity through a budget controlled by former Gov. Pat Quinn. -
Cruel summer: Mass layoffs hit 2,100 Illinois workers in August
Story CopyIllinois employers announced mass layoffs affecting 2,112 workers in August, according to a monthly report from the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or DCEO. -
CUB critics say the utility rate watchdog is more focused on politics than advocating for consumers
CHICAGO - While the Illinois Citizens Utility Board caught some development and policy experts off guard with its support of the potentially pricey Clean Jobs Bill earlier this year, Dan Proft of the Illinois Opportunity Project contends that he wasn’t surprised. “Sometimes they’ll tilt at windmills, figuratively and literally, if it means sticking it to ComEd,” he said. -
Illinois fails to measure nonprofit spending, policy expert says
While the Illinois state government gives billions of dollars to nonprofit organizations over the course of an ordinary budget year, there is little oversight of how the organizations spend those dollars, says Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute. “They give that money with the best intentions, hoping it will help carry out some of the priorities they have deemed to be important,” Rasmussen said. -
Illinois CUB fails to provide accurate info on Clean Jobs Bill, economic development consultant says
SPRINGFIELD - In recent months, the Illinois Citizens Utility Board (CUB) surprised economic development and policy experts like Mark Glennon by staunchly supporting the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill. Illinois Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) introduced the bill in February, with the intent to increase energy efficiency and use of renewable resources, reduce carbon pollution and create jobs. The Clean Jobs Bill has stalled for now, but proponents have signaled it