From a campaign press release:
"The future of our state depends upon our ability to transform our economy," Ryan said.
In numerous state rankings, Illinois is nearly at the bottom of all states in economic growth and job creation.
These failed policies have devastating effects on Illinois families.
As the Illinois Policy Institute observed in a 2008 study, “Slow growth means less job creation, fewer jobs overall, higher unemployment and lessened personal and business prosperity. Slow growth also means less funding for worthy nonprofit charitable activities and less funding for business reinvestment.”
In order to reverse the trend, Ryan’s plan includes the following main points:Creation of a Council of Economic Advisors. Jim Ryan will convene a Council of Economic Advisors, consisting of economists, university researchers, economic forecasters, business leaders, and labor leaders to make policy recommendations that will make our state more productive and competitive.
Wield a pro-competitive veto pen. Jim Ryan will veto any bill that makes Illinois less competitive and sign any bill that makes us more competitive. The days of bashing businesses to score political points are over. Illinois needs a leader who will focus on what is important—developing the conditions that encourage entrepreneurs to invest in our state.
Reshape the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Jim Ryan will rebuild DCEO from the ground up. This Illinois Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership, will take the lead on offering businesses the information and incentives they need to invest in Illinois. Ryan will reach out to business leaders to serve on this corporation’s board of directors.
Creation of a new Illinois Venture Capital Investment Tax Credit. As governor, Jim Ryan will let the market— not government bureaucrats—determine which technologies have the best chance of succeeding. To that end, Ryan will call on the legislature to pass an Illinois Venture Capital Investment Tax Credit designed to reward investors who support early-stage Illinois business ventures, particularly ventures related to advanced technologies. The credit would be equal to the lesser of a) the amount of capital (in a calendar year) multiplied by 20 percent or b) $500,000. The Illinois Economic Development Corporation will certify eligible investments.
Creation of an Illinois Shovel Ready Program to cut red tape. The Shovel-Ready Program is designed to lower site development costs and expedite the permitting process by providing investors with all relevant information before beginning site development. Under this program, the Illinois Economic Development Corporation will work in collaboration with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation, other relevant state agencies, and local leaders to help prospective site developers understand the steps necessary to begin development on a specific project. The Shovel Ready program will help projects move from the planning stage to the implementation stage faster than ever before.
Reduce costs for employers. Jim Ryan is committed to reforming workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance in Illinois. Our current rate structure and eligibility guidelines send a strong signal to employers that Illinois does not want them to set up shop within our borders. Ryan will submit a comprehensive reform package to the legislature outlining the changes necessary to place Illinois back on a path toward growth.
Repeal of Blagojevich-era fee increases. Jim Ryan will call on the legislature to repeal the steep fee increases on businesses that were passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and signed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2003. These fees impacted businesses large and small, including manufacturers, banks, credit unions, trucking firms, and used car dealers. One of the most egregious fee increases involved raising the fee for a used car dealer’s business license from $50 to an unreasonable $1,000 (see p. 353 of Public Act 93-0032). Fee increases are simply hidden taxes, and they are nearly always passed on to customers.
Renewable energy production. Jim Ryan will continue the progress that Illinois has made in alternative energy production in recent years. “Green collar” jobs will be an integral part of Illinois’ economy into the future. To that end, Ryan will support education programs that provide workers with the skills necessary to install and maintain wind turbines, solar energy systems, and commercial, industrial, and residential energy efficiency systems. Ryan will ensure that community colleges are well-equipped to train traditional and adult students in these technologies. Ryan wants to see Illinois improve its business climate so that citizens trained in these fields have opportunities to put their skills to work.
A stronger agricultural focus. Jim Ryan believes that a strong state university system is directly linked with a strong agricultural climate. He will ensure that the University of Illinois’ College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences has the resources that it needs to continue its leading-edge research on agricultural improvement and alternative energy. To ensure that agriculture continues to be well-represented in Illinois’ university system, Ryan supports the Illinois Farm Bureau’s position to require that at least one member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees have an agricultural background.
An emphasis on biofuels. Jim Ryan supports developing Illinois’ energy resources. Illinois has more BTUs worth of coal underneath its surface than BTUs in all the oil in Saudi Arabia. Coal is found under two-thirds of the land mass of Illinois. He supports state capital construction grants (as well as continued, major federal support) for the “FutureGen” coal plant in the Mattoon area. This facility will capture and send carbon dioxide emissions underground where they cannot harm the atmosphere. In addition, Ryan is committed to broadly deploying existing biofuels technology (including ethanol and soy biodiesel) as well as continuing research on potential new sources of biomass energy (such as miscanthus grass for ethanol and pennycress for biodiesel). Pennycress is a high oil weed that can be grown in the fall-winter-spring cycle so that a summer crop of soybeans can also be grown. This plant, rich in oil, has the potential to transform both Illinois agriculture and the renewable fuels industry. Ryan supports research grants to innovative bio-fuel developments such as the pennycress production facility near Peoria.
Click here to visit the official Jim Ryan site. You'll find Ryan's Facebook group here, and you can follow his Tweets here.
Related post:
Marathon Pundit endorses Jim Ryan for Illinois governor
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