Castro champions bipartisan economic tool to attract new jobs

• Economic Development
• EDGE

ELGIN- The 22nd Senate District now has a new bipartisan economic development program, thanks to a measure championed by Democratic Senator Cristina Castro of Elgin.

House Bill 162 reinstates the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program, allowing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to offer tax credits to businesses that invest in Illinois.

“This new bipartisan law will help energize our economy and create good-paying jobs for our residents,” Castro said. “I look forward to continuing my work to increase economic development opportunities and investments in our communities.”

EDGE tax credits are a competitive economic development program that helps Illinois attract and retain jobs. This incentive helps encourage business growth.

‘It’s important that we utilize every tool at our disposal to attract and retain good paying jobs for Illinois residents,” Castro said.  

House Bill 162 requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to repossess economic development funds if a business granted the tax credit does not fulfill their part of the contract.

That money would then be distributed to the local workforce investment area.

EDGE credit recipients are also required to submit an annual report to DCEO containing supplier diversity information to help promote diversity in state economic incentives and programs.  

The Illinois Manufacturer Association (IMA) supported passage of this key economic incentive.

“The IMA is pleased that legislators passed a short-term extension of the EDGE tax credit,” Mark Denzler, Vice President & COO of IMA said. “It's an important tool to help attract and retain jobs.”

House Bill 162 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support and was signed into law this week.

Castro: TRUST Act fosters safe communities

• TRUST ACT
• Public Safety

CHICAGO- State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) is excited to announce the TRUST Act was signed into law today.

“We should be fostering safe communities where a person’s fear of hostility, or having their families torn apart, does not get in the way of public safety, Castro said. “The TRUST Act gives us the tools to put Illinois on the right track, keep families together and build stronger communities."

Senate Bill 31, also known as the TRUST Act, limits local police interaction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, and rebuilds trust between police and immigrant communities.

“Police should focus keeping our neighborhoods safe, not enforcing immigration laws,” Castro said. “A person in the shadows often will not come forward to report crimes against themselves or others because they fear their immigration status may be exposed. When someone’s fear gets in the way of cooperation, our communities become less safe.”

The TRUST Act prohibits law enforcement agencies from engaging in immigration enforcement unless a warrant issued by a judge is presented, bans detaining a person based on their immigration status and forbids the use of any state or local resources to help create a federal registry based on race, national origin, religion or other protected classes.

Senate Bill 31 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support.  This new law goes into effect immediately.

Castro's bipartisan measure to encourage voter participation signed into law today

• civic
• automatic voter registration

ELGIN- To encourage voter participation in Illinois, Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) is excited to announce her bipartisan legislation was signed into law today.

“The right to vote is a foundation of our democratic process. This new bipartisan law will encourage more civic engagement and allow more voices to be heard in the legislative process."

The measure, Senate Bill 1933, passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support. The new law will go into effect immediately to allow automatic voter registration to be implemented by July 1, 2018.

Castro’s measure to encourage veteran, minority and female owned businesses to relocate to Illinois signed into law

• Economic Development
• EDGE
• Veterans
• Business

ELGIN- The Illinois General Assembly will soon have a new tool to help encourage female, veteran and minority businesses to relocate to Illinois, thanks to Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).

Castro’s measure, Senate Bill 1567, which requires each EDGE credit claimant to submit to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity an annual report containing supplier diversity information, was signed into law today.

“It’s important for legislators to form a complete picture before implementing policies to tackle business development and diversity,” Castro said. “This small step will give us a better look at our state’s strength and weaknesses in attracting veterans, minority and female business owners to encourage economic diversity.”

The EDGE program provides special tax incentives to encourage companies to locate or expand its operations in Illinois when there is active consideration of a competing location in another state.

“I’m here to represent the people of our communities,” Castro said.  “It’s my duty to ensure we take all necessary steps to grow our economy and create new jobs for local residents.  This new law will help accomplish that.”

The program allows companies to reduce the costs of doing business in Illinois when compared with similar costs in other states where operations could have been located.

Senate Bill 1567 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support. The new law goes into effect immediately.