Illinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Maisch tried to strike a positive tone on Illinois’ future Tuesday at the City Club of Chicago and laid out a four-point policy plan to boost the state’s economic outlook in 2018.

Maisch acknowledged the well-known problems facing the state – unfunded pension liabilities, increasingly high cost-of-living and political gridlock in Springfield – but told audience members those issues obscured the state’s assets. Illinois, Maisch said, has the largest economy in the Midwest, a powerful agricultural sector and a slew of prestigious higher education and research institutions.

“We all know that Illinois has problems, but today I decided not to dwell on them,” Maisch said. “We are going to spend a little time thinking about what’s right in Illinois. We do have a good future if Illinois can just get out of its way.”

To add to the state’s advantages, Maisch prescribed several reforms to criminal justice, immigration and business regulation policies at the federal and state level. 

First Maisch urged U.S. Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois to offer President Donald Trump funding for border security and a southern wall in exchange for granting protections to recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“That is a deal that should be done and should be done quickly,” Maisch said. 

Second, Maisch said it was critical state lawmakers not let a tax on hospitals that helps to fund the state’s Medicaid program lapse. Crain’s explained, “Each year, medical centers give a fixed amount of money to the state based on a formula that accounts for how many beds were full in 2005 and how much outpatient revenue was grossed in 2009. Illinois then sends it off to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a match to generate a total of $3.5 billion for the state. Most of the money flows back to hospitals, but some goes to other services, including long-term care.” That system is set to expire in July 2018.

Lawmakers are still debating a new formula, but Maisch said it would be a ‘travesty” if the program lapsed.

Third, Maisch argued against a proposed tax on financial transactions, which he said would kill jobs on Chicago’s LaSalle Street. 

“There has been a strong bipartisan coalition against that happening,” Maisch said, referring to the tax. “That needs to stay together.”

Finally Maisch called for new legislation in Springfield that would offer liability protection to employers who hire former inmates. Stressing that economic opportunities are key to avoiding recidivism, Maisch said boosting protection for businesses would help former inmates reintegrate into Illinois economy. 

“Employers need reasonable liability protection. Then you’d really see a dent in this problem. If you don’t have a job, you can’t get back into a productive life.”
Maisch said it should be possible to implement those four policy reforms in 2018. He added they would help eliminate some of the uncertainty and instability caused by disagreements in Springfield and reassure businesses looking to invest and re-locate to Illinois.

“We’ve got a ‘rah-rah’ story to tell,” Maisch said. “The political death match in Springfield has sucked so much oxygen out of the air that the opportunity to kinda do a ‘rah-rah’ and educate people on how good Illinois is has just kinda been lost.”