Rep.Bost supports 'Pro Growth' jobs package

Illinois State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) recently announced his support for a pro-growth jobs package introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives. Rep. Bost announced his support in a press conference at the Illinois Capitol on Tuesday along with colleagues and members of the business community.

The pro-growth jobs package is aimed at making Illinois job creators more competitive with Illinois' border states. The package includes reducing start-up costs for small businesses, eliminating job-killing policies, speeding up the approval of state permits and licenses, rolling back taxes, making research and development tax credits permanent, implementing workers' compensation reform, and restoring fairness to Illinois' court system.

"Southern Illinois needs jobs, this pro-growth jobs package will provide jobs and opportunity to our state," said Rep. Bost. "Many politicians like to point to a problem without offering a plan to correct the issue. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in support of this plan for jobs and economic growth."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as of December 2012 Illinois has the seventh highest unemployment rate in the nation.

The House Republican pro-growth jobs package includes the following:

• Reduce the cost of starting a small business by reducing the cost of setting up an LLC by 50%. (HB 2230)

• Eliminate job-killing administrative policies by creating a panel that would bundle together old, obsolete rules and submit them to the General Assembly for abolition by up-or-down vote. ( HB 2892)

• Speed up the approval of permits and licenses for professionals or job creating enterprise to be answered within 60 days. (At LRB)

• Make Research and Development (R&D) tax credits permanent; add biodiesel and ethanol research as qualified R&D activities. (HB 2891)

• Enact stronger workers' compensation reform which establishes a standard (making the workplace primary cause) for determining whether or not an injury occurred at the workplace, making the system more fair for the injured employee and employer. (HB 107)

• Restore fairness to Illinois courts by keeping out of state lawsuits with no connection to Illinois employers from being filed (HB 138), including curbing the practice of double-dipping (plaintiffs being compensated multiple times from the same defendant, for the same claim/lawsuit, HB 153).

• Rollback taxes, rolling back the corporate income tax will promote economic growth. (HB 2890)