COLLINSVILLE – To make sure that companies prioritize Illinois jobs and to prevent outsourcing, state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, sponsored and voted to pass House Bill 4081 to create tough new financial penalties on corporations that ship call centers and their jobs out of state or overseas.
“We need to make sure that our companies here in Illinois, especially those receiving taxpayer-funded tax credits and incentive packages, are hiring people in our community and not quietly shipping them overseas,” said Stuart. “Legislation supporting and rewarding companies that invest in Illinois and Illinois workers, while cracking down on the corporations that take advantage of state tax breaks only to move jobs out of state, are steps we can take to make sure that we are supporting the local economy and local workers.”
Stuart is also sponsoring House Bill 4574 and House Bill 4575, which requires the state to prioritize purchasing products manufactured in Illinois and the United States. Stuart also sponsored the Keep Illinois Business Act last year to require any company that ships jobs overseas to pay back the cost of any taxpayer-funded tax credit or incentive received by the state of Illinois.
“During a time when all families are struggling to make ends meet and the economy grows, we should make sure that we are fighting to keep jobs in the United States and in Illinois,” Stuart added. “I will continue to work for the families of Illinois and give transparency to corporations who try and take jobs away from our economy.”
House Bill 4081 passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate.
