Rauner's Plans Get Mixed Review By Business Leaders, Pushback From Others
From the Chicago Tribune
The pro-business positions that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner outlined Wednesday in his first State of the State message may be eclipsed only by the size of the political mountain he must scale to move them from rhetoric to reality.
The rookie chief executive and venture capitalist put his official stamp on proposals to let communities vote on right-to-work zones where jobs are scarce, scale back workers' compensation, rein in lawsuit damage awards and lower unemployment insurance rates.
Rauner also offered his own proposal to boost the state's minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 by bumping it up a quarter annually for seven straight years. That pace is slower and ends at a lower level than two other measures: the Chicago ordinance approved last year that will raise the city minimum to $13 by mid-2019 and a bill that advanced in the Democratic-led Senate on Wednesday to raise the minimum wage to $11 over four years.
Republican legislative leaders hailed Rauner for rolling out an agenda that would steer Illinois away from the pro-labor policies that have been in vogue in Springfield. But they also nodded to the idea that sweeping change will be difficult to accomplish with the House and Senate in Democratic hands.
"There's a lot of hope and optimism," said Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont. "Obviously, we're all going to be tested significantly in the coming few months."
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, did not summarily dismiss the Rauner proposals.
"I wouldn't characterize anything as a non-starter," he said. "I agree with the governor that the state of Illinois needs a lot of work, a lot of attention."
Madigan also noted that as a successful businessman, Rauner has "learned about compromise."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Tribune
The pro-business positions that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner outlined Wednesday in his first State of the State message may be eclipsed only by the size of the political mountain he must scale to move them from rhetoric to reality.
The rookie chief executive and venture capitalist put his official stamp on proposals to let communities vote on right-to-work zones where jobs are scarce, scale back workers' compensation, rein in lawsuit damage awards and lower unemployment insurance rates.
Rauner also offered his own proposal to boost the state's minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 by bumping it up a quarter annually for seven straight years. That pace is slower and ends at a lower level than two other measures: the Chicago ordinance approved last year that will raise the city minimum to $13 by mid-2019 and a bill that advanced in the Democratic-led Senate on Wednesday to raise the minimum wage to $11 over four years.
Republican legislative leaders hailed Rauner for rolling out an agenda that would steer Illinois away from the pro-labor policies that have been in vogue in Springfield. But they also nodded to the idea that sweeping change will be difficult to accomplish with the House and Senate in Democratic hands.
"There's a lot of hope and optimism," said Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont. "Obviously, we're all going to be tested significantly in the coming few months."
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, did not summarily dismiss the Rauner proposals.
"I wouldn't characterize anything as a non-starter," he said. "I agree with the governor that the state of Illinois needs a lot of work, a lot of attention."
Madigan also noted that as a successful businessman, Rauner has "learned about compromise."
Read more in our daily News Update...