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AMENDMENT TO SENATE RESOLUTION 1753

2    AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend Senate Resolution 1753 by
3replacing everything after the heading with the following:
 
4    "WHEREAS, Good jobs are the foundation of a strong economy
5and a thriving society where the American Dream is within
6reach, the dignity of work is honored, families are nurtured,
7and communities can flourish; and
 
8    WHEREAS, For many decades, the Nabisco plant (now owned by
9Mondelez International) on Chicago's Southwest Side has
10provided hundreds of jobs that have sustained working-class
11families and helped them to buy homes, educate their children,
12and give back to their communities, all while contributing to
13the success of its products and shareholders; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1993, in recognition of the plant's importance
15to the Illinois economy, its then-owner, Nabisco Biscuit

 

 

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1Company, was awarded State and city tax credits in excess of
2$90 million as an incentive to stay in Chicago; as recently as
32013, Mondelez received a State EDGE tax credit conditional on
4the creation of 25 new jobs at its Naperville facility; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Mondelez did not meet the job creation criteria in
6Naperville and was unable to utilize its EDGE tax credit;
7meanwhile, the company prepared to eliminate 600 jobs - half of
8the workforce - at the Southwest Side Oreo plant and relocate
9much of its production to Mexico; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Other EDGE beneficiaries were able to create or
11retain jobs at one Illinois location while moving many more
12positions out of the State from another location, thus avoiding
13their job creation and retention obligations and seriously
14undermining the core purpose of using public funds for economic
15development incentives; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Under Governor Bruce Rauner, the Department of
17Commerce and Economic Development has adopted a new policy
18whereby multiple facilities operated by EDGE recipients will no
19longer be considered separate entities, so corporations
20receiving tax credits cannot play a shell game with layoffs at
21taxpayer expense; therefore, be it
 
22    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL

 

 

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1ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the Rauner
2administration for closing the EDGE credit loophole and urge
3the Governor and the Department of Commerce and Economic
4Development to continue working with the General Assembly to
5tighten accountability in all corporate incentive programs,
6ensuring taxpayers dollars are used to create good-paying jobs
7that sustain families and communities for the long term; and be
8it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we urge Mondelez International to
10reconsider its decision to move production lines out of Chicago
11and out of the United States, and instead to work fairly and in
12good faith with its loyal employees, the unions that represent
13those employees, and the State of Illinois in order to keep
14Oreos American-made and continue to invest in its human capital
15in a city that has supported the success of its products for
16many decades; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18delivered to Governor Rauner, DCEO Acting Director Sean
19McCarthy, and Mondelez International Chief Executive Officer
20Irene Rosenfeld.".