Policy Issues

The Chamber effectively represents Illinois employers on employment law issues such as workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, employment discrimination, workplace mandates, and other management/employee issues. We advocate for public policy actions that advance the interests and viewpoints of employers, and assist in creating a legislative climate conducive to improving Illinois’ ability to create and retain jobs.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Jordan Ryan.

The Chamber encourages the development and availability of all forms of energy and conservation measures. We do this in an environmentally responsible and cost-competitive way. Energy permeates every aspect of our lives and business community, from manufacturing to healthcare to technology to transportation. Our state needs policies that lead to expanded energy production in Illinois and allow for the development of energy resources and infrastructure to meet rapidly increasing demand. These policies will help keep energy costs competitive and attract business to Illinois.

The Chamber has a diverse membership. We are made up of companies that generate, transport, and supply energy. These members are in every kind of energy field: wind, coal, solar, natural gas, biofuels, efficiency, crude oil, and more. Together, we educate our leaders on the energy choices that lie ahead and advocate for solutions that will help Illinois’ energy industry grow. The more access we have to affordable energy, the more opportunities we have to grow our economy.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Ramiro Hernandez

The Chamber encourages the development and availability of all forms of energy and conservation measures. We do this in an environmentally responsible and cost-competitive way. Energy permeates every aspect of our lives and business community, from manufacturing to healthcare to technology to transportation. Our state needs policies that lead to expanded energy production in Illinois and allow for the development of energy resources and infrastructure to meet rapidly increasing demand. These policies will help keep energy costs competitive and attract business to Illinois.

The Chamber has a diverse membership. We are made up of companies that generate, transport, and supply energy. These members are in every kind of energy field: wind, coal, solar, natural gas, biofuels, efficiency, crude oil, and more. Together, we educate our leaders on the energy choices that lie ahead and advocate for solutions that will help Illinois’ energy industry grow. The more access we have to affordable energy, the more opportunities we have to grow our economy.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Ramiro Hernandez

The Chamber focuses on increasing infrastructure investments strategically to boost the overall business climate in Illinois. Our focus is on the public and private systems that are essential to Illinois businesses. This includes all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, railways (freight and public transit), commercial navigation, and airports. We also engage in policies impacting unseen infrastructure, including water supply and treatment, utilities, pipelines, and communications networks. The Chamber also monitors and opposes harmful legislation that impedes business operations in the industry.

Chamber engagement on infrastructure has included the 2016 “Lockbox” constitutional amendment, the 2019 Rebuild Illinois Capital Program, 2025 mass transit reform, and much more.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Andrew Cunningham.

The Chamber promotes the interests of the Illinois technology community by advocating for public policy that fosters innovation and promotes economic growth. We seek to promote workforce development policies, advocate for world-class technology infrastructure, avoid overregulation in the industry, and support innovators’ access to the capital they need to grow.

We encourage lawmakers to support policies that strengthen the innovation economy while exercising caution on measures that may unintentionally slow the adoption of artificial intelligence, automation, and data-driven tools that modern businesses, especially small businesses, increasingly rely upon.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Andrew Cunningham.

The Chamber proactively promotes the interests of the Illinois business community by advocating pro-business tax policies at the federal, state, and local levels that will enable Illinois businesses to grow and prosper.

As we do this, we provide timely and reliable tax information and services to Chamber members and provide a forum for our members to regularly share their tax knowledge or concerns. We also form alliances with other business associations to support pro-business tax initiatives.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Ramiro Hernandez

Illinois businesses know that the path to economic growth is tapping into international markets and establishing new external relationships. The Illinois Chamber’s International Business Council (IBC) is central to helping meet these objectives.

The IBC focuses on building strategic partnerships to maximize the resources of the Illinois Chamber’s members to expand in foreign markets and foster trade and investment in Illinois. The Council’s outreach includes a high-quality global network of diplomatic missions, foreign government agencies, and business organizations. It also works with our local, state, and federal government on trade policies that best serve Illinois, concentrating on issues of competition, market access, export facilitation, Foreign Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Foreign Direct Investment.

To learn more about our efforts, please contact Laura Ortega.

In addition to each of the issues above, the Chamber regularly and proactively engages on a host of additional public policy challenges. These additional issues include: education and workforce, housing, legal reform, and more.