Note:  This is the second in a three-part Policy Updates series on  Metropolitan Chicago’s Freight Cluster:  A Drill-Down Report on Infrastructure, Innovation, and Workforce: Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluster Part 1, Infrastructure Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluser Part 2, Innovation Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluster Part 3, Workforce ... Read More

On-line job boards – which connect job seekers to employers – now account for one in five of all new hires. While these boards connect job seekers to more open positions and give companies access to more qualified applicants, they have also emerged as a valuable research tool for information about the labor market. The July 2012 edition of the Illinois Innovation Index looks at the largest... Read More

Note:  This is the first in a three-part Policy Updates series on  Metropolitan Chicago’s Freight Cluster:  A Drill-Down Report on Infrastructure, Innovation, and Workforce: Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluster Part 1, Infrastructure Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluser Part 2, Innovation Metropolitan Chicago's Freight Cluster Part 3, Workforce Between... Read More

Advocates and U.S. congressional leaders have been working to reauthorize the federal Farm Bill for over a year. Many of its policies and programs support local farmers, preserve agricultural lands, and ensure access to healthy and fresh foods.  Following weeks of bipartisan efforts, the U.S. Senate in a 64 to 35 vote passed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (S. 3240) ,... Read More

On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into law Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP-21), a two-year transportation reauthorization bill.  In a previous Policy Update , CMAP reviewed the major programmatic and policy changes in MAP-21 compared to the last comprehensive transportation reauthorization bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation... Read More