Nurturing the region’s industry clusters is one of the main recommendations from the Human Capital chapter of GO TO 2040 .  The plan directs CMAP, with the support of its partners, to perform “drill-down” analyses into specific established industry clusters, including freight, advanced manufacturing, and biotech/biomed, to better understand them.  CMAP is focusing on freight as... Read More

Negotiators from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will meet on May 8, 2012, to reconcile their respective versions of a new surface transportation bill, H.R. 4348, which were recently approved by the two chambers.  The House passed H.R. 4348 on April 18, 2012, as a three-month extension of the current federal transportation program.  The Senate received H.R.... Read More

On April 24, 2012, the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance establishing the Chicago Infrastructure Trust by a vote of 41 in favor and 7 opposed.  The trust will operate as a nonprofit corporation, pooling private and institutional investment funds with grants and bond proceeds.  Using these resources, the trust will provide tailored financing packages to support public... Read More

On April 18, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a proposal to extend the current federal transportation authorization program through September 30, 2012, by a vote of 293 in favor and 127 opposed.  The bill, H.R. 4348 , would not include changes proposed earlier this year by the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (AEIJA), including an expansion of domestic energy... Read More

The State of Illinois uses several programs and incentives to attract, retain, and entice businesses to grow within the state.  Several of the State’s programs provide financial incentives for businesses to retrain employees or relocate business headquarters, and these programs typically apply to a business regardless of geographic location.  Illinois also uses geographic-based... Read More