BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE,

EQUITABLE ECONOMY
IN ILLINOIS
 CONTENTS

Our Values 4

Our Vision 5

CONSTRUCTING A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ILLINOIS’ ECONOMIC GROWTH 6

The Illinois State Grants Office 6
Strategic Planning for Illinois 7

AN INNOVATION PIPELINE FOR ILLINOIS 8

University-Led Economic Development 8
Revitalizing Our Community Colleges 9
Organize Non-tenure Track Faculty 10
Courses to Careers 10
Students to Stewards 11
New Collar Jobs for Illinois’ Future 12
Boost Business Incubators 12

BUSINESS ACCESS AND EQUITY 13

Pathways to Participation 13
Employment and Criminal Justice 15
Micro-Loans to Minority and Women Entrepreneurs 16

PROTECTING OUR WORKFORCE 16

Protecting Workers from Employee Misclassification 16

HOLDING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE 17

Pension Funds Focused on Illinois 17
Create an Illinois Index Fund 18

REBUILDING ILLINOIS: JOB CREATION THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS 19

A Capitol Bill for Illinois 19
Broadband Investments to Close the Opportunity Gap 20
A Commitment to Agriculture 20
Welcome to Illinois: Investing in Tourism 21
Returning to Our Roots: Revitalizing Illinois as a Transportation Hub 22
Protecting and Providing a Fresh Water Future for the Next Generation 23

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 OUR VALUES
Many of us have been taught that America is the land of opportunity,
where if you work hard you will succeed. The American Dream is a
promise of economic mobility, that no matter where you start, you
can access the resources you need, resources like education and job
opportunities. This mobility is the essence of the freedom we associate
with being Americans. The ideal of the American Dream is freedom, and
this freedom is realized through economic justice.

The notion of freedom has been critical to the Kennedy family’s political
philosophy for more than a century, from championing civil rights to
casting off colonialism throughout the world.

Freedom and economic justice have never been distributed equally, and
in Illinois it is only getting worse.

This attack on the American Dream has been going on for decades,
and under Governor Rauner we have reached a breaking point. It does
not have to be this way. That is why Ra Joy and I are putting forward
our plan to rebuild Illinois’ economy and restore the promise of the
American Dream to everyone in our state.

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OUR VISION
OUR ECONOMIC
PLAN WILL PROTECT
A comprehensive economic strategy for Illinois must be
WORKERS,
bold, inclusive and equitable. Illinois must move away
from a status quo that has left our economy stagnant and INCREASE
the middle class with fewer and fewer options because OPPORTUNITY, AND
a small group of insiders and billionaire families have RESTORE EQUITY TO
combined to support candidates who in turn, as elected OUR STATE.
officials, give them government contracts, lower taxes, or
looser regulation.

Bold new ideas can inject optimism, confidence and

enthusiasm for Illinois’ economic future. The State’s
economic plan will remove barriers to participation in the
economy and create access and opportunity for all Illinois
citizens. An equitable growth strategy includes three
major prongs: A robust workforce plan that guarantees
Illinois has the highest quality workforce in the country,
a business environment that is welcoming to businesses
and operations, and a commitment to innovation.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will stand firmly with

workers, and will look for innovative ways to grow the
middle class. Labor is the backbone of our state.
Organized labor has a long history of protecting works,
whether it be through child labor laws, fighting for safe
work spaces, or advocating for the 40 hour work week.
Organized labor has protected us, which is why we have
to protect them in return. This is why we will fight for a
$15 minimum wage and never allow Illinois to become a
so-called “Right to Work” state. Our economic plan will
protect workers, increase opportunity, and restore equity
to our state. Illinois workers should not be asked to work
full-time and still live in poverty.

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 CONSTRUCTING A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ILLINOIS’
ECONOMIC GROWTH

Rebuilding Illinois’ economy will take more than political will and fiscal stability, it will
require vision and drive within our own state government to forge a new and prosperous
path for Illinois’ economic future. A Kennedy/Joy administration will forge that path by
first creating an infrastructure [NEW WORD] within our state government that allows for
continual evaluation, statewide information gathering, and proactive, strategic planning for
every region - rural areas, towns, and urban centers.

THE ILLINOIS STATE GRANTS OFFICE

Overview
Illinois is a donor state. We rank 48th out of 50 in terms of the tax dollars we send to
Washington D.C. as compared to the funds the Federal Government spends in Illinois.
Chris Kennedy will create a State Grants Office to ensure that the state of Illinois and its
employers, research facilities, and taxpayers are getting their fair share from the Federal
Government.

Kennedy Connection
As Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Chris Kennedy created a grant
office for the University System. The office supported the efforts to obtain over $1 billion in
grant money and beat back strong challenges for resources from competing states. Chris
helped secure the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) on Goose
Island for Chicago and for Illinois. Not only did this bring federal resources to Illinois, but it
created a hub for innovation and job creation in advanced manufacturing for years to come.

In-Depth Look
Identifying resources to spur economic growth requires proactive advocacy to recruit
maximum resources from philanthropy, private industry, and the federal government.
Notably, Illinois ranks 48th in the nation for per capita federal fiscal spending. If Illinois
raises our per capita allotment to the national average, we could raise the amount of
federal support we receive from $105 billion to $128 billion. We cannot afford to keep
leaving billions of dollars on the table from the federal government and philanthropic
organizations.

A Kennedy/Joy administration would establish a State Grants Office to identify, recruit,

secure and effectively distribute private, philanthropic, and federal funding in Illinois.
Similar to the Grants Office established in Maryland in the early 2000s, the Illinois State
Grants Office would host an annual grant training conference, with attendees representing
every region of the state, as well as representatives of non-profit organizations and various
state employees. The Office will work to secure additional federal grant funding while also
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building partnerships with foundations across Illinois to better link state agencies and
agency partners with grants available across the state.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR ILLINOIS

Overview
Illinois is missing a strategic economic plan for how we move forward as an entire state.
The Chicagoland area has a number of community planning councils and commissions
dedicated to improving the area through strategic planning and stewardship. A Kennedy/
Joy administration will create regional and sector-based planning commissions to provide
each part of Illinois with the support it needs to grow its economy and flourish as a part of
a comprehensive plan for growth.

Kennedy Connection
Chris Kennedy saw first-hand the importance of long-term economic planning while he
was the finance committee chairman at the Chicago Community Trust, which established
Metropolis Strategies as a supporting organization to initiate a strategic agenda to grow
the regional economy, promote sustainable development and create safer communities
throughout the Chicago region.

As Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Chris Kennedy conceived of

the Food and Agriculture Roadmap for Illinois (FARM Illinois), a comprehensive agricultural
coalition that developed a strategic plan for advancing agriculture in Illinois through market
cooperation and legislative advocacy.

In-Depth Look
Modeled after FARM Illinois, a Kennedy/Joy administration will create a Strategic Roadmap
for the state’s economy that will be region-specific and developed alongside regional
stakeholders to create opportunities for industry leaders to come together to rebuild
Illinois’ economy across the state.

As part of Illinois’ economic roadmap, we will hold regional Blue-Ribbon Economic

Development Summits that will bring together experts from every region working to identify
the best strategies to accelerate development in Southern and Western Illinois where there
is little to no assistance in large-scale community development and metropolitan planning.

During the first six months in office, the Kennedy/Joy administration will convene regional
blue-ribbon economic development summits with representation from the labor, business,
education, workforce, economic, health care, and community development sectors. These
convenings will operate as a four-part series starting with a listening and learning tour,
followed by high-level planning workshops, proposal development and submission, and
finally a formal submission of regional development vision plans for consideration in budget
and economic planning. A Kennedy/Joy administration will follow this process in order to
identify plans and priorities that are reflective of community needs across our state.
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 A Kennedy/Joy Administration will create a Council of Economic Advisers to advise the
state on tax and fiscal policy, with a special focus on revamping the corporate tax code
by looking at the full range of policy, including credits and exemptions. The R&D credit is
almost universally recognized as one of the highest returns for future economic growth
through commercialization of new technologies and increased productivity through advanced
manufacturing processes. Even when Illinois did have a state credit, it lagged behind
what many other states offered. A Kennedy/Joy administration will recommit Illinois to
financial investments that will spur economic growth, including restoring our education and
revitalizing research to spawn new ideas, programs and businesses that will put people to
work and enhance public funding.

The Chicagoland area is home to quality public-private collabors like the Civic Consulting
Alliance, that bring private sector consultants together with government to help solve the
big issues facing local governments. A Kennedy/Joy administration would expand these
strategies and invest in Strategic Consulting Aid for All of Illinois to cover the entire state
and provide local governments the support they need to overcome their largest obstacles
and challenges.

Overcomes challenges like regional access to clean water, transportation issues, sewage
and runoff problems, how we power our new businesses.

AN INNOVATION PIPELINE FOR ILLINOIS

UNIVERSITY-LED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Overview
Our universities can play a significant role in job growth, creating new companies, and
spawning entirely new industries, which can contribute to the economic rebirth of our state
and region.

Universities are often home to critical research operations. Places like Boston, Silicon
Valley, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina, among other locations, have research
universities that feed into the local economy.

These institutions invest in basic research that is developed into applied research, which
spurs new ideas and products that attract additional investment. Those new ideas and
products can then turn into companies or organizations that employ people who pay taxes,
which help fund our schools--all of which fuels a virtuous economic cycle.

The alumni of MIT alone have founded over 30,000 companies. We have great universities.
There’s no reason we can’t create this same robust system here through our public
institutions.

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As Governor, Chris Kennedy will create this cycle of opportunity in Illinois by bringing
together political, business, and academic leaders to work in concert with one another to
operate robust research operations and attract local investments.

Kennedy Connection
Chris Kennedy challenged his colleagues on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to
invest in their own university system. The result was a community dedicated to innovation
that would lead to entrepreneurship from the ground up. Today, the University of Illinois-
Urbana Champaign Research Park is a leading technology hub for startup companies and
corporate research and development operations, and a key partner to the Chicago-based
digital manufacturing hub, UI Labs.

The research park has partnered with companies like Yahoo, Sony, Illinois-based Abbott
Labs, and the Federal Government to put Illinoisans to work.

In-Depth Look
There is a special role that public research universities play in the economy of our
state—as a perpetual job creator through politically and economically integrated research
operations. The program will operate through the Illinois State Grants Office through a
process that starts with the State assisting our universities in securing and tracking grant
funding among our higher education institutions, which then use the grants to conduct basic
research. This basic research leads to applied research. Alumni and other business leaders
invest in the ideas or products to create companies that employ people who pay taxes and
help fund local government services like public education or hospitals. This perpetual chain
of economic stimulation—this innovation pipeline—leads to constant rebirth. It is a model
that has taken hold in places like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Research Triangle, North
Carolina; and Austin, Texas; in Silicon Valley, California, and in Boston, Massachusetts.

REVITALIZING OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Overview
Since 1989, the only workers in America generally, and Illinois specifically, who have seen
their incomes grow at a rate greater than inflation and growth in purchasing power are
those with a college degree. There is also a statistically significant correlation between
educational attainment and unemployment— as educational attainment increases,
unemployment rate decreases. States with the greatest increases in productivity also have
the largest share of adults with a college degree.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will ensure that our education system drives Illinois’
economic growth by reversing the trend of disinvesting in higher education institutions and
rebuilding our vast network of community colleges via a Promise Program that will make
college accessible to all residents of the state.

Kennedy Connection
While chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Chris advocated for the
expansion of articulation agreements, which allow students to transfer class credits from
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 community colleges to the U of I. This ultimately made attaining a college degree more
affordable for thousands of students.

The U of I has since built on that program and has articulation agreements with community
colleges throughout the state.

In-Depth Look
We will create the Illinois Promise Program (IPP) that will cover two years of tuition and fees
for low and middle-income Illinois high school students who are eligible to attain a degree
or credential at an Illinois community college or trade school, after accounting for federal
and state aid. The IPP will also eliminate the barriers to transferring community college
credits to a four year state university, thereby reducing barriers to educational access and
harnessing the power of Illinois’ robust community college system as a major economic
growth tool to create the highest quality workforce in the country. Modeled off the states
with the most established Promise Programs in the country, such as Tennessee, Oregon
and Minnesota, the IPP will also connect Illinois residents to education and apprenticeship
opportunities across the State.

ORGANIZE NON-TENURE TRACK FACULTY

Overview
Our teaching faculty across the state is one of the greatest assets to our university and
community college systems as well as to our students, but Illinois has to do our part to
make this the greatest state to work in for higher education professionals. Currently, non-
tenure track faculty are getting the short end of the stick: they work long hours, oftentimes
for multiple colleges or universities, and they earn low wages relative to their skill sets and
do not receive benefits.

Kennedy Connection
Under Chris’s leadership as the board chairman at U of I, about 700 faculty members
unionized and completed contract negotiations, providing them with living wages, health
benefits and job security.

In-Depth Look
Recognizing that Illinois has seen a growth in non-tenure track faculty--a highly skilled
workforce that provides subject matter expertise to students across the state--a Kennedy/
Joy administration will encourage non-tenure track faculty to unionize in order to negotiate
for the benefits they are sorely lacking. Modeled after the Building Owners and Managers
Association (BOMA), the state of Illinois will charge our public universities and community
colleges to work with a non-tenure track faculty union to share in the costs of paying for
their benefits. Through this cost-sharing plan, non-tenure track faculty will receive benefits
partially paid for by each of their employers.

COURSES TO CAREERS
Overview
A Kennedy/Joy administration will reinvest in career training to revitalize employment and
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across our state. The lifetime earnings potential of four-year college graduates far outpaces
those who are not able to advance their education beyond a high school diploma or GED. In
Illinois, we have to streamline access to community colleges while also offering pathways to
success for students who choose to go to trade schools and technical colleges.

A four-year degree can be cost prohibitive, too demanding and inflexible for individuals who
need to work in order to support their families. A career education, made up of integrated
offerings that include fundamental career courses such as communication and conflict
resolution, career-tailored courses, and apprenticeships, can serve as the bridge between a
post-secondary education and securing a good job.

Kennedy Connection
Chris knows the impact of workforce development and has helped empower and, ultimately,,
foster economic freedom in students and adults. While at the Chicago Food Depository,
Chris helped maintain funding for the organization’s workforce training program, which
prepares unemployed adults for productive careers in food service.

In-Depth Look
To revitalize our economy, Illinois needs businesses, job training programs, higher education
institutions, and the state to work together harmoniously. Through a joint partnership
between the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development (DCEO) and the
Illinois Department of Employment Service (IDES), a Kennedy/Joy administration will create
a Career Training and Workforce Revitalization Initiative. This initiative will work with Illinois-
based companies and industries to assist our community colleges and workforce training
programs to model their academic offering into career pathway programs for in-demand and
growing industries. DCEO and IDES will assist our community colleges and career training
programs by operating a centralized online system for career planning and by administering
a marketing campaign to promote career pathway programs throughout Illinois.

STUDENTS TO STEWARDS
Overview
A Kennedy/Joy Administration will create a pipeline between high schools, community
colleges and technical schools and building trades unions to give all students an
opportunity to join the workforce as full union participants.

Kennedy Connection
On Chris’s development projects, plans are in place to help provide students with hands-on
experience in concrete masonry, construction carpentry, and electricity work.

In-Depth Look
Many students graduate high school, community colleges, or trade schools but still meet
barriers to entry to the building trades unions that remain one of the largest contributors to
middle class employment in the United States. Across Illinois, trade unions are looking for
new members to meet the high demand for skilled labor. A Kennedy/Joy administration will
create programs linking public high schools, community colleges, and technical institutes
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 to trade unions and developers so that graduating students become full members of trade
unions in Illinois.

NEW COLLAR JOBS FOR ILLINOIS’ FUTURE

Overview
Illinois’ future rests on the state’s ability to produce the highest quality workforce to create
and attract new businesses, spur entrepreneurship, and ensure that Illinois is a leader in
economic growth. Illinois must lead in preparing our residents not just for the jobs of today,
but for the jobs of tomorrow. New Collar Jobs for Illinois’ Future (NCJ4I) recognizes that
Illinois is not just competing with other states to attract and retain the best workforce—it is
competing globally.

Kennedy Connection
Chris Kennedy helped expand the University of Illinois’ extension program, which provides
educational programming in mostly rural areas throughout the state. This program
continues to give students throughout Illinois access to educational opportunities that they
might night have had access to otherwise, in preparation for entering the workforce.

In-Depth Look
New Collar Jobs for Illinois’ Future (NCJ4I) will create pipelines to the largest growing
industries in our economy: Health Care, Information Technology/Coding, Advanced
Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics. The NCJ4I program will deploy a Corps of
skilled professionals certified to teach in these sectors to communities across the state,
leveraging community-based organizations to serve as workforce training centers and
provide career planning and training where unemployment rates are high or where they have
risen in recent years.

No community should be left behind. We need to meet communities where they are. Within
the NCJ4I, Illinois will operate a 21st Century Workforce Project (21WP), which will serve
as a public/private partnership to advance digital and tech training in rural areas where
such opportunities do not currently exist. The program will operate out of local schools,
businesses, or community centers, to provide programming with a focus on improving skills
today (through teaching and tutoring), tomorrow (through coaching and mentoring), and the
future (through internship placement) with an entrepreneurial focus. Key deliverables for
participants are the creation of web and mobile apps for (Google Android, iPhone, iPad etc.),
accompanying business plans, accrual of college credits (for youth) and case studies on
their resumes and portfolios because of hands-on tangible skills gained through internship
placements. Parents and guardians would be eligible to apply for monthly trainings and
events for youth.

BOOST BUSINESS INCUBATORS

Overview
A Kennedy/Joy administration will prioritize innovation and entrepreneurship across all of
Illinois by investing in business incubators across the state so that all communities have
access to the resources needed to start a business.
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Kennedy Connection
The MART pioneered the development and growth of industry specific colocation centers
to aggregate industries. The MART’s efforts helped to provide the model and infrastructure
to allow 1871 to be successful. The MART team helped sort through the complexity of
co-locating scores of complementary and rival tech companies to create and ecosystem in
which they would all thrive.

In-Depth Look
Every region in the State of Illinois should have access to a business incubator/accelerator.
These business accelerators foster economic development through shared coworking
services and would serve as a beacon of resources that provide entrepreneurs and would-
be entrepreneurs with the resources to realize their business ideas. These incubators
create an affordable, creative and collaborative environment so that entrepreneurs can
produce their best work through workshops, seminars, technical assistance, and access to
technology.

Modeled on the best practices of the Chicago-based Blue 1647, University Technology Park
at IIT, Eiger Lab at Northern Illinois University, and the Small Business Incubator at Southern
Illinois University, these incubators would be targeted in smaller towns and cities across the
state to provide a resource to entrepreneurs statewide.

BUSINESS ACCESS AND EQUITY

PATHWAYS TO PARTICIPATION
Overview
The makeup of Illinois’ government should reflect the makeup of our state. We need to
commit to increasing minority and women’s participation in our economy and creating
pathways for minority-owned businesses to get state contracts so that everyone has access
to the American Dream. A Kennedy/Joy administration is committed to raising the bar for
empowering minority and women-owned enterprises.

Kennedy Connection
Chris Kennedy is committed to increasing the number of minority owned contractors when
he develops in urban areas. To make sure new contractors had the resources they needed
to compete, Chris held events where they received assistance with the paperwork needed
to bid. Through this strategy, Chris hired more than 150 small business enterprise (SBE)
subcontractors, 55 of whom were first-time public contractors within the city or county. The
project had a goal of 25 percent minority participation and exceeded that goal with a 31
percent minority business participation.

In-Depth Look
Currently the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation rate is only 6.8% in
13
 Illinois, but this number may be inflated due the state’s poor capacity to collect all the
data. ​Although there is a 20% statewide participation goal established by the Business
Enterprises Program (BEP), that goal is not enforced, and the number of thriving minority
owned firms participating in state contracting opportunities has remained f​ar too low​.

A Kennedy/Joy administration is committed to being intentional and deliberate about

creating opportunity and access to state contracting opportunities, as well as to ensuring
timely and complete data collection and reporting. There are several key sectors that prove
to be exceedingly lucrative for contractors—IDOT, Toll Road, and Central Management
Services (CMS) and segments of key sectors, such as asphalt. Under a Kennedy/Joy
administration, the state will work to increase minority participation on state contracts.
The administration will set a 20% Minority and Women-owned Businesses (M/WBE) state
​ andate ​for Cook County and 15% for the rest of the state, following the
contracting m
example of the University of Illinois system, which has goals of 22% for their Chicago
campus, and 15% for the Peoria, Rockford, Springfield and Urbana campuses.

To oversee and enforce our policies, the state will create a new cabinet level Office
of Inclusion that will serve as a watchdog to review and monitor the fine print of all
state contracts and aggressively hold firms accountable for achieving state contracting
participation goals, and seek out new firms that can take advantage of such opportunities.

The Office of Inclusion will also enforce M/WBE participation goals and ensure data
collection. The Office of Inclusion will ensure that companies that have been convicted of
violating guidelines should be barred from bidding on other state projects, and principals
convicted of fraud at the state or local level will be prohibited from state contracting
opportunities, even with other firms. The Office of Inclusion would maintain a database of
such companies to ensure that the state has a record of companies seeking to defraud
the system while maintaining key incentives to ensure minority participation in contracting
opportunities.

We will establish a Business Equity and Access Program (BAEP) that will set a goal of
$1 billion worth of contracts for Minority and Women-owned Businesses (M/WBEs). The
Kennedy/Joy administration will establish a statewide BAEP team by executive order that
will explore ways to eliminate barriers to expand the participation of M/WBEs in State
contracting. The BAEP team will make recommendations on state initiatives based on
their findings. Access to state contracting opportunities is a critical mechanism to expand
existing businesses and create a pipeline of new businesses that contribute to the State’s
economic growth.

The Kennedy/Joy administration will create the Pipeline Gateway Program that consists of
a pool of new businesses that receive intensive technical assistance and special access
to contracting opportunities that position them for more lucrative contracting opportunities
down the line. The pool would only be available for first-time contractors and subcontractors
with the state.

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The Kennedy/Joy administration recognizes that the state can play a role in creating a
robust pipeline of participation in contracting opportunities that can help businesses
expand their capacity and position them for more and larger contracts. However, all too
often pipeline programs create one or two successful businesses but exclude the remainder
of smaller businesses that can often be blocked by their more familiar and experienced
counterparts.

Once businesses in the pool successfully obtain their first contract, they are moved out
of the pool and into the general database of M/WBE businesses. The administration will
aggressively recruit new businesses to replenish the pool. This program ensures that
benefits of contracts aren’t realized exclusively by the M/WBEs that have already had
significant exposure and opportunities to state contracts. It “spreads the wealth,” which
results in more high quality, high performing M/WBE businesses across the state.

The Kennedy/Joy administration will create a “Bridging the Gap” loan program to invest at
least $20 million to expand access to short term bridge loans for M/WBEs. We recognize
that access to upfront capital remains a significant barrier to business expansion and
participation in contracting opportunities – particularly for M/WBEs. The Bridging the Gap
loan program will provide qualified M/WBEs with the short-term resources they need to
participate in contracting opportunities with the State.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will create a “Mentoring for Success” Business Assistance

Program by leveraging the massive talent of business professionals across the state. The
Mentoring for Success business assistance program will be a free program that consists
of a corps of volunteers and current and retired professionals (attorneys, accountants,
financial, communications, information technology and other professional experts) that will
be deployed to provide one-on-one technical assistance to M/WBE businesses seeking
to participate in contracting opportunities with State agencies. The goal is to deploy 250
such professionals within the first two years and scale up to 500 such businesses. The
Mentoring for Success program will complement existing technical assistance programs
utilized by the state.
EMPLOYMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Overview
Chris Kennedy and Ra Joy know that access to real employment opportunities is one of
the best ways to keep ex-offenders out of prison. One-third of the U.S. population has a
criminal record, and every year over 30,000 Illinois residents are released from the Illinois
Department of Corrections. These 30,000 people represent an amazing opportunity to
inject our economy with new workers, but instead we relegate ex-offenders to the fringes of
our society and of our economy, where all-too-often the only way they can get by is through
repeating past criminal behavior. We must provide pathways to employment for ex-offenders
so that they may join our economy and not risk recidivating.

Kennedy Connection
For years the Merchandise Mart, provided a pathway to employment for ex-offenders. The
Mart worked with organizations to provide employment opportunities for ex-offenders. Low
skill jobs with living wage and union benefits. 15
 In-Depth Look
In 2004, then-State Senator Barack Obama passed legislation allowing felons to obtain
licenses required for 27 occupations, including barbers, athletic trainers, real estate agents,
roofing contractors, and nail technicians. It took until 2016 for the General Assembly to
pass legislation standardizing eligibility requirements for felons to obtain these licenses.
Despite these advancements, ex-offenders still face immense hurdles to receiving state
licenses that lead to gainful employment. That’s why a Kennedy/Joy administration
will establish a Governor’s Task Force on Employment and Recidivism to examine and
streamline the licensing process for returning citizens.

MICRO-LOANS TO MINORITY AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Overview
It is no secret that our economy is leaving people behind. A Kennedy/Joy administration
believes that Illinois’ government has a responsibility to make the economy work
for everyone, and in order to do so the state must be willing to embrace innovative
microfinance solutions that will help harness the potential of minority and women
entrepreneurs across the state and boost our economy.

Kennedy Connection
Chris supported his brother, Michael Kennedy, who was a major donor to the Women’s
Opportunity Fund, one of the early microlending nonprofits to pioneer microfinancing around
the world.

In-Depth Look
We will create a microloan program through the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity (DCEO) as part of our economic development agenda. Microloan
programs have worked around the world, as well as in the United States, and Illinois should
follow the model of Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, as New York has, to create
equity, opportunity, and access through microfinancing.

Illinois’ program will be financed by capturing a portion of the revenues from business filing
fees and used to issue micro loans to minority and women entrepreneurs. A microfinance
strategy recognizes that pathways to traditional loans are blocked for many members of
these communities, whether it be because of bad credit or no credit, redlining, or criminal
convictions. These barriers can no longer be allowed to forestall Illinois’ economy and keep
hard-working people in poverty.

PROTECTING OUR WORKFORCE

PROTECTING WORKERS FROM EMPLOYEE MISCLASSIFICATION

Overview
Employee misclassification costs the state over $600 million a year and harms workers
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by keeping them in lower-wage jobs without benefits. This is a fixable problem that the
state has not solved, but with proper oversight, we can protect our workforce and generate
revenue the state is rightfully entitled to.

Kennedy Connection
As board chairman at U of I, Chris had the power to appoint two members to the University
Civil Service Merit Board, the governing body of the University System that determines
issues around classification of employees. Chris made sure that the appointees would
be diligent in protecting workers’ rights, even as the state often attempted to misclassify
employees as a way to reduce costs and avoid paying benefits.

In-Depth Look
We need to crack down on employee misclassification and prevent companies from
cheating on their taxes by misclassifying their employees as independent contractors. A
Kennedy/Joy administration would instruct the Illinois Department of Employment Services
to conduct joint audits with the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Department
of Labor to find these businesses and stop this illegal practice. Every year, the state loses
out on $624 million that should go to the unemployment trust fund, $589 million in income
tax revenue, and $121 million that should go to workmen’s compensation premiums. Union-
run businesses are being priced out of the market by competitors who are getting an edge
by cutting corners. This is fundamentally unfair to workers and to the economic welfare of
our state.

HOLDING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE

PENSION FUNDS FOCUSED ON ILLINOIS

Overview
Chris Kennedy believes that workers deserve the pensions that they contracted for. As
Governor, Chris will put workers ahead of politicians and fight against illegal attempts to
steal workers pension under so-called pension reform.

In order for our state to thrive, we have to start holding ourselves fiscally accountable.
That begins with holding our government accountable to its workers. Paying workers
their constitutionally protected pensions, never taking a pension holiday, and beginning
to recognize the promises Illinois made to its workers will put money back into Illinois’
economy, give retirees a better quality of life, restore faith in government, and continue to
attract a highly talented workforce to government.

Kennedy Connection
While Chris led MMPI, the company that owned the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, he
contracted with 10,000 companies annually. The validity of those contracts were critical to
the success of the businesses and the entire economy. Chris has a history of respecting
contracts, because abandoning the rule of law, whether it’s for contracts between
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 businesses or contracts between employees and businesses, is detrimental to progress in
our economy and counter to integrity in leadership.

In-Depth Look
The state’s pension funds have made a lot of money for Wall Street and cost taxpayers too
much. New laws and new leadership need to:

• Make it harder for the state to skip payments into its pension systems.
• Create automatic enrollment for defined-contribution retirement systems.
• Collect all investment manager fees into one database for review and comparison by
all systems on an annual basis.

Furthermore, we need to maximize the state’s role as an investor by:

• Changing statutory requirements to invest pension dollars in Illinois-based firms
and funds. By amplifying the Office of the Treasurer’s Illinois Growth and Innovation
Fund, an Illinois-focused $220 million venture and private equity funds, the state can
create thousands of additional jobs.
• Incentivizing firms and funds owned by Minorities, Women, Veterans, and Persons
with a Disability (MWVD) that bid on investment contracts so that our dollars are
used to grow jobs and companies in our state, not on Wall Street.

CREATE AN ILLINOIS INDEX FUND

Overview
The state of Illinois should be investing in Illinois-based companies as a central tenet for
how to grow our economy. To do so, a Kennedy/Joy administration will create an Illinois
Index Fund that will be designed to mimic the performance characteristics of the S&P 500.

Kennedy Connection
At the Chicago Community Trust, Chris developed the framework for an index fund
comprised of a basket of IL public companies that would be managed to mimic the
performance characteristics of the S&P 500. The index fund would allow public funds, such
as SERs, to invest directly in the state and enhance capital formation for Illinois based-
companies to boost our economy.

Chris is also Chairman of the Audit Committee for Ariel Mutual Funds, Chairman of the
Investment Committee for the Chicago Community Trust, and he manages the Kennedy
family financial investments.

In-Depth Look
We will create an Illinois Index Fund of 100 of Illinois’ best performing companies whose
performance characteristics will be modeled on the broader S&P 500. Companies like
Caterpillar, Illinois Tool Works, ADM, William Blair & Company, Northern Trust, Boeing,
Walgreens, Horizon Pharma, and AbbVie. The Governor will direct the State Employees’
Retirement System (SERS) to invest a portion of their pension fund in the index,
18 jumpstarting direct investment in the businesses at the forefront of our state’s economy.
 REBUILDING ILLINOIS: JOB CREATION THROUGH
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

A CAPITOL BILL FOR ILLINOIS

Overview
There will now be a major priority shift by lawmakers in D.C. to pass a federal infrastructure
bill in 2018, funneling somewhere around $200-$500 billion into communities and states
across the country. Our government can invest in the state’s economy and yield a return
that’s greater than the cost of the investment itself. That is why Illinois must stand ready
to take advantage of this investment by passing a capitol bill, coordinating the federal
delegation, and creating an inventory of shovel-ready programs to put Illinoisans back to
work.

Kennedy Connection
Chris has managed capital projects in both the public and private sectors. He is a building
developer who is currently leading the real estate development in downtown Chicago known
as Wolf Point, a massive construction project backed by more than $1 billion in private
financing that is bringing 2,000 construction and permanent jobs to Illinois.

The success of businesses is built on reliable and sophisticated infrastructure. Chris

experienced this first-hand when he led the Merchandise Mart, which relied on O’Hare
International Airport to make it easier for exhibitors and customers to visit the Merchandise
Mart. Similarly, the success of the Apparel Center was derived from access to a fiber-optic
cable, which attracted high-speed trading firms to the building.

In-Depth Look
Whether it’s investments to modernize our roads, highways and bridges, or whether it’s
water infrastructure to improve our locks and dams that fuel the blue economy on the
Mississippi River, a Kennedy/Joy team will accelerate infrastructure investments that put
men and women to work making a living wage sufficient for supporting Illinois’ families and
boosting the state’s economy.

A Kennedy Joy administration is committed to leveraging infrastructure investments to spur

economic growth, particularly for challenged communities. A Kennedy/Joy administration
will reserve funds for capital spending to target infrastructure investments in under-
resourced communities along with technical assistance from the State to invest in
community development projects related to infrastructure and transportation. Moreover,
the State will invest in building a robust workforce program designed around infrastructure
investments that will target the hard to employ, underemployed, reentry individuals, and
veterans, for jobs within key sectors for capital investments, including: broadband access,
open lands, transportation, and water infrastructure.

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 BROADBAND INVESTMENTS TO CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY GAP
Overview
Access to affordable broadband in Illinois is an equity as well as an economic issue. From
inner city neighborhoods to rural Illinois, communities need robust broadband capacity to
help residents connect to needed services that improve quality of life and close the digital
divide.. Business owners and entrepreneurs need access to broadband in order connect to
both the local and global economy. High-speed Internet can help close the digital divide that
punishes people based on their zip code.

Kennedy Connection
During my time at the MMPI, the Apparel Mart began its own renaissance as it became very
attractive to the new breed of successful high-speed trading firms. Rival cable providers,
such as AT&T, Above Net, Level 3 and Quest, all operated within the building because of its
desirable open-technology format.

At U of I, we were able to create a critical mass of leading researchers, and the momentum
began to build on itself with great research in the pipeline, a pipeline whose pump was
primed by a relatively low investment in a fiber optic network.

In-Depth Look
A Kennedy/Joy administration believes closing the digital divide is crucial to creating an
inclusive economy that benefits all of Illinois. Access to quality broadband also increases
the ability to attract new businesses to towns and cities, particularly in key sectors like tech
and healthcare.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will encourage more municipalities across the State to set
up broadband as a public utility to meet the needs of residents—particularly in rural towns
across the state. We will also create partnerships with franchises to arrange agreements
for lower cost broadband services in towns and rural areas of need.

A COMMITMENT TO AGRICULTURE
Overview
Chris Kennedy understands that agriculture drives job creation in communities across the
state. A Kennedy/Joy Administration will double down on efforts to assist farmers across
the state in getting products to new and diverse markets. We will work with the supply
chain, from the millers and food processors, to the distribution centers and grocery stores
to make sure high-quality, Illinois products reach across the country.

Our agriculture economy has significant interface with the environmental movement, and
harmonizing these two vital interests will be top of mind for our administration.

Kennedy Connection
Thirty years ago, Chris moved from Boston to Decatur to work for Archer Daniels Midland
in agriculture. He worked in Decatur, Peoria, the Metro East and throughout downstate.
This experience helped Chris learn the fundamentals of food distribution in the United
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States. He used this foundation throughout his life to help contribute in the fight against as
chairman of the Greater Chicago Food Depository and founder of Top Box Foods, a nonprofit
that he and his wife, Sheila, started to ensure that communities in food deserts have
access to healthy, fresh, affordable food options.

In-Depth Look
Agriculture is responsible for 1 in 17 jobs in Illinois and accounts for just under 10% of
the economy. Chris Kennedy knows that to plan and invest in agriculture is to create jobs
across our state.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will build on the work of FARM Illinois to establish a

Governor’s Council on Agriculture to create a permanent planning group to implement a
strategic, long-term plan and much-needed improvements to the state’s agriculture policies.
This council will commit to refreshing Illinois’ agriculture roadmap every three years.

Working with the public university system, a Kennedy/Joy administration will invest in the
university system’s agriculture schools to attract and retain a labor supply that is properly
trained to develop tomorrow’s great agricultural innovations.

Reducing the waste in the farm-to-fork process begins with protecting our state’s natural
resources, investing in infrastructure and supporting local efforts to reduce agricultural
waste. It results with food distributors investing in our state to feed the nation.

A Kennedy/Joy administration will invest in marketing for our local farms. By developing
specialized marketing plans for each region of the state and our various harvests, we can
market Illinois products to the world.

WELCOME TO ILLINOIS: INVESTING IN TOURISM

Overview
Whether it be a skier gliding down Chestnut Mountain in Galena, a family camping in
Shawnee National Forest, or conventioneers taking in downtown Chicago, Illinois has
something to offer to every tourist. A Kennedy/Joy administration will invest in Illinois’
tourism industry to create jobs in every region and bring in money from other states to fuel
our economy.

Kennedy Connection
As Chairman of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, Chris Kennedy has firsthand
experience in promoting Chicago’s assets and convention business. Chris worked to bring
back trade shows that had left Illinois for cities like Orlando or Atlanta. By working with the
City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, the hotel industry, and the restaurant industry, Chris
helped create the thriving downtown Chicago we enjoy today, and which is host to hundreds
of trade shows a year that bring out-of-state dollars into our economy.

In-Depth Look
A Kennedy/Joy administration will invest in our open spaces by expanding support for
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 tourism funding so that the rest of the country knows about the great beauty throughout our
state. A forward-thinking vision for Illinois will integrate our environment with infrastructure
planning to create greater access to our open spaces, integration among them through
public trails and bike paths, and also the expansion of public outdoor green space for more
communities throughout our state.

To accompany such planning, a Kennedy/Joy administration will adopt a more expansive,

proactive tourism promotional plan that highlights our state parks, nature preserves, and
other important natural lands. Overall planning will integrate into technical assistance for
local communities to explore capital investments that would create or expand green spaces
and outdoor activity spaces, particularly through a set-aside fund dedicated to capital
spending for under-resourced, low-income communities that often bear the brunt of toxic
pollutants.

We would work to create a statewide biking network of bike paths throughout the state
to connect communities where no paths exist to places like Chicago where many have
been developed. Ideally, these paths would be built to provide better access to our public
buildings as well as to our open spaces, such as our schools, libraries, public parks, and
outdoor destinations. This effort would be integrated into plans to update existing roads,
making all of our state easy and enjoyable to travel.

But Illinois’ tourism opportunities do not stop at our open spaces. A Kennedy/Joy
administration will grow Illinois’ trade show industry in our urban centers by harnessing
economic development strategies to expand the restaurant and hotel industries while also
investing in capital upgrades and on-going marketing dollars to boost the year-round use
of state and county fairgrounds to attract people to events throughout Illinois and allow
commerce to occur.

RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS: REVITALIZING ILLINOIS AS A TRANSPORTATION HUB

Overview
Illinois’ geographic location makes our State a major national thoroughfare via our
waterways, roads, highways, and rail lines but our outdated infrastructure creates
unnecessary and costly transportation bottlenecks as well as environmental hazard. Illinois
can only be a center for commerce, if it has the transportation network to support its
economy.

Much of our infrastructure was built in the 1930s with an intended lifespan of 50 years—
the system is long overdue for upgrades, rehabilitation, and repair. Illinois’ major waterways
serve as vital connections for commercial shipping of goods or travel throughout Illinois and
the rest of the country. Illinois also has over 1,750 State-regulated dams, with a number
of older dams whose condition and level of risk are unknown. Many of these dams are
decades old and merit funding for repair and, in some cases, replacement.

Our rails are critical to providing efficient and reliable transit in the midst of a transitioning
economy. The Illinois rail network is the second largest in the country. Almost every North
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American railway connects in Chicago, which makes our major city arguably the most active
rail hub in the country.

Kennedy Connection
During his time at ADM, Chris traded barge freight on the St. Louis Merchants Exchange,
helping him understand the importance of a maintaining a navigable channel to transport
barge freight along waterways.

In-Depth Look
A Kennedy/Joy infrastructure plan will prioritize upgrades to our lock and dam system to
ensure we maintain a safe and navigable infrastructure of our waterways. In doing so, we
will work hand-in-glove with environmental regulators to ensure that our state’s commercial
interests in navigable channels is balanced with the environmental risks of invasive
species. In addition, a Kennedy/Joy administration will invest in modernizing our rail lines
following recommendations laid out in the CREATE program to improve intermodal transport
and linkages between our rail lines.

Illinois must invest in revitalizing our transportation infrastructure to optimize efficiency

and capacity. We can no longer afford to underspend compared to other American and
international cities and states.

PROTECTING AND PROVIDING A FRESH WATER FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Overview
The fresh water supply of the MidWest is one Illinois’ greatest assets, yet our water
infrastructure earned the worst grades among Illinois’ multiple infrastructure elements.
Many wastewater management systems in Illinois are more than 100 years old. Dangerous
amounts of lead has been detected in pipes in various communities across the State, from
Peoria to Springfield and in Chicago. An analysis by the Chicago Tribune identified aged
pipes in the Chicago area that lead to the unnecessary loss of around 25 billion gallons of
water with a substantial cost of about $44 million to taxpayers. Some 16 communities lost
up to 32 percent of their water in a single year (2016).

The burden of water loss and costly lost supply was further found to be discriminatory, with
the medium price for water in predominantly African American communities costing 20%
more than mostly white communities for the same volume of water.

Kennedy Connection
The Merchandise Mart became the largest LEED-certified building in the world and we made
sustainability an everyday commitment. Water management is extremely important to LEED
certification and whenever we replaced one of the 1,500 plumbing fixtures in the building,
we did so with low-flow devices.

We also replaced the fan unit that cooled the computer equipment in our corporate
office because it used City of Chicago tap water to cool the air temperature, and then
returned that tap water to the common sewer system and then passed it back to the water
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 reclamation district. By modifying the fan to an air-cooled system, we save 4 to 5 million
gallons of water per year.

In-Depth Look
In Illinois, we must treat our water supply as the vital, precious resource that is—
economically, environmentally, and morally. Water is the new oil: around the world,
water scarcity is associated with 9,000 miles of continuous warfare. Within a broader
infrastructure plan, the Kennedy/Joy administration will further expand productive programs
that have enhanced our water quality such as the Illinois’ Clean Water Initiative, the Public
Water Supply Loan Program, and the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act. The state will
build on the initiative that The City of Chicago Department of Water Management’s recently
adopted and institute a statewide 10-year plan for replacing aged water lines.

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WWW.KENNEDYFORILLINOIS.COM

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