Jobs/Economic Development

The number one issue facing our region is jobs. I am working closely with the Economic Development Agency, USDA Rural Development, Workforce Alliance, local development groups, and local businesses to ensure that our community has the resources and tools it needs to grow.

Unfair trade policies have disproportionately harmed our manufacturing base in West Central Illinois and our nation. I am an original co-sponsor of the Patriot Corporations of America Act (H.R. 3319) which would end the blatantly unpatriotic practice of subsidizing companies that outsource American jobs and reward good corporate citizens who commit to investing in the future of our nation. As an active member of the House Trade Working Group, I am working to pass this bill and other initiatives to reform our trade policies so that they help working families across our nation.

I am also a strong supporter of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) which is the only federal program dedicated to providing technical support and services to manufacturers. Today, MEP centers offer hands-on assistance and services to facilitate technology transfer, help streamline internal production and administrative processes, identify cost inefficiencies, help solidify the workforce, and train workers to adapt to an ever-changing manufacturing and technology environment.

Additionally, I am a member of the bipartisan Congressional Manufacturing Caucus which promotes policies to ensure American manufacturers:

• find trained, educated workers
• continue to lead the world in developing new industrial technologies
• operate on a level playing field with their foreign competitors
• obtain the capital they need to thrive

Rock Island Arsenal (RIA):
The Quad Cities is home to more than 70 federal agencies which are anchored around the Rock Island Arsenal Federal Campus. These organizations provide more than 20,000 jobs and contribute more than $1 billion to the Quad City economy. The services provided and products manufactured at RIA are critical to our nation’s security and cannot be duplicated by outsourcing. I am committed to doing everything I can to bring in new business, employment, and economic opportunities to ensure that the Arsenal will continue its vital mission in the future.

At the beginning of the 110th Congress I met with Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton to discuss possible aid for the Arsenal after devastating losses from the Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) process. I was proud to win reauthorization for the Arsenal Support Program Initiative (ASPI) through 2010 in the Defense Authorization bill.

I also secured $8.5 million for ASPI in the Defense Appropriations bill. ASPI promotes the commercial use of underutilized capacity at Arsenal facilities. The program features flexibility and innovative business practices to encourage partnerships between the government, commercial interests and state/local interests. The Rock Island Arsenal ASPI program currently has 20 tenants, generating $285,000 per year in revenues. The program has created 486 jobs to date. ASPI has dedicated $8 million to facility improvement projects. Current projects in planning or construction will add another $1 million per year in revenues to the federal government.

I have joined with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) in efforts to help the Arsenal acquire titanium casting capabilities. We successfully secured $2 million for the Illinois Center for Defense Manufacturing to expand operations to RIA for this purpose. Titanium alloys provide lighter and stronger materials for vehicles, armor and weapon systems. This capability would provide a unique organic manufacturing capability for the U.S. military for future combat systems.

Additionally, I am working with the RIA Congressional delegation to make sure the Expeditionary Contracting Command (ECC) is located at RIA. The ECC would provide contracting support for any forces deployed abroad. The ECC would compliment the excellent logistics services being offered by the Army Sustainment Command (ASC) headquartered at RIA. The ASC at RIA manages a state-of-the-art operations center and serves as the single logistics integrator and the logistics point of contact for deployed soldiers worldwide.

Combining logistics and contracting support at ASC will allow for better coordination between the two systems, improved response to the needs of warfighters, reduced procurement costs for the Army, and once again create an important role for RIA within the Department of Defense.

Dislocated Workers:
A challenge facing economic development in our region is dislocated workers; individuals who lose their jobs through unfair trade agreements, plant closings and other factors outside of their control. I have taken several measures to ensure these workers have access to re-training opportunities to find new jobs. First, I successfully included in the House’s Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) reform bill (the Trade and Globalization Assistance Act of 2007), which passed the House on October 31, 2007, provisions regarding early access to training, notification of financial/career counseling at Unemployment Insurance (UI) agencies, and greater financial aid for dislocated workers.

Additionally, in the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which became law on August 14, 2008, I improved the way we inform dislocated workers of their eligibility to qualify for more financial aid through “Professional Judgment,” a process financial aid officers can employ to more accurately assess financial need, ensuring these workers receive the most assistance possible.

Community Colleges and CURE Act:
I am a strong advocate for the invaluable education and services that community colleges provide to students and families throughout the country. There are more than 1,200 community colleges across the United States currently educating over 11.6 million students. With their commitment to the workforce needs of their communities, community colleges have given millions of Americans invaluable workforce training and remain a critical partner in economic development initiatives in West Central Illinois.

I am a proud member of the bipartisan Congressional Community College Caucus, which strives to raise awareness about the outstanding work of community colleges, and creates a forum in which issues involving community colleges and postsecondary education can be discussed and put forward.

Additionally, I co-authored the College and University Rural Education (CURE) Act, which provides grants to increase the enrollment of rural high school graduates in institutions of higher education, move those students into good-paying jobs, and expand training for professions of need in rural areas of Illinois. This bill was included in the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which became law on August 14, 2008.

Biofuels and Green Jobs:
I am a strong proponent of biofuel production and green-collar jobs, which I believe are the economic future of West Central Illinois. I secured federal funding to help Richland Community College of Decatur develop a degree program to prepare and train workers for the emerging biofuel industry in Illinois. Additionally, as a Member of the House Education and Labor Committee, I had the privilege of working on the Green Jobs Act (H.R. 2847), which establishes an energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program to develop a workforce for “green-collar” jobs. This bill was passed as part of a larger energy package that became law on December 19, 2007.

Transportation and Infrastructure:
In order to boost the local economy, we must strengthen our transportation infrastructure. I secured federal funding for a new maintenance facility for the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District to respond to increased ridership, expanded routes, and provide a more efficient system ready to serve the future needs of the Quad Cities.

I am also a strong proponent of re-establishing Amtrak service between the Quad Cities and Chicago, which will increase economic development opportunities in the Quad Cities and help facilitate the progress of the planned satellite campus of Western Illinois University in Moline.