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Regional FeatureWilmington is a city on the move!
Strategically located along I-55 in the southwestern section of
rapidly-growing Will County, Wilmington is about 15 minutes from
Joliet and less than an hour from Chicago. Yet, Wilmington maintains
its small town charm and remarkable quality of life. For more information on how the City of Wilmington can give you strong returns on your business investment, Contact Sheryl Puracchio, City Administrator, at extension 232, or Visit their website: http://www.wilmington-il.com/ Amtrak’s new conductor is from Illinois Thomas C. Carper, former mayor of downstate Macomb, was unanimously named chairman by Amtrak’s board of directors. Mr. Carper, a long-time supporter of passenger rail, has served on Amtrak’s board since last March. He was nominated to be a director by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Il., a leading advocate of Amtrak in Congress. After years of uncertainty over efforts to kill federal subsidies for passenger rail, Amtrak has switched to a smoother track. Last year Congress authorized Amtrak to operate for another six years, and President Barack Obama’s proposed stimulus package would boost funding by at least $800 million. Mr. Carper was a leader in the fight to preserve Amtrak when he was mayor, from 1991 to 2003, and more recently he was a regional director of state economic development efforts for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich... moreTHE IEN WEEKLY CONNECTION January 26, 2009 (OK, the 27th) In Today's IEN Weekly Connection: |
Contact Us:
Christopher Corcoran
Robert Anderson Jr.
Edward S. Piatt
Joseph P. McKeown III
Catherine Berger Links for You:
Dept. of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity:
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IESBGA meeting in Decatur on March 19th and 20th Following are proposed rules of possible interest to small businesses. During the 45-day comment period, individuals have an opportunity to express their support or opposition to the rule. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation proposed an amendment to "Workers' Compensation Pools" which concerns the operations of the pools and companies providing services to the pools. To read more, click here. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services proposed an amendment to "Long Term Care Reimbursement Changes" which implements provisions to Public Act 95-0744 relating to reimbursement to long-term care facilities. To read more, click here. The Secretary of State's Office proposed an amendment to "Regulations under the Illinois Securities Law of 1953" which adds a fifteen day filing requirement after date of first sale to an Illinois resident. To read more,click here.Federal Regulatory News In February 2009, new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) take effect. Manufacturers, importers and retailers are expected to comply with the new Congressionally-mandated laws. Beginning February 10, 2009, children's products cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead. Certain children's products manufactured on or after February 10, 2009 cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys. Under the new law, children's products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot lawfully be sold in the United States on or after February 10, 2009, even if they were manufactured before that date. The total lead limit drops to 300 ppm on August 14, 2009. The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children's products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children's products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.
resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties. To learn more, click here.
Changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act ADA Amendments Act adds more disabilities to the list, therefore expanding the list of workers considered disabled under the ADA. The Act also makes it easier for individuals to claim that they are disabled based on the perception of disability. The amendments also shift the focus of litigation from whether an employee is disabled to whether there was discrimination in the workplace. To read more about the ADA Amendments Act, click here. Changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 The recently finalized revision to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 will have ramifications for small employers. Under the FMLA, employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, or for a serious health condition. This new rule also clarifies how FMLA leave affects the substitution of paid leave, perfect attendance awards, and light duty assignments. This rule also specifies that leave-takers with chronic conditions are required to have two doctor's visits a year. The changes provide new military family leave entitlements and to update the regulations under the 15 year-old FMLA. The final rule will improve communication between employees, employers, and health care providers to make the law operate more smoothly, and provide needed clarity for both workers and employers about their responsibilities and rights under the FMLA leave. The Final Rule does not reduce the law's coverage for workers who need FMLA leave. Updating and clarifying the regulations will reduce uncertainty and provide greater predictability in the workplace for everyone. To read more about the changes to the FMLA, click here. To submit comments or to learn more about the proposed rules, contact Katy Khayyat at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Entrepreneurship Network Information Center via e-mail at Katy.Khayyat@Illinois.gov or call (800) 252-2923 or (217) 785-8020.Grants OpportunitiesDCEO/INNOVATION CHALLENGE PROGRAM The purpose of the Innovation
Challenge Program is to increase the number of Illinois companies
that apply for federal research grants. The federal Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) program and its parallel Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR) program provide over $2 billion a year to
small companies developing leading-edge technologies of interest to
11 federal departments and agencies. The Illinois Innovation
Challenge Program provides grant writing assistance to eligible
Illinois technology-based entrepreneurs, innovators and new venture
startups to access federal SBIR and STTR funding opportunities.
USDA is accepting applications for grants
through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program
to provide access to education, training and healthcare resources in
rural areas.
Gary Allan --
gary.allan@wdc.usda.gov
-- (202) 720-0413 Sustainable Cities News & Updates This resource is provided to Illinois elected officials, municipalities, counties, organizations, and individuals interested in pursuing sustainability in their communities. For more information on sustainability resources, please visit their website at, www.GreenSolutions.il.gov, or contact one of their offices: in Springfield at 217-782-3734 or in Chicago at 312-814-5220. more Green Practices for Local Governments Survey Report The Green Practices for Local Governments project began with a March 2008 survey of communities and forest, park and conservation districts in the seven-county northeastern Illinois region. The survey asked recipients to identify which of twenty-five basic "green" practices they are interested in learning more about, and which they are practicing on public property, promoting in their community, and/or have policies, regulations, or incentives. The survey questions focused on basic, straightforward practices in the categories of water, waste, energy, air quality, and green buildings. This report summarizes the survey results, supplies information and contacts to help communities seek practical advice from their peers, identifies target audiences for technical assistance, and provides a baseline for measuring progress. Upcoming workshops will focus on the topics of most interest according to survey results. Click here for 790K low-res PDF or here for 4MB high-res printable PDF. For more information, contact Lori Heringa (312-386-8621 or lheringa@cmap.illinois.gov).
Earth Day –
April 22, 2009 Earth Day Network’s “Green Generation” campaign is a two-year initiative that will launch in 2009 and culminate on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. Similar to "The Greatest Generation" that confronted the challenge of World War II, who inspired the major societal changes that followed, the Green Generation includes ordinary people who are engaged in individual and collective activities to improve their health, to improve their schools, to participate in building a solution to urgent national and global issues, such as climate change or the world’s water crises. To learn more and join the Earth Day Network, click here The 2009
Sustainable Schools Symposium National Main Street Conference – March 1 through 4 – Chicago Date: Sunday,
March 1 – Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Illinois Main Street is excited to be hosting the 2009 National Main Streets Conference in Chicago, March 1-4, 2009. We anticipate welcoming over 2000 economic development, planning, preservation and revitalization professionals from across the country. With a theme of “Becoming Main Street 2.0”, the 2009 conference focuses on how technology can be applied to community revitalization efforts. What are the tech tools Main Street programs need to succeed in the 21st century? The 2009 conference will focus on the use of technology to implement all four points of the Main Street approach. For more information, visit: http://2009nationalconference.pbwiki.com/ 2009 MELA Annual Conference – Feb. 26 (Chicago) Date: Thursday,
February 26, 2009 Nature at Work: Creating Professional Standards for a Sustainable Green Industry. The Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association, in cooperation with the United States Green Building Council, will hold its annual conference at the Chicago Botanic Garden on February 26th, 2009, from 8:30 to 6. For more information
and to register, visit The Conservation Foundation Winter Membership and Awards Luncheon – Feb. 19 (Geneva) Date: Thursday,
February 19, 2009 Attendees will benefit from the expertise of keynote speaker, Dr. Brian D. Anderson, who is the Director of the Illinois Natural History Survey, part of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois in Champaign. In addition to the presentation, The Conservation Foundation will present its winter awards, the Paul Butler Memorial Award and other awards will be presented in the areas of sustainable development and open space protection. Registration is $35 per person for members of The Conservation Foundation. The fee for non-members is $50, which includes a one-year membership to the Foundation. All proceeds benefit The Conservation Foundation's programs and services. To register, please visit www.theconservationfoundation.org or call 630-428-4500, Ext. 10 by February 16. DuPage County Minority Entrepreneur Conference--March 19, 2009 Northern Illinois University is sponsoring the DuPage County Minority Entrepreneur Conference to be held on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at the NIU-Naperville Campus 1120 Diehl Road in Naperville. The conference will have many sessions such as "How to Find Resources Right Under Your Nose". SBDC's, SCORE and other organizations will be showcased. Following the conference will be an Individual Needs Assessment for DuPage County minority and women entrepreneurs. Free assessments will be made to those who would like to launch a minority or woman owned business in DuPage County. For those wanting additional information, please contact: Christy Snider by phone at 815-753-8972 or by email at csnider@niu.edu. Chicago Minority Business Development Council’s 42nd Chicago Business Opportunity Fair Please join us for The Chicago Minority Business Development Council’s 42nd Chicago Business Opportunity Fair on April 8, 2009 at Navy Pier, Festival Hall A, “Today’s Vision for Tomorrow’s Business Growth”. Network with the more than 4,000 major Corporate, Government and Minority Business Participants. Visit www.cmbdc.org, click on "events" and then on "CBOF 42". You may also call Cynthia Jordan, Director of Events at cjordan@cmbdc.org or (312) 755-2555. Two Day SBIR/STTR Grant Writing Workshop
This Program is
brought to you in part by the Illinois iBIO Entrepreneurship
Center and the iBIO Institute. It will focus on health and
life sciences companies' submissions to the National Institutes
of Health (NIH). This two-day intensive workshop will cover all
aspects of writing SBIR/STTR grants. Included topics are
eligibility, sources of funding, agency differences,
understanding what reviewers look for and step-by-step
instruction on how to write each section of your proposal. The
workshop will cover all agencies, including Department of
Defense, National Science Foundation and the National Institutes
of Health, with detailed emphasis on NIH. Illinois Department of Employment Security Employer Workshop IDES is sponsoring an Employer Informational Meeting on Unemployment Insurance Questions on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the IDES Office, at 255 N. Schuyler in Kankakee. The meeting will help you understand the UI system so that you can lower your UI costs. Also discussed will be Veterans Program, How to receive Tax $$$, Illinois Skills Match, TaxNet, Labor Market Info, Bonding, Re-Entry Employment Program and more. For register contact David Hextell at David.Hextell@Illinois.gov or call (815) 932-0035 ext. 113. To get more information, click here.
Kankakee IDES 3rd Annual Veterans Job Fair
Friday, March
13, 2009
Alcohol Can Be A Gas!
Workshops for
Fueling an Ethanol Revolution in the 21st Century!
Permaculture Orchard Design and Maintenance
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Employers seeking to meet a large number of talented job applicants at once are invited to reserve a booth at Elgin Community College (ECC) Job Fair 2009. The event is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Spartan Events Center at the Spartan Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Employers at the event showcase their products and services, strengthen their community presence, broaden their reach and maximize their recruitment dollars. Employers who apply by Friday, Feb. 27 may purchase a booth for $225, a $50 early registration discount. The fee entitles employers to a display table and two chairs. Employers are expected to provide their own tablecloth, company banner and/or display, giveaways, recruiting materials and employment applications. The
fee increases to $275 after Feb. 27. For more information or to
make a reservation, contact the Career Services Office at
847-214-7399 or visit
www.elgin.edu/careerservices. | ||||||
