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* The Tribune fleshes out some more cuts being made by the Rauner administration. The full list of those cuts is here. I suppose zeroing out money designed to help manufacturers during Illinois Manufacturing Month isn’t quite as egregious as slashing autism funding on World Autism Day, but it’s still pretty ironic…
Other belt-tightening includes $41 million in cuts to programs administered by the state’s economic development agency, including the elimination of a $1.4 million grant for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. The grant was used to help partially reimburse companies for offering qualified training to employees.
The group has been a strong supporter of Rauner as he pushes for changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system, and he has spent the last several weeks touring various companies after declaring October “Manufacturing Month” in Illinois.
“We understand the governor’s challenge in balancing the budget and we hope there is a way this program can be restored,” said Ryan McLaughlin, spokesman for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
Other cuts include money set aside to promote tourism in Illinois, including a 50 percent cut to the state’s advertising campaign. Rauner used to head Chicago’s tourism efforts, where he called for increased spending on marketing.
By the way, the slashed Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center funding comes with a federal match.
* Related…
* Special events to mark Manufacturing Month: Beginning today, Oct. 6, more than 100 events will take place statewide to celebrate Illinois’ commitment to the past, present and future of manufacturing.
* Gov. Rauner Calls Manufacturers ‘Backbone Of Illinois Prosperity’
* Rauner takes Manufacturing Month tour to South Elgin’s Hoffer Plastics
* Governor Rauner to speak at manufacturing expo
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:06 am
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In that vein, hopefully November 2018 will be Bruce Rauner month.
Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:11 am
“Other cuts include money set aside to promote tourism in Illinois” I don’t know, but I’d certainly call that an “investment.”
Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:12 am
Day after the State loses out on landing a manufacturing plant, 1.4% cuts the funding that is supposed to help manufacturing plants.
Comment by Huh? Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:12 am
It needs to be noted that when something gets zero funding, it is a decision by those budgeting that they want that item to be eliminated.
…when something gets zero funding… it is a decision by those budgeting… that they want that item to be eliminated.
This is no different then when Rauner vetoed things like, oh, Higher Education, forcing the universitities to starve and possibly implode, hoping for closure by… not funding state universities.
The “Rauner Cuts” and the “Rauner Vetoes” are the budgetary blueprint that Rauner wants us all to see are the Rauner priorities.
Think on that. Rauner wants his cuts and vetoes to define his budgetary priorities.
Most governors use a budget, and getting that budget passed, to weigh and measure what those governors feel are their priorities and how monies show the commitment of their administrations.
Rauner is so warped, it’s about denying, squeezing, and cutting, while refusing to show, budgetarily within a passed budget, his vision of Illinois.
Breathtaking.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:19 am
For someone who was supposed to be a financial genius, Rauner sure goes about things in a strange ham-handed way.
Seems like he doesn’t have a clue about matching funds and how to milk the Federal government for money the State needs.
And yes, I know it is all taxpayer money, but Illinois taxpayers on average pay more into the Feds and get less back from the Feds. Just moving Illinois to average on receiving Federal money would be a big improvement to the State budget.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:20 am
What does Rauner know about manufacturing goods? He manufactures a budget crisis, an education crisis, a funding crisis and his administration know how to manufacture deer-in-the-headlights PR disasters.
Who among his staffers ever made anything with their hands? Knows the satisfaction of seeing a good reach a customer? Knows what it is like to do a blue collar or farm job? Knows what it feels like to be sweaty and sore after work? Ever earned an hourly wage? Ever belonged to a union?
I suspect that the majority of the Rauner administration hasn’t an iota of an idea what it’s like to work in manufacturing. I bet they would never take a manual manufacturing position. They’re all talk and lies.
An that right there is why we’re losing manufacturing jobs in Illinois.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:28 am
Regarding the IMA, I had no idea the state had been in the business of giving out grants to lobbyists.
Are there other examples?
Why the heck did the training program have to be run through IMA? What’s wrong with IDES, Labor, DCEO…?
Why were lobbyists deciding, directly, which private concerns received taxpayer money?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:29 am
ETIP job training programs are run by many organizations and community colleges. The budget had job training money for IMA, Manufacturing Extension Center, Chicago Federation of Labor and others. They handle the administrative side of the paperwork with DCEO making final determinations on funding.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:47 am
It looks like IMA and their brethren are going to have to “get” something for Rauner in order to get off the Do Not Fund list. Otherwise, why do such a blatant go-around “veto”?
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:53 am
Anon 10:47, thanks.
But why are IMA and CFL involved in the first place, “handling the administrative side of paperwork?” Do they take some off the top for their trouble?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:55 am
“I suppose zeroing out money designed to help manufacturers during Illinois Manufacturing Month isn’t quite as egregious as slashing autism funding on World Autism Day…”
Could the bar be any lower?
Comment by Emily Miller Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:55 am
This is simply one more wack at DCEO to cripple it for Intersect Illinois, the for profit/non FoIA company to take over.
intersect never achieved 501c3 status
They pulled the marketing money because DCEO has no marketing Deputy Director. Same with Policy Develoment, Planning and Research…..no Dep Director. Look at the org chart on the DCEO website.
Draining DCEO dry to replace it with a non government private company that can’t be FoIA ‘d. Makes dirty deals easy. Rauner doesn’t want economic development. He wants access for his EDGE strip mining machine.
Comment by Debs Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:56 am
===But why are IMA and CFL involved===
Because that’s the way we do things in Illinois. The government doesn’t directly provide the services, groups and businesses provide the services.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:57 am
Rich, I understand contracting to private groups for actual services on the ground in communities throughout the state.
I’m curious about contracting to private groups, who are lobbyists, to administer the paperwork for DCEO. What’s the rationale for sending your application to IMA or CFL, who then forward it to DCEO for a decision? Seems like an unnecessary layer.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:18 am
Funny intellectual phenomenon in Illinois’ political circles: The same folks who think the cost burden on manufacturing doesn’t matter on the margin think that government spending does.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:19 am
The program didn’t work. Glad it’s being cut.
Comment by Ron Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:29 am
“…including a 50 percent cut to the state’s advertising campaign.”
Illinois, you put me in a bankrupt state.
Comment by City Zen Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:32 am
Do they take some off the top for their trouble?
Yup…but no more than 50% of the dough — for about 20 years
Comment by Annonin' Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 12:24 pm
Manufacturing is becoming outmoded. If we base our prosperity on it we are doomed. More and more factories are moving towards robotics. Less errors, higher production rates etc.
We need to invest in education and training people for new jobs, say robotics repair and maintenance, science, engineering etc.
We need to stop look g at the glory days of factory jobs and insteadinsteadook to the future. We keep importing doctors and engineers. We need more of those and less nostalgia over factories.
Electricity will replace candles, we need to adopt it not pretend candles are the best and the way of the future….
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 12:37 pm
Annonin, if that’s the case, 50% is a poor use of funds for processing and forwarding applications.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 12:46 pm
if the state doesn’t have the money — new budget is unbalanced — what’s alternative to these cuts except for other unpopular cuts?
Comment by jim Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 12:54 pm
It’d be funny if it weren’t so tragic
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 1:01 pm
Years ago, I was a member of the Prairie State 2000 Authority which at the time was the entity that reviewed and made ETIP awards to manufacturers across the state. ETIP (Employee Training Incentive Program) sought to help small and medium sized companies offset the costs of incumbent worker training. At that time, the average employer was spending around $1,500 each year on incumbent worker training just to keep up with technological advancements.
Today, that number has increased if for no other reason, inflation. ETIP helps those companies keep all their employees up to date, not only on technological advancements but assuring quality is meeting national and international standards.
The reason the money is appropriated to organizations is to reduce bureaucracy to accumulate paper work - verify the training occurred and other administrative duties. I doubt the organizations make much money themselves, but I think employers find it much easier to deal with their industry association than they do a faceless state worker.
ETIP is a very good program and most other states have similar efforts. Hopefully the Governor’s list isn’t carved in stone and changes can still be made.
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 1:59 pm
I should amplify that $1,500 amount was the amount spent for each employee…not total spending on training for all employees.
Comment by Commonsesne in Illinois Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 2:06 pm
Manufacturing is the backbone of IL?
Gosh, I thought it was agriculture Bruce.
Is he just making stuff up or pandering to voters that want the global economy to return to pre NAFTA status?
Probably both…
Comment by Loop Lady Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 2:26 pm
Loop Lady is right. But Rauner hasn’t stopped at just 2 backbones. Do some Googling using Rauner and backbone. Never knew a state could have so many “backbones” unless he’s doling them out on a per vertebrae basis.
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 6:14 pm