CHICAGO - March 27, 2013. Working to promote entrepreneurship and increase the number of women-owned businesses in Illinois, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will address participants at 11 a.m. on Thursday during the 2nd Annual 2014 Women Business Owners Symposium (WBOS) at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

"The business leaders of tomorrow are gathered here today," said Simon. "Since January 2010, Illinois has added 257,000 private sector jobs, many of which can be attributed to women-owned businesses. From home offices to board rooms, women are a vital force creating jobs and providing economic opportunities in our state."

With over 1,300 registered participants, the full-day program will gather many of Illinois' innovators, trendsetters and business leaders for a symposium on developing and advancing business goals. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) touts the event as an opportunity to receive resources like information on state programs and grants and on-site counseling in key areas of business development and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.ildceo.net/WBOS or call (217) 558-1630.

Panel discussions at the event will examine state-funded programming and procurement opportunities, access to capital, Affordable Care Act and small business opportunities, the women equal pay initiative, information technology and accessing new markets in both the public and private sectors. Moderated by Chicago Tribune Business Columnist Melissa Harris, the free event will include Acting Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Marianne O'Brien Markowitz and Nicor Gas President Beth Reese as keynote speakers.  

 

According to the National Women's Business Council, women-owned firms make up 28.7 percent of all non-farm businesses across the country and generate $1.2 trillion in total receipts. Top industries for women-owned businesses include : educational services (45.9 percent of all businesses are women-owned), administration and support and waste management and remediation services (37.0 percent), retail trade (34.4 percent), and arts, entertainment, and recreation (30.4 percent).

As chair of the Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee (IMBSEDC) and 25-member Governor's Rural Affairs Council (GRAC), Simon is working to expand economic opportunities and encourage job growth throughout Illinois.

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SPRINGFIELD - March 19, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is backing a package of resolutions with the lieutenant governors of Indiana and Wisconsin aimed at combating the spread of nuisance species in Midwest waterways and encouraging the completion of college. The bipartisan resolutions backed by Simon, Sue Ellspermann (R-IN) and Rebecca Kleefisch (R-WI) will be taken up at the National Lieutenant Governors Association's Federal-State Relations Meeting  this week in Washington D.C.

"We may be Lieutenant Governors from different states, but education and protecting our waterways are important to us all," said Simon. "Good things happen when we work together. Through our continued partnerships, I believe we can make significant progress toward improving college completion and fighting the Asian carp problem."

Working closely with Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, Simon is encouraging states to implement Guided Pathways to Student Success to increase the number of students completing college degrees and certificates. Their resolution specifically recommends that other lieutenant governors work with their respective higher education boards, colleges and universities to provide simple, easy to navigate routes to degree completion.

To address the growing challenge of aquatic nuisance species in the Great Lakes Region, Simon partnered with Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch to take on problems that pose a danger to both the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin. The Simon and Kleefisch resolution calls for cooperation and support of a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly means to preserve regional waterways while maintaining trade and commerce.

"It's important that the Great Lakes states work together to protect our waterways and the thousands of family-supporting jobs that rely on them for shipping, commercial and sport fishing, and tourism," Kleefisch said. "This resolution is one example of the multi-state partnership that's vital to solving this problem in a smart, cost-effective manner."

As the state's point person on education reform. Simon is working to increase the proportion of working-age adults with college degrees or certificates to 60 percent by 2025. Simon also chairs three River Coordinating Councils charged with the mission of reviewing state and federal programs that impact the watersheds and working with local communities to raise awareness of and address watershed issues. Copies of both resolutions can be found here.

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CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon was honored by the Abolition Institute on Wednesday for her efforts seeking clemency for Illinois abolitionists convicted for their fight against slavery. The Aichana Abeid Boilil Awards ceremony coincides with President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

Despite a strong antislavery movement in the state, both Illinois and federal law prohibited the harboring or assisting of runaway slaves in free states. Simon's office worked with state historians to identify three Illinois men who were convicted of violating slavery laws while working on the Underground Railroad in Quincy and Jacksonville. She has petitioned the state for their pardons.

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Lt. Governor backs findings and recommendations of education committee

CARBONDALE - Feb. 3, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today issued the following statement supporting education funding reform recommendations released by Sen. Andy Manar's (D-Bunker Hill) Education Funding Advisory Committee (EFAC).

"These recommendations could lead to one of the most important pieces of legislation the General Assembly will see this year. We have the potential to right the wrongs in our education funding formula and direct funding toward the students who need it most, no matter where they live.

"By creating a single funding formula, increasing transparency about how school funds are being spent, and prioritizing resources, we can take important steps toward a sustainable and equitable education system.

"I appreciate the efforts of Sen. Manar and this committee and look forward to working with legislators and the governor to pass these important changes."

Simon serves as the state's point person on education reform. In this capacity, Simon is working to increase the proportion of working-age adults with college degrees or certificates to 60 percent by 2025. As chair of the 25-member Governor's Rural Affairs Council, Simon is also working to improve the delivery of state services and education opportunities to rural Illinois. A copy of the final EFAC report can be found here.

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