Progress Illinois

As we highlighted this morning, some black lawmakers weren't particularly excited by the package Senate leaders proposed and passed yesterday to fund a $29 billion capital construction plan. Specifically, Sens. James Meeks and Jacqueline Collins criticized the bill for not focusing enough on creating jobs in socio-economically segregated communities. Senate President John Cullerton has vowed to work with lawmakers to include funding for vocational programs in low-income communities, and activists from the Chicago-based community group Southside Organizing for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) have just the project.

According to SOUL organizer Christian Mitchell, the group is working with the Black Legislative Caucus to pass the Urban Weatherization Initiative, an amendment to the capital bill that would create green jobs in Illinois neighborhoods dealing with high levels of poverty and underemployment -- from Chicago and Rockford down to Peoria and East St. Louis.

If passed, the state would devote $500 million over the next five years to retrofit urban housing stock, a great way to conserve energy use and protect people from spiking utility rake fees. Companies awarded the contracts would be required to hire and train people from the local community, as well. SOUL estimates that 50,000 jobs could be created in cities hardest hit by deindustrialization and the recent economic crisis. "This amendment is absolutely important," says Mitchell. "It would prepare working class folks for the new economy, many of whom have faced barriers to entry [in this work] before."

Other lawmakers in Springfield are working hard to green the capital bill, too. For example, the Reader's Mick Dumke, reports that state Rep. Karen May is advocating capital funds be used to start retrofitting the state’s 14,000 schools. These measures are worth keeping an eye on over the next week.