Posts Tagged: Put Illinois to Work

Stimulus In a Parallel Universe: What America Can Learn from ‘Put Illinois to Work’

Tonya Grisby, a 39 year-old grandmother who lives in Chicago’s predominantly black and mostly poor Austin neighborhood, worked at a warehouse until December 2009. But the person Grisby carpooled with to work got laid off and, without a ride, Grisby was soon laid off as well.

Grisby had few prospects for employment until last May when she was hired by Chicago’s Westside Health Authority thanks to Put Illinois to Work – a government subsidized job program. Uncle Sam paid for Grisby to work a 40 hour-a-week front-desk job that paid $10 an hour. (more…)

Death of direct job creation

One of the few government direct job creation programs will soon come to an end. In mid-January, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, will stop funding “Put Illinois to Work” — a temporary jobs program first paid for by the stimulus bill and now paid for by Illinois, reports the Chicago Tribune’s Monique Garcia. Since federal money stopped in September, Quinn has put $122 million toward a program where the state pays businesses to hire employees for entry-level positions that usually pay around $10 an hour. Quinn says that come January, he will focus on new legislation to give business the incentive to hire instead of piggybacking on an expired federal program.

Christine Radogno, the GOP leader in the Illinois Senate, has led the criticisms of Put Illinois to Work. (more…)

Keeping Illinois at Work

Pat Quinn

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will once again use state money to extend Put Illinois to Work, which started as a stimulus bill program — that created 26,000 temporary jobs –  before federal funds ran out at the end of September. Quinn spent $75 million then to keep the program going and he will spend $47 million more for a 2nd extension running six weeks, the Associated Press reports. In Put Illinois to Work, the federal, and now state, government subsidizes entry-level jobs in the private sector for residents 200 percent below the federal poverty level. The jobs typically pay $10 an hour.

Quinn has prioritized the state’s employment problems even at a time of record budget deficits. (more…)

Quinn tries to keep Illinois at work

In lieu of expiring federal stimulus funds, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will spend $75 million in state cash to continue “Put Illinois to Work.” (more…)

Illinois employees could soon be put out of work

If the economy needs another round of stimulus programs, as Paul Krugman and other economists have suggested, then renewing the federally funded Put Illinois to Work and similar state programs are a good place to start. (more…)

Will Illinoisans be put to work after September?

Pat Quinn

(Update: A House tax bill that included generating $11 billion in new revenue failed to pass Friday, dimming prospects that Congress will fund “Put Illinois to Work” and like state job creation programs beyond September.)

Illinois has the worst state budget in the nation, but it ranks no. 1 for something less dubious: participation in a national jobs creation program subsidized by $5 billion in stimulus money. The U.S. Congress may determine whether Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn  was smart to dive head first (more…)

White House discovers joys of direct job creation

Via Adam Doster of Progress Illinois, Jared Bernstein, Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, has an impassioned blog post that argues “Put Illinois to Work” and other federally subsidized, state-run job creation programs must be extended past their Sept. 30 completion date. (more…)

Putting some in Illinois to work

People in Illinois really, really need jobs.

“Put Illinois to Work,” a federally funded program to provide temporary, entry-level jobs in the state received 60,000 applicants for about 20,000 positions. Don Dodson of the Champaign News-Gazette reports that the state’s Department of Human Services has, consequently, stopped accepting applications after just two months. The program uses $215 million from the federal stimulus bill to temporarily provide more money to some welfare programs. (more…)