CHICAGO—A new plan to expand the state’s film production tax credit could make Illinois more of a national leader in the film and television industry.

State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr., a Democrat from Chicago, stood with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. JB Pritzker to discuss record-breaking numbers in film, television and media production in the city of Chicago.

“I am proud of Chicago’s growth in media production, but I know we have the ability to be even more competitive nationally,” Sims said. “For that reason, I am working on legislation to expand the film tax credit to help our state more aggressively attract production companies.”

Sims sponsors Senate Bill 1595, which changes the Film Production Services Tax Credit Act to allow the first $200,000 of out-of-state wages paid or acquired by production companies to qualify for the film production services tax credit.

“I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and local leaders, so we can break even more records in film, TV and media production,” said Sims.

SPRINGFIELD—State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr., a Chicago Democrat, released the following statement in response to Gov. JB Pritzker’s first budget address on Wednesday:

“The governor’s budget proposal represents a reasonable and responsible first step on a path toward financial stability, while addressing the fiscal challenges left in the wake of his predecessor’s manufactured budget crisis.

“This plan prioritizes a quality education for our young people by increasing funding for Pre-K-12 education, which is crucial to ensure that students all over the state have the resources they need to succeed.

“It also helps low-income students further their education by investing more in MAP grants and the AIM HIGH Grant Program.

“While investing more in community-based programs is a good start to ending the senseless violence that we unfortunately see all too often, we have much more work to do to address the underlying issues driving violence and making a real impact in communities across our state.

“I look forward to working with the Governor, his administration and my colleagues to pass a full, balanced budget by the end of this legislative session.”

SPRINGFIELD—Legislation co-sponsored by State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour was signed into law on Tuesday.

“Today is a historic day for working families throughout our state,” Sims said. “One that puts us on the path to providing a wage to match the rising cost of a family’s basic needs.”

Senate Bill 1 will raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. The gradual implementation and a payroll tax credit is meant to help businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees adjust.

The minimum wage has been $8.25 since 2010. The first increase will be on Jan. 1, 2020 to $9.25.

“As state leaders, it is our responsibility to provide economic stability to the people of Illinois,” Sims said. “I commend Gov. Pritzker for signing this legislation, so we can finally take a step toward addressing the issue of income inequality by helping to improve the lives of hard-working individuals throughout our state."

SPRINGFIELD—State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr., a Democrat from Chicago and Senate Criminal Law Committee chairperson, released the following statement after the governor took executive action to form the Justice, Equity and Opportunity (JEO) Initiative, which aims to centralize and modernize the state’s criminal justice reform efforts:

“Communication, research and action are crucial to reform our state’s criminal justice system. For that reason, I commend Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for forming this initiative, which aims to tackle this issue on all three fronts.

“It is vital that we do everything we can to ensure that we are best serving at-risk communities, and actively working to help individuals gain stability once they are released from prison.

“I appreciate that the executive order includes efforts to improve economic development in struggling communities, reduce recidivism and build stronger lines of communication between related agencies.

“Lt. Gov. Stratton has my full support on this initiative. I know she is a passionate advocate on these issues and will be a capable leader in this effort. I look forward to working with her and the administration on the issues of equity, justice and opportunity and reading the first report in the next three months.”