The Rauner administration has made job creation one of its top priorities. While the law-making process doesn’t begin in earnest until February, the Governor is already taking action where and when he can to address the issue, including obtaining the information he says is needed to craft a successful jobs program.
Citing the high unemployment rate among veterans and minorities, Rauner signed an Executive Order Jan. 19 that seeks to illuminate the factors contributing to this disparity, in an effort to identify areas where changes can be made to increase employment opportunities for the state’s veteran and minority populations.
Rauner’s order instructs labor groups, contractors or subcontractors doing business with state government to report the number of minorities and veterans participating in any currently offered training program. The Governor also ordered the Dept. of Central Management Services (CMS) to conduct a thorough review of all goals, preferences and considerations provided under state law and regulations concerning the hiring and training of veterans and the awarding of contracts to veteran-owned businesses. CMS is also to study the participation of minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses’ ability to acquire opportunities in the State of Illinois.