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• Statewide Interest

  Economic Recovery Resources

  

  To learn about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and identify projects being funded with taxpayer money, look for this emblem throughout Illinois workNet and on the internet.
  
  Learn more about the ARRA



• Share how WIA Works for You

  WIA Works is an initiative to inform our communities of the important and successful work that takes place every day across Illinois to help career dreams become a reality.
  
  Take action, and contact your Representative. Let them know how and why Workforce Investment Act (WIA) matters to you and tell your WIA employment and training success story.
  
  Follow WIA Works on Twitter and Facebook



• IL Department of Transportation - Economic Recovery Information

  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes $48 billion for transportation infrastructure consisting of highways and bridges, mass transit, rail and aviation.

  The transportation system in Illinois is at a crossroads, and is in need of the additional federal funds provided by the ARRA. ARRA funds will be utilized to support safer transportation systems, address environmental concerns, offset the erosion of the construction dollar, address the crippling levels of congestion/delay and meet the transportation demands of the future.

  In order to access the first half of the highway stimulus funds coming to Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has identified projects that can be awarded quickly to put people to work in the construction industry and to utilize the upcoming construction season. While the list of projects is larger than expected in the first wave of funding, it will allow Illinois to be in a position to spend any funds redistributed from other states.
  
  Click here to get more information and see a list of projects.




• Is Your Business Positioned to Grow?

  Is your business positioned to grow with just a little help from people with know-how and the right connections? If so, the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN), the umbrella for all Illinois' small business services, can give you that help.  IEN helps you cut through the tangle of resources and find the ones you need to achieve your goals. This one seamless system makes it easy for you to to accelerate your company's growth.
  
  Visit the IEN website  today.



• Looking for the Official Business Link to the U.S. Government?

  Business.gov provides quick and easy access to business laws, government regulations, forms and agency contacts.
  
  Visit the Business.gov website today.



• Low Income Energy Efficient Residential Retrofit Program

  More than $213,000 in grants will help existing low-income homeowners replace items such as refrigerators, furnaces, lighting, dishwashers and air conditioners with energy-efficient models.
  
  Legislation approved last year created funding for programs and incentives through money from ComEd and Ameren to reduce electrical energy usage and demand by company customers.
  
  Click here to learn who is eligible and  how the process works.




• Mentoring and Volunteerism as a Dropout Prevention Strategy

  In many of our schools, half or more of high school students do not graduate, let alone leave high school prepared to fully participate in civic life. 
  
  Businesses have an opportunity to get more personally involved in the lives of students in high poverty neighborhoods with failing schools to help end this crisis. 
  
  Learn more at the Tutor/Mentor Connection .



• Register Your Company with Buy Illinois.Net

  The "Buy Illinois" initiative is a statewide series of regional trade fairs, procurement workshops and training programs designed to stimulate more in-state, business-to-business commerce and increase the self-sufficiency of the Illinois economy.
  
  Register your company at the Buy Illinois website.



• The U.S. Economic Census

  The Economic Census profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Detailed information provided by geographic area, zip code, and industry.

  Visit the U.S. Economic Census to increase your knowledge of the business climate.