Your turn: The dual threat to Illinois businesses and communities
As of late, the small business climate in Illinois has faced a mounting set of challenges, including rampant stacked costs from increasingly questionable government policies.
As a general practice attorney and a trustee for the Village of Poplar Grove, I can tell you these burdens do more than just stifle business growth. They hamper our community’s well-being and hinder the state’s competitiveness at a national level.
By stacked costs, I am referring to the slew of ill-conceived government policies that directly or indirectly increase the financial burden on businesses. These can range from redundant regulations and high taxes to complex employee training requirements. These extra costs are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet; they ripple through communities, affecting everything from the vitality of local economies to the capacity for charitable giving.
When you tally up these pressures, you'll see they form a nearly insurmountable obstacle for businesses, particularly those in manufacturing, to maintain their operations, let alone grow.
While stacked costs are a significant issue, another burden looms large in Illinois: the abuse of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). On its face, the BIPA law aims to protect the privacy of individuals' biometric data. However, its vague wording and low threshold for litigation have turned it into a gold mine for a cottage industry of trial lawyers. These lawyers leverage BIPA to file massive class-action lawsuits, even when no genuine harm — physical, emotional, or financial — has been inflicted on the clients they represent.
Consider the irony: As a state, we are placing a costly burden on businesses to comply with regulations that might or might not have a meaningful impact. Then, on the other hand, we open the floodgates for opportunistic legal action that seeks to penalize them further under the guise of protecting individual rights.
It’s a vicious cycle that contributes to the deteriorating business climate in Illinois, compelling companies to rethink whether operating here is worth the financial and legal risk.
The net effect of these twin issues — stacked costs and a litigious climate — has broader societal ramifications.
Businesses are integral to the communities they serve, often acting as a backbone that offers employment, supports local causes, and pays taxes that fund public services. The more we burden these enterprises, the less capable they become in fulfilling these critical roles.
In Boone County, where I've served as president of the largest food pantry, Empower Boone, Inc., I've seen firsthand how an unhealthy business environment indirectly escalates societal problems, including poverty and hunger.
Illinois already has a reputation for corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. Our state doesn't need another albatross around its neck in the form of an unfriendly business environment exacerbated by stacked costs and rampant tort abuse.
For the sake of our communities, our economy, and the future of our state, this must change.
The responsibility to make this change falls squarely on our legislators in Springfield. We need our lawmakers to review these policies critically, make necessary amendments to laws like BIPA, and think twice before enacting policies that burden businesses with additional costs.
It's time to cultivate an environment where businesses can focus on growth, innovation, and community involvement rather than dodging legal bullets and navigating a maze of regulations.
Let's work together to create a business-friendly Illinois that fosters community well-being and financial prosperity for all.
Eric Miller is the owner of the Eric J. Miller Law Group and a trustee for the Village of Poplar Grove.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: The dual threat to Illinois businesses and communities
