President Clinton: Working Hard for Illinois
Greater Prosperity, Safer Communities, Stronger Families

President Clinton Has Delivered on His Promises—Making Illinois a Better Place to Live and Work.   President Clinton has been a leader on the issues the people of Illinois care about. President Clinton has delivered:

	A Growing Economy: Unemployment in Illinois has dropped from 7.1% to 5.1%. Our nation has the lowest combined rate of unemployment, inflation, and mortgage rates since 1968. Consumer confidence is at its highest level in six years, real wages are rising for the first time in a decade, and homeownership is at a 15-year high.
	New Jobs, Better Wages: 425,400 new jobs have been created in Illinois in 43 months under President Clinton—over three and one-half times more than during the previous four years; 10.5 million jobs created nationally. Over the next two years, 388,000 workers in Illinois will benefit from the minimum wage increase.
	Stronger Families: The Family and Medical Leave Act protects 2.2 million workers in Illinois—allowing them to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth of a child or to take care of a sick family member without fear of losing their jobs. Teen pregnancy is falling, the poverty rate is decreasing, and the number of people on welfare is declining. In Illinois, 37,278 fewer people are on welfare and tougher child support enforcement collects over $36 million more -- an increase of almost 20% since FY 1992.
	Increased Access to Education: 1.26 million students in Illinois can benefit from the President’s reformed student loan program. 31,579 Students Benefited from Head Start Funding in 1995. In 1993-1996, Illinois will receive $35,448,903 to fund the Goals 2000 program, which seeks to increase academic achievement by raising academic standards, increasing parental and community involvement in education, expanding the use of computers and technology in classrooms, and supporting high-quality teacher professional development.
	Cut the Deficit in Half: Reducing the burden of national debt for every Illinois family of four by $15,000.
	A Tax Cut: By expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, the President cut taxes for 600,000 working families in Illinois and 15 million working families nationwide. By expanding the annual expensing allowance 53,060 Illinois small businesses will receive a tax cut this year.
	Pension and Health Care Coverage: 400,000 Illinois Workers Will Be Offered Expanded Pension Coverage Because President Clinton Signed the Retirement Savings and Security Act. In Illinois, as many as 784,000 in families with a worker who changed, lost or left a job with health insurance will be guaranteed continued access to health insurance under the Kassebaum-Kennedy Health Insurance Bill which President Clinton fought for and signed into law.
	Safer Streets and Communities: The President’s Crime Bill adds 2,504 police officers to Illinois’s streets.  “Three Strikes and You’re Out,” the Brady Bill, the Assault Weapons Ban, and community policing are working. Our nation’s crime rate is down. The number of murders reported has dropped 8%—one of the largest drops in three decades. The crime rate in Illinois decreased during the first three years of the Clinton Administration -- a 5.37% decrease. The state has received over $4.59 million to combat domestic violence.
	Renewed Growth in Key Industries: After a decade of enormous job losses in construction, manufacturing, and autos, these industries have made a remarkable recovery—more than one million new jobs created under this Administration.

Fighting for a Balanced Budget That Reflects Our Values: Now we are fighting for a balanced budget that will lift the burden of debt off our children and reflect American values—a balanced budget that:

	Honors our commitment to give America’s seniors the health care they deserve.
	Protects investment in our young people’s futures—Head Start, access to college.
	Protects America’s clean water and air, national parks, and our public health.
	Preserves tax fairness for America’s working families.

More: How President Clinton's international trade policies have helped your state

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