Halpin Introduces Call Center Legislation to Keep Jobs in Illinois, Stop Outsourcing

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – In an effort to crack down on corporate outsourcing, state Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, has introduced a measure requiring companies that move call centers out of Illinois to provide advance notice and repay all grants, loans and tax benefits.

“Our tax dollars should go to companies that invest in our communities, not those that are determined to offshore local jobs to increase profits,” said Halpin. “By incentivizing call centers to keep their jobs in the state, this legislation protects Illinois workers, consumers and communities.”

Halpin’s House Bill 4081 would create the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, which states that any employer that relocates a call center from Illinois to another state or foreign country must provide advance notice and repay state incentives they received. Taxpayer-funded economic incentives include grants, loans, tax credits, tax exemptions and other economic benefits offered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and other state agencies.

“If Illinois is providing assistance to a company, funded with the tax dollars of hardworking families, those families deserve assurance that their taxes are not being spent on companies who plan to leave our state,” said Halpin. “We need to continue investing in businesses that invest in Illinois by banning all taxpayer-funded deals for corporations that outsource local jobs.”