PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S
                       ACCOMPLISHMENTS:  Illinois

EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

• Unemployment Down to 4.4%: The unemployment rate in Illinois has declined from 7.2% to 4.4% since 1993.
• 744,100 New Jobs: 744,100 new jobs have been created in Illinois since 1993 -- an average of 94,991 jobs per year, compared to an average of just 26,800 jobs per year in the previous administration.
• 685,400 New Private Sector Jobs: Since 1993, 685,400 new private sector jobs have been created in Illinois -- an average of 87,498 jobs per year, compared to an average of just 18,700 private sector jobs per year in the previous administration.
• 20,700 New Manufacturing Jobs: 20,700 new manufacturing jobs have been created in Illinois since 1993 -- an average of 2,643 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 12,900 jobs were lost each year under the previous administration.
• 58,400 New Construction Jobs: 58,400 construction jobs have been created in Illinois since 1993 -- an average of 7,535 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 2,725 construction jobs were lost each year during the previous administration.
• 430,000 Have Received a Raise: Approximately 158,000 Illinois workers benefited from an increase in the minimum wage -- from $4.25 to $4.75 -- on October 1, 1996. They, along with about 272,000 more, received an additional raise -- from $4.75 to $5.15
  • on September 1, 1997. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have called on Congress to raise the minimum wage by an additional $1.00 over two years.
• Homeownership Has Increased in Illinois: Homeownership in Illinois

  has increased from 62.3% to 67.1% since 1993.

• Home Building Up 3.2%: Home building in Illinois has increased by an average of 3.2% per year since 1993, after falling by over 4.8% per year during the previous administration.
• Poverty Has Fallen: Nationally, the poverty rate has fallen from 15.1% in 1993 to 11.8% in 1999, the lowest level since 1979. In Illinois, the poverty rate has fallen from 13.6% in 1993 to 10.0% in 1999. [Census Bureau]
• A $500 Child Tax Credit to Help Families Raising Children: To help make it easier for families to raise their children, the balanced budget included a $500 per-child tax credit for children under 17. Thanks to President Clinton, the balanced budget delivers a child tax credit to 1,163,000 families in Illinois.
• Illinois' Families Reap Benefits of Deficit Reduction: Public debt is on track to be $2.4 trillion lower in 2000 than was projected in 1993. Debt reduction brings real benefits for the American people
  • a family in Illinois with a home mortgage of $100,000 might expect to save roughly $2,000 per year in mortgage payments. Reduced debt also means lower interest rates and reduced payments on car loans and student loans.
• 7.7% Growth in Total Bank Loans and Leases: Illinois has seen a

  7.7% average growth rate in total bank loans and leases per year since 1993. In contrast total bank loans and leases fell over 3.1% during the previous administration.

• 7.5% Growth in Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases: Since 1993, Illinois has experienced a 7.5% annual growth rate in commercial and industrial loans and leases. In contrast, commercial and industrial loans and leases fell over 7.0% during the previous administration.

EXPANDING ACCESS TO EDUCATION

• Over 35,200 Children in Head Start: 35,211 Illinois children were enrolled in Head Start in 1999. In FY00, Illinois will receive $214.1 million in Head Start funding, an increase of $95.7 million over 1993.
• More High-Quality Teachers With Smaller Classes for Illinois' Schools: Thanks to the Class Size Reduction Initiative, Illinois received $50.1 million in 1999 to hire about 1,289 new, well-prepared public school teachers and reduce class size in the early grades. President Clinton secured funding for a second installment of the plan, giving Illinois an additional $54.3 million in 2000.
• $19.4 Million in Goals 2000 Funding: This year [FY00], Illinois receives $19.4 million in Goals 2000 funding. This money is used to raise 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. [Education Department, 12/3/99]
• $17.3 Million for Technology Literacy: This year [FY00], Illinois receives over $17.3 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund which helps communities and the private sector ensure that every student is equipped with the computer literacy skills needed for the 21st century.
• $332.9 Million for Students Most in Need: Illinois will receive $332.9 million in Title I Grants (to Local Educational Agencies) providing extra help in the basics for students most in need, particularly communities and schools with high concentrations of children in low-income families [FY00]. This includes $5.6 million in accountability grants, to help states and school districts turn around the worst performing schools and hold them accountable for results.
• $290.2 Million in Pell Grants: This year [FY00], Illinois will receive $290.2 million in Pell Grants for low-income students going to college, benefiting 142,600 Illinois students.
• Expanded Work-Study To Help More Students Work Their Way Through College: The FY00 budget includes a significant expansion of the Federal Work Study program. Illinois will receive $44.5 million in Work-Study funding in 2000 to help Illinois students work their way through college.
• Over 3,600 Have Served in Illinois through AmeriCorps: Since the National Service program began in 1993, 3,663 AmeriCorps participants have earned money for college while working in Illinois's schools, hospitals, neighborhoods or parks. [through 2/00]
• Tuition Tax Credits in Balanced Budget Open the Doors of College and Promote Lifelong Learning: The balanced budget included both President Clinton's $1,500 HOPE Scholarship to help make the first two years of college as universal as a high school diploma and a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit for college juniors, seniors, graduate students and working Americans pursuing lifelong learning to upgrade their skills. This 20% tax credit will be applied to the first $5,000 of tuition and fees through 2002 and to the first $10,000 thereafter. 296,000 students in Illinois will receive a HOPE Scholarship tax credit of up to $1,500. 363,000 students in Illinois will receive the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. [fully phased-in FY2000 estimate]
• Expanded Job Training to Illinois' Dislocated Workers: President Clinton's FY 2001 budget would triple funding for the dislocated workers program over 1992 levels. Illinois received $39.7 million in 1999 to help 23,530 dislocated workers get the training and reemployment services they need to return to work as quickly as possible. In FY 2000, Illinois will receive over $38.7 million to provide job training services for dislocated workers.

FIGHTING CRIME AND VIOLENCE

• Crime Falls 9% in Illinois: Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, America has experienced the longest continuous drop in crime on record. Since 1992, serious crime in Illinois has fallen by 9%. Violent crime and property crime have also declined 10% and 9% respectively. In Illinois' cities, robbery has fallen 34% in Chicago and 28% in Springfield. Murder has fallen by 19% in Chicago. [1992 and 1997 Uniform Crime Reports]
• Juvenile Arrests Down in Illinois: Illinois's juvenile property crime arrests have decreased 45% between 1992 and 1997. [FBI, Uniform Crime Report, 1992 and 1997]
• 5,463 More Police: The President's 1994 Crime Bill has funded 5,463 new police officers to date in communities across Illinois. [through 7/00]
• Chicago Will Receive Targeted Funding to Hire More Community Police: Chicago was selected as a pilot city for the President's new effort to target high crime neighborhoods. The pilot program will provide full funding for new officers by waiving the usual matching requirements. Chicago will deploy new officers to help meet the unique needs of its community, such as combating gangs or targeting drug "hot spots."
• Reducing Crime with Drug Courts: Working to reduce drug-related crime in Illinois, the Clinton Administration has awarded Drug Court grants to the communities of Night, Kankakee, Peoria, Rockford, Chicago, and Cook County. The Administration had previously awarded grants to a number of Illinois communities including: Decatur, Joliet, Wheaton, Bloomington, St. Charles, Markham and Woodstock. Drug courts use the coercive power of the criminal justice system to combine drug testing, sanctions, supervision and treatment to push nonviolent, drug-abusing offenders to stop using drugs and committing crimes.
• $54.4 Million to Combat Domestic Violence: Through the Violence Against Women Act, Illinois has received approximately $54.4 million in federal funds to establish more women's shelters and bolster law enforcement, prosecution and victims' services. [through 9/2000]
• Nearly $2.6 Million in Grants for Battered Women: In FY99, Illinois received nearly $2.6 million in HHS's Family Violence Prevention Program grants to assist women and children fleeing domestic abuse.
• $18.4 Million to Keep Drugs & Violence Out of Illinois Schools: Illinois receives $18.4 million in FY00 for the Safe & Drug Free Schools Program, which invests in school security and drug prevention programs.

MOVING ILLINOIS RESIDENTS FROM WELFARE TO WORK

• 344,320 Fewer People on Welfare: There are 341,188 fewer people on welfare in Illinois now than there were at the beginning of 1993 -- a 50% decrease. [through 6/99]
• Child Support Collections Up 62%: Child support collections have been increased by over $114 million -- or nearly 62% -- in Illinois since FY92. [through FY98]
• Encouraging Responsible Choices -- Preventing Teen Pregnancy in Illinois: Since 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have supported innovative and promising teen pregnancy prevention strategies, with significant components of the strategy becoming law in the 1996 Personal Responsibility Act. The law requires unmarried minor parents to stay in school and live at home or in a supervised setting; encourages "second chance homes" to provide teen parents with the skills and support they need; and provides $50 million a year in new funding for state abstinence education activities. Efforts are making a difference, adolescent pregnancy rates and teen abortion rates are declining. And between 1991 and 1997 teen birth rates declined 15.6% in Illinois.
• $167.5 Million for Illinois Welfare-to-Work: In 1998 and 1999, Illinois received a total of $93.9 million in Federal welfare-to-work state formula grants, helping Illinois welfare recipients get and keep jobs. In addition, in 1999 and 1998 a total of $73.6 million in competitive grants were awarded to Illinois localities to support innovative welfare-to-work strategies. Part of the President's comprehensive efforts to move recipients from welfare to work, this funding was included in the $3 billion welfare to work fund in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
• Helping People Get to Work: Through the Access to Jobs initiative, the Clinton-Gore Administration is working with communities across the country to design transportation solutions to help welfare recipients and other low-income workers get to and from work. Chicago, Dupage County, and Rosiclare have received a total of $2.3 million this year to fund innovative transit projects.

INVESTING IN ILLINOIS'S HEALTH

• Health Care for Nearly 43,000 Uninsured Illinois Children: In 1997, President Clinton passed the largest single investment in health care for children since 1965 -- an unprecedented $24 billion over five years to cover as many as five million children throughout the nation. This investment guarantees the full range of benefits that children need to grow up strong and healthy. Two million children nationwide have health care coverage thanks to the President's plan, including 42,699 in Illinois. [HHS, Health Care Financing Administration, FY99 SCHIP enrollment data]
• Helping Over 240,000 Illinois Women and Children with WIC: The Clinton Administration is committed to full funding in the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). In FY99, Illinois received $145.1 million in total WIC grant funding, helping 240,789 women, infants and children in need receive health and food assistance, 14,900 more than in 1994. [through 8/99]
• More Toddlers Are Being Immunized: As a result of the President's 1993 Childhood Immunization Initiative, childhood immunization rates have reached an historic high. According to the CDC, 90% or more of America's toddlers received the most critical doses of each of the routinely recommended vaccines in 1996, 1997, and again in 1998 -- surpassing the President's 1993 goal. In Illinois in 1998, 94% of two-year olds received the vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; 91% received the vaccine for polio; 91% received the vaccine for measles, and 93% received the vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae B, the bacteria causing a form of meningitis.
• Funding for HIV/AIDS Assistance Programs: In FY 2000, Illinois will receive over $7.3 million in Ryan White Title II formula grants. This funding provides people living with HIV and AIDS medical and support services. Also through the Ryan White Act, Illinois will receive nearly $16.4 million for state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), which help those without insurance obtain much needed prescription drugs. There has been a tenfold increase in ADAP funding in the last four years, up from $52 million in 1996 to $528 million in 2000. [HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration, 4/7/00]
• Tobacco Plan Will Cut Smoking and Premature Deaths by 41% in Illinois: The Clinton Administration's tobacco proposal, combined with the recently enacted state tobacco settlements, will cut youth smoking and resulting premature deaths 41% in Illinois by 2004. Between 2000 and 2004, 156,700 of Illinois's youth will be kept from smoking and 50,100 will be spared a premature tobacco-related death. [Treasury Dept., 2/99]
• 6,220,000 Americans in Illinois Cannot Be Assured They Have Patient Protections: Even if Illinois enacted all the protections in the Patients' Bill of Rights, 6,220,000 people in Illinois cannot be assured they have the comprehensive patient protections recommended by the President's Advisory Commission. This is because the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) may preempt state-enacted protections. That is why the President has called on Congress to pass a federally enforceable patients' bill of rights so that everyone enrolled in managed care may have a basic set of protections. Notably, 3,120,000 Illinois women are in ERISA health plans and are therefore not necessarily protected. Women are particularly vulnerable without these protections because they are greater users of health care services, they make three-quarters of the health care decisions for their families, and they have specific health care needs addressed by a patients' bill of rights.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

• 10 Toxic Waste Sites Cleaned Up: Since 1993, the EPA has completed 10 Superfund toxic waste cleanups in Illinois. The sites are located in Taylorville, Pembroke Township, Winnebago, LaSalle, Quincy, Marshall, Warrenville, East Cape Girardeau, Rockford and Wauconda. This two and a half times the number of sites cleaned up in Illinois during the previous two administrations combined. [through 3/1/00]
• $27 Million in Safe Drinking Water Funding: This year [FY00], thanks to President Clinton, Illinois will receive $27 million for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to provide low-interest loans to municipalities to build, improve, and prevent pollution of drinking water systems.
• Revitalizing Brownfields in Illinois: As part of the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to clean up Brownfields, the EPA has awarded grants to counties and communities in Illinois -- Chicago, East St. Louis, Calumet City, Canton, East Moline, Waukegan, and Cook County -- for environmental clean-up and economic revitalization. In addition, Brownfields grants will go to West Central Municipal Conference and the State of Illinois, which will select sites for further action. These projects are intended to jump-start local clean-up efforts by providing funds to return unproductive, abandoned, contaminated urban properties to productive use.
• Protecting the Illinois River Watershed: Illinois is receiving $220 million through the USDA's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), as well as $48 million from State and non-federal sources, to help preserve thousands of acres along waterways throughout the Illinois River watershed. CREP is a new voluntary initiative where the Agriculture Department partners with State governments and local interests to address local environmental problems related to agriculture.

CARING FOR OUR VETERANS

• Invested Nearly $1.5 Billion in Illinois' Veterans: President Clinton and Vice President Gore are committed to caring for Illinois' one million veterans. The Veterans Administration invested nearly $1.5 billion in Illinois in 1999 alone. In 1999, 80,829 Illinois veterans received disability compensation or pension payments, more than 14,553 went to college on the GI Bill, and 11,196 bought a home using VA loan guarantees.
• Providing Health Care for Illinois' Veterans: Since 1993, the VA health system has increased the number of patients treated every year by over 29 percent; treated 83 percent more homeless patients; organized approximately 1,300 sites of care delivery under 22 Veterans Integrated Service Networks; and established more than 250 new community-based outpatient clinics. VA medical facilities in Illinois include the Danville, Marion, and North Chicago medical centers, Hines VA Hospital, and the VA Chicago Health Care System. Additionally, Illinois has 16 outpatient clinics that provide a full array of primary care for veterans in the communities where they live and work. In 1999, 120,197 veterans received health care in Illinois' VA facilities.

SPEARHEADING URBAN RENEWAL EFFORTS

• Revitalizing Illinois' Communities: Chicago was designated an Empowerment Zone in December 1994 and was awarded $100 million to create more jobs, housing, and economic opportunity for city residents. As part of this project, First Chicago has initiated a $100,000 pilot program to help 75 to 100 qualified families buy their first homes. Additionally, East St. Louis and Springfield were both designated Enterprise Communities, and were awarded $3 million each for similar job creation efforts. In 1999, East St. Louis was designated a New Urban Empowerment Zone and Ullin was named a New Rural Empowerment Zone.
• Expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Will Help Develop 5,800 To 7,000 New Affordable Housing Units in Illinois Over the Next 5 Years: Last year, the President and Vice President pushed for a 40-percent expansion in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. This year, the President and Vice President will try again to enact tax incentives to develop affordable housing. In Illinois alone, this proposal would mean an additional 5,800 - 7,000 quality rental housing units for low-income American families during the next five years.

PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF

• $646.3 Million in Federal Emergency Assistance: Since 1993, Illinois has received $646.3 million in disaster relief. This includes $33.6 million in assistance after severe winter storms in 1999. [FEMA, 2/29/00]

EXPANDING FUNDS FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT

• Over $3.6 Billion in Federal Highway Aid: Since 1993, Illinois has received over $3.6 billion in federal highway aid, including $42.1 million for emergency relief in response to natural disasters and $1.6 million for scenic byways. These funds have helped generate 148,326 jobs. [through FY99]
• Over $569.7 Million in Aviation Funds: From FY93-FY99 Illinois received over $569.7 million in Airport Improvement Program funds to help build and renovate airports, and, when necessary, to provide funds for noise abatement to improve the quality of life for residents who live near airports.
• Over $2.2 Billion in Transit Funds: Since 1993, Illinois has received over $2.2 billion in Federal Transit Funding. Major projects include: $77 million to Metra (the commuter rail division of the Northeaster Illinois Regional Transportation Authority) for the North Central Commuter Rail project. This project, the first new commuter rail service in the Chicago area since the 1920s, opened on August 18, 1996; a $2.8 million Livable Communities grant to the CTA approved in May 1995 to assist in the rehabilitation of the Tech/35th Street station on the CTA's Green Line. The station is located in Chicago's Empowerment Zone.
• Saving Lives and Property: In 1999, the United States Coast Guard saved 18 lives and over $9.2 million in property in Illinois.

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