Advocacy Roundtable Brings Legislators to Chamber
September 29, 2024
Attendees at the Advocacy Roundtable event included Chamber Director Chuck Gerhardt, UL Solutions; Chamber Executive Director Kathi Quinn; State Sen. Laura Fine; State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl; Chamber Board Chair Amy Kahhat, First Bank Chicago; Chamber Director Frank Karkazis, FGK Services Inc.; and Richard Rivkin, Saf-T-Gard Inc.
Chamber manufacturers and other large employers engaged with State Senator Laura Fine and State Representative Tracy Katz Muhl in a wide-ranging discussion hosted by the Chamber on September 25. The session addressed a variety of business concerns and provided guidance for seeking help from state legislators.
Senator Laura Fine represents the 9th Senate District, encompassing all or portions of Chicago, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka. She is currently in the fifth year of her first term as senator. Representative Tracy Katz Muhl was appointed in 2023 to fill a vacancy in the 57th district, which covers parts of Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Glencoe, Glenview, Mount Prospect, Northfield, Riverwoods, Wheeling, Wilmette and Winnetka.
Participants in the conversation included local manufacturers and distributors, large HVAC and commercial cleaning service providers, and members of the Chamber Board of Directors. The group discussed the challenges posed by inflation, changing regulatory requirements, infrastructure and electrical grid shortfalls, transportation needs of employees, and more.
Senator Fine noted that many of the ideas that lead to legislation come directly from conversations with constituents. Representative Muhl concurred that communication is vital to making progress, and that the state legislature generally is able to work on a bipartisan basis to achieve goals.
Both of the legislators maintain local constituent service offices to help residents and businesses navigate their interactions with state agencies and cut through red tape. Contact Senator Fine’s Glenview office at (847) 998-1717, or Representative Muhl’s Northbrook office at (847) 715-9055.