Senator Duckworth is committed to helping foster Illinois’s economic growth as well as building and supporting strong communities in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout our state.

Though many of the largest and most successful corporations in the world call Illinois home, Senator Duckworth knows that small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy, making up over 90 percent of employers, employing nearly half of Illinois’s private workforce and serving as the life-blood of our communities. That is why she works every day as a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to find innovative, common-sense ways for Illinois’ small enterprises to sustain, succeed and grow. She has also heard from countless employers and small businesses in Illinois that are struggling to find qualified workers to fill job openings, and she prioritizes workforce development by supporting career and technical education and private-public partnerships to train workers for 21st-century jobs. 

As the United States competes in an increasingly global marketplace, Senator Duckworth’s position on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee affords her a platform to ask tough questions and carefully review international trade agreements to help make sure they are in the best interests of our nation’s economy and workers. While working in the Senate to open foreign markets for Illinois farmers and manufactures, she is also focused on preventing unfair trade agreements and practices that disadvantage our state's companies and workers.