MAXWELL’S Working Family Prosperity Agenda

Illinois' 1st District is full of resilient families working hard to provide a better life—but high taxes, underemployment, rising costs, and unstable institutions are making it harder to get ahead. This agenda focuses on creating real solutions for real families—from Chicago’s urban neighborhoods to suburban and rural communities—so every household can thrive, not just survive.

1. Tax Relief for Working Families

The Problem:
Families across IL-1 are burdened by high state property taxes, inflation, and stagnant wages—especially in Chicago’s South Side and aging suburbs where incomes aren’t keeping up with costs.

The Solution:

• Advocate for expanded federal child tax credits and earned income tax credits for middle-income households.

• Propose a Family Tax Deduction Act to help families offset essential expenses like childcare, education supplies, and healthcare.

• Support legislation that caps property tax burdens tied to income for federal housing assistance recipients.

2. Small Business Revival & Job Creation

The Problem:
The loss of manufacturing jobs and the slow recovery of small businesses post-COVID have left many communities underemployed, with few sustainable career paths.

The Solution:

• Push for federal small business stimulus in targeted zip codes, especially on the South and Southwest sides, using the SBA and EDA tools.

• Create public-private partnerships to revitalize vacant commercial corridors and bring new life to neighborhood business districts.

• Expand federal apprenticeship and workforce development grants to help young adults and adults in transition retrain for modern jobs in logistics, healthcare, and skilled trades.

3. Housing Opportunity & Property Rights

The Problem:
Homeownership is becoming less attainable for working families due to inflation, excessive taxes, and government mismanagement. At the same time, rental costs have skyrocketed in areas where growth is finally returning—often pricing out the very families who helped build those communities.

The Solution:

• Expand Homeownership Through Smart Tax Policy:
  Advocate for targeted federal tax credits for first-time homebuyers—especially working-class families, veterans, teachers, and first responders—to help them achieve the American dream of property ownership without expanding bloated government housing programs.

• Remove Barriers to Building More Homes:
  Support federal incentives for local governments that reduce zoning restrictions, permitting delays, and regulatory red tape that limit the development of affordable, entry-level housing. Promote private development—not government housing—as the path to lowering housing costs through increased supply.

• Protect Long-Time Property Owners from Displacement:
  Champion legislation that discourages excessive property tax hikes and limits corporate land grabs in historically working-class areas. Empower families to keep their homes, not lose them to outside investors or rising tax bills.

• Encourage Private Investment in Neighborhood Renewal:
  Promote Opportunity Zone enhancements and public-private partnerships that attract development while preserving neighborhood character and giving residents a real stake in the growth—not a one-way ticket out.

4. Affordable, Flexible Childcare

The Problem:
In IL-1 and across the country, the high cost and inflexible nature of childcare keeps thousands of parents—especially mothers—out of the workforce. Single parents and shift workers are hit hardest, facing limited options that don't match their schedules or budgets.

The Solution:
Empower families, not bureaucracy, by removing barriers and incentivizing flexible, community-rooted childcare solutions.

Policy Actions:

• Expand the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG):
  Advocate for expanded eligibility and increased CCDBG funding targeted specifically to high-need zip codes across IL-1.
  KPI: 25% increase in CCDBG-eligible families served in IL-1 within two years.

• Introduce the Flexible Childcare Innovation Act:
  A bill to provide federal seed grants and deregulation incentives for:

  • Neighborhood-based childcare co-ops

  • Faith-based and community-led childcare providers

  • Evening/weekend childcare programs for nontraditional and shift workers
    KPI: Establish 50+ new flexible care sites across the district within 3 years.

• Small Business Childcare Tax Credit:
  Propose a federal tax credit of up to $5,000 per employee for small businesses that:

  • Offer onsite childcare

  • Partner with local providers

  • Subsidize employee childcare costs
    KPI: Achieve 100+ IL-1 small business childcare partnerships within 18 months.

Goal:
Empower working parents—particularly low-income and single parents—to reenter the workforce by giving them real, localized childcare options. Encourage private sector involvement and community innovation instead of more federal overreach.

5. Healthy Food & Safe Communities

The Problem:
Many neighborhoods in IL-1—including Englewood, Roseland, and Kankakee—face a dual crisis: unsafe streets and limited access to healthy, affordable food. These issues reduce quality of life, discourage business investment, and weaken community trust.

The Conservative Solution:
Foster private-sector opportunity and community partnerships to drive both safety and food accessibility—without bloated federal bureaucracy.

Policy Actions:

• Private Grocer & Food Co-Op Incentive Fund:
  Use the USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to attract independent grocers, faith-based food markets, and mobile food vendors to food deserts in IL-1.
  Support fast-tracked zoning permits and small business tax credits for store owners opening in underserved areas.
  KPI: Launch 15+ new food access points within 24 months across IL-1.

• Urban Agriculture Enterprise Zones:
  Introduce a federal matching grant program to support urban farms, greenhouse start-ups, and hydroponic entrepreneurs. Incentivize partnerships with schools and nonprofits for food distribution and local hiring.
  KPI: Create 200+ agriculture-based jobs and produce distribution hubs in 10 high-need zip codes.

• Community Safety Reinforcement Act:
  Strengthen law enforcement partnerships by advocating for Byrne JAG and COPS Office funding—targeted specifically to neighborhood-based policing and rapid response units.
  Prioritize local law enforcement leadership in program implementation, not outside consultants.
  KPI: Increase visible patrols and community-police initiatives by 30% in 18 months in high-crime areas.

Goal:
Turn Illinois’ most neglected communities into zones of local ownership, food access, and safety by empowering businesses, faith leaders, and neighborhood leaders to lead the charge—not government dependency.6. Transportation Equity and Infrastructure

The Problem:
Aging roads, unreliable public transit, and disconnected transit routes isolate job seekers and reduce opportunity.

The Solution:

• Secure federal infrastructure dollars for IL-1 to repair aging roads, expand public transit in underserved areas, and connect low-income communities to job centers.

• Partner with state agencies to launch a District 1 Transit Equity Taskforce, identifying transit deserts and crafting a 5-year connectivity plan.

Why This Matters:

The Working Family Prosperity Agenda is not a list of talking points—it’s a roadmap for rebuilding Illinois from the bottom up. Our families aren’t asking for handouts. They’re demanding access, fairness, and opportunity.