SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator James Clayborne (D-Belleville) passed legislation this week to prevent bidders of Illinois-based projects from crossing state lines to conduct business that should be done in Illinois.

House Bill 1375 requires that in order to be considered a responsible bidder of a contract, the bidder must sign a written agreement stating that it will maintain an Illinois-based office as the primary facility for the people they employ.

"It’s critical that companies aren’t taking advantage of the system, by working on a project in one state, and conducting business in the other," Senator Clayborne said. "It’s unfair to both states, and this legislation aims to correct that."

This measure comes as a result of an incident along the Illinois-Indiana border. The company, who was awarded the contract to work on a bridge along I-64, employed Illinois union employees to work on the project. However, the same company set up a temporary office in Indiana, where the employees were being paid, and the company was paying Indiana payroll taxes, instead of to Illinois, where the project was based out of.