A new bill was signed Tuesday afternoon to establish a Future of Work Task Force in the state of Illinois. The Illinois Future of Work Task Force Act (HB 645) was sponsored by Senator Ram Villivalam and Representative Marcus Evans JR. It creates a 29 person Task Force to analyze major economic shifts and emerging technologies, and prepare policy recommendations that help the state to combat the worsening crises of poverty, inequality, and climate change.  Over the next nine months, the Task Force will conduct seven public meetings, and at least two town hall roundtables covering topic areas including: new challenges and technologies reshaping work; low wages and growing economic inequality; skills and workforce development; and, explore short- and long-term policy solutions. The Task Force members will be appointed by the Governor, the Senate President, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader, and will hear from statewide and national leaders in the academic, tech, business, foundation, labor, and non-profit sectors.   University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab will be the academic partner, responsible for drafting this report that will be presented to the Illinois Legislature by May 1, 2022.