"Women Matter" Illinois House Resolution HR0439 Passed

WHEREAS, A McKinsey and Company study entitled "Women Matter" showed that companies where women are most strongly represented at board or top-management levels are also the companies that perform the best;...
 
WHEREAS, An Oklahoma State University study found that board diversity, including diversity with respect to gender and ethnicity, is associated with improved financial value;...
 
WHEREAS, A report entitled "Women Directors on CorporateBoards" found that gender diversity on corporate boards contributes to more effective corporate governance...
 
WHEREAS, Credit Suisse conducted a 6-year global research study, commencing in 2006, of more than 2,000 companies worldwide that showed that women on boards improve business performance by key metrics, including stock performance...
 
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we acknowledge that the body of evidence to date concludes that companies perform better when their boards of directors and executive leadership include women and that the State of Illinois has a significant stake in protecting the shareholders of publicly held companies as well as in setting policies that enable such companies to perform better; and be it further 
 
RESOLVED, That we encourage equitable and diverse gender representation on corporate boards of directors and urge that, within the next 3 years:

  1. Every publicly held corporation in Illinois with 9 or more seats on its board of directors have a minimum of 3 women on its board;
  2. Every publicly held corporation in Illinois with at least 5 but fewer than 9 seats on its board of directors have a minimum of 2 women on its board; and
  3. Every publicly held corporation in Illinois with fewer than 5 seats on its board of directors have a minimum of one woman on its board; and be it further

 
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Judi Spaletto, Ph.D., Chicago Chapter Chair of WOB2020.
 
Click here for the full HOUSE RESOLUTION
 

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