The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is praising eight laws that take effect this month it says will help improve the business climate ... but the state isn’t out of the woods yet.

hamber President and CEO Todd Maisch (MY-shh) says one of the most important measures was the reform to the unemployment insurance, saying every employer has to pay unemployment insurance taxes and any savings there means savings to consumers.

Another measure the Chamber applauds is an environmental streamlining bill that allows for quicker clean act permits for certain businesses. Maisch says the eight measures provide incremental improvements to Illinois’ reputation among the business community, but there’s still a lot of structural reforms in the new year his members say must happen quote “now or never”.

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Regardless of the continued budget impasse, now more than six months old, Maisch says the Chamber is still optimistic for the new year and says though it won’t be a spectacular year for the economy, reforms to help businesses could make it a good year.

Other laws the Chamber praised includes veterans preference for private employers and amendments to the Equal Pay Act and the Private Employment Agency Act.