I'm currently visiting the Republic of Poland as part of an economic and political fact-finding mission. My four day mission trip will include both official and familial appointments. The goal of the mission is to discover how the State of Illinois can improve its economic and cultural relationship with the Republic of Poland in order to promote job growth, economic vitality, and increased international trade between the two.

Illinois and Poland share a unique bond. As one of nearly a million people of Polish descent living in Illinois, I understand how beneficial that bond can be with respect to job growth, economic opportunity, and liberty on both sides of the Atlantic.