INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (April 23,2019) – 100 days into his term, Governor J.B. Pritzker has ensured that 1.4 million Illinoisans will get a raise with a higher minimum wage, unveiled his plan for fair tax system to stabilize state government finances and protect the middle class, protected workers’ rights, and introduced a balanced budget.
Here’s a list of what the Governor has done so far:
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
- Created the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative to address disparities (2/11)
- Signed legislation creating new youth parole system for youth facing long sentences (4/1)
EDUCATION
- To keep more Illinois students in-state, proposed $50 million increase in Monetary Assistance Program Grants for low-income college students and a 40% increase in AIM HIGH merit-based scholarship funding (2/20)
- Signed legislation giving universities more flexibility to administer AIM HIGH merit-based scholarships (4/4)
- Prioritized the state’s youngest, most at-risk and low income children with a record $100 million increase in the Early Childhood Block Grant, totaling $594 million in FY2020 (2/20)
- Reaffirmed historic evidence based funding formula for K-12 with $375 million commitment (2/20)
- Expanded skills development with proposed increase to career and technical education by $5 million, the first such increase in a decade (2/20)
- Introduced a new Advanced Placement low-income test fee waiver program (2/20)
- Focused on restoring and stabilizing higher education after years of neglect by proposing increasing public university and community college funding by 5% (2/20)
ENVIRONMENT
- Entered Illinois into the U.S. Climate Alliance (1/23)
- Signed law to expand wind energy production in Illinois (4/19)
- Sealed operations at Sterigenics plant, which was releasing high levels of ethylene oxide in Willowbrook (2/15)
FAIR TAX
- Introduced historic Fair Tax plan to address the state’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit and protect the middle class by asking only the top 3% of income earners to pay more (3/7)
- Proposed Child Tax Credit and property tax relief as part of the Fair Tax plan (3/7)
- Launched Fair Tax calculator so the people of Illinois can understand how the rates would affect their families (3/12)
- Released county-level Fair Tax data showing that in over half of the state’s 102 counties, less than 1 percent of filers will pay more (3/28)
- Introduced Fair Tax constitutional amendment language (4/9)
GOOD GOVERNMENT & FISCAL STABILITY
- Restored regular meeting with four legislative leaders and regular dialogue with opposition party
- Proposed a balanced budget that invests in education, social services and public safety and represents a bridge to the fair tax and more permanently stabilizing state finances (2/20)
- Met with bond rating agencies, a first for an IL governor in nearly 20 years (3/11)
- Launched $100M loan program for federal workers during shutdown (1/23)
- Formed expert task forces to make recommendations for transferring assets into the pension system to reduce net pension liabilities and consolidating pension systems to lower costs (2/11)
- Directed state agencies to comply with data transparency laws (1/14)
- Signed legislation to sell the James R. Thompson Center (4/5)
- Addressed the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, the second governor to do so in its 64 year history (4/13)
HEALTH CARE & PUBLIC HEALTH
- Signed legislation strengthening critical access hospitals in rural downstate communities (3/8)
- Restored funding for cost-effective and lifesaving HIV testing and prevention (2/1)
- Raised age to buy tobacco and nicotine products to 21 (4/8)
- Expanded Medicaid coverage to cover gender-affirming surgery (4/5)
NEW IMMIGRANT FAMILIES
- Signed executive order providing support to immigrant welcoming centers (1/24)
- Ordered state agencies to create and distribute ‘Know Your Rights’ information for new immigrants (1/24)
PUBLIC SAFETY
- Signed the Gun Dealer Licensing Act to combat the scourge of illegal gun trafficking (1/17)
- Proposed adding 200 new cadets for Illinois State Police (2/20)
- Strengthened Firearm Owners ID revocation and enforcement processes for law enforcement officials (3/6)
- Strengthened the Illinois State Police Division of Forensics Services to address the forensics backlog and introduce rape evidence tracking tool (3/20)
SOCIAL SERVICES
- Commissioned independent review of DCFS Intact Family Services to recommend and implement improvements (3/27)
- Held roundtable meetings with DCFS front-line workers, visited their satellite offices, and announced new training facility (3/5, 3/25, 4/15)
- Budgeted to hire an additional 126 permanent new DCFS caseworkers (2/20)
- After years of diminished access, proposed expanding child care assistance for low income families to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (2/20)
- Proposed adding nearly 700 new placements for individuals with developmental disabilities transitioning to less restrictive home settings (2/20)
- Proposed expanding Home Services Program for individuals with severe disabilities to recognize caseload growth (2/20)
- Proposed increasing funding for homelessness prevention (2/20)
VETERANS
- Ordered comprehensive health and safety audit of Illinois Veterans’ Homes (1/18)
- Restarted construction to complete long-delayed 200-bed Chicago Veterans’ Home by spring of 2020 (2/20)
- Toured Manteno and Quincy Veterans’ Homes and met with staff, veterans and veterans’ families (1/18, 3/14)
- Topped off construction at Chicago Veterans’ Home (3/15)
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
- Signed state government pay equity executive order (1/15)
- Committed to fully enforcing HB 40 to protect reproductive rights (1/22)
- Ordered review of state employee group health plans to include reproductive health care (1/22)
- Signed legislation to promote gender and racial diversity in state contracting (1/15)
WORKING FAMILIES
- Raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 (2/19)
- Signed law protecting collective bargaining rights (4/12)
- Signed executive order protecting workers from wage theft (1/15)
- Required state agencies to comply with Project Labor Agreements Act (1/15)
- Strengthened state’s investment in workforce training for growing industries (1/16)
- Reached agreement to issue back pay for 40,000 home care and child care workers (3/18)
- Announced apprenticeship program in Metro East region with DCEO (4/16)
DIVERSE APPOINTMENTS
- Built most diverse team in the history of the Illinois Governor’s Office, with women making up 70% of staff and people of color making up 40%
- Appointed first-ever female director of IEMA (1/10)
- Appointed first-ever African-American woman as director of CMS (1/10)
- Appointed first ever Asian-American director of IEPA (1/17)
- Appointed first-ever African-American female as director of DCEO (1/17)
- Appointed first-ever African-American female director of IDPH (1/31)
- Appointed first-ever African-American director of IDOT (2/22)
- Appointed first ever Asian-American director of DHS (2/19)
- Appointed first-ever Latinx woman as director of IDVA (2/15)
- Appointed first-ever LGBTQ director of Aging (3/4)
- Appointed first-ever African-American director of DoIT (3/4)
- Appointed first-ever Latino director of DOI (3/4)
- Appointed first members of Illinois Council on Women and Girls (4/10)
