SPRINGFIELD, IL (WSIL) -- Illinois Governor Pritzker spoke about a number of items including proposing investments in education and efforts to fight poverty.
One of the first items he talked about were fiscal responsibility and a sound economy.
"The last time I stood here seems like a lifetime ago. So many fiscal challenges laid ahead. And so much progress has been made. What was once an Illinois with $17 billion in overdue bills is now an Illinois that pays its bills on time. What was once an Illinois that went years without a budget is now an Illinois that has passed four balanced budgets in a row. What was once a state with no cushion to protect it in an economic downturn is now an Illinois on track to have a $2.3 billion Rainy Day Fund. What was once an Illinois with a credit rating on the verge of junk status is now an Illinois getting credit upgrades."
More remarks on the fiscal responsibility and a sound economy can be found .
He then moved on talking about Smart Start Illinois Early Childhood Education Plan.
"Today, I ask you to partner with me once again � this time on the long-term investment that has the greatest return for taxpayers with the most positive social and economic impact I have ever come to you with.
It's called Smart Start Illinois, and it will make our state the best place in the nation to raise young children. Smart Start is comprised of four elements: pre-K, childcare, early intervention, and home visiting. It also makes our existing programs more equitable, giving moderate income families greater access to quality programs, and investing in an early childhood workforce made up largely of women and people of color.
Smart Start Pre-K is a four year plan that will allow access to pre-school for every three and four year old in Illinois. It will increase our funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant program this year by $75 million. That's $179 million more than when I took office.
Smart Start Pre-K will provide new center-based and school-based classrooms, improve quality across the board, attract new professionals to the field, and ensure we reach our most vulnerable. In the first year alone, 5,000 more seats will be available for children across the state."
More on this can be found .
He moved on to Historic Education Investments (K-12).
"On a broader scale, our increased investments in education have already been paying off. Last year, Illinois high schoolers notched their highest graduation rate in over a decade � with a notable increase among Black and Hispanic students. Every demographic group in Illinois experienced accelerated growth in both English language arts and math � outpacing pre-pandemic levels. More students took Career and Technical Education or dual credit courses than ever before. And US News and World Report ranked Illinois 6th in the nation for Pre-K to 12 education, and among the top ten most populous states, we're number one.
Compare that to 2018, prior to the implementation of evidence-based funding, when 168 districts in Illinois were funded at levels under 60 percent of adequacy targets. Today, only 2 districts are in that lowest category.
Every year, an international organization based in London evaluates and chooses the world's best schools. In 2022, Chicago's Curie High School, a public school on the Southwest side of Chicago, was one of just five schools in the world to earn this ranking � and it was the only one chosen in North America. By melding great academics with an exceptional arts program, along with individualized mental and social-emotional support, Curie High School students are given the resources they needed to thrive.
I wanted to recognize the commitment of Curie's educators, social workers, counselors and support staff, so
I asked Curie High School's Principal Homero Penuelas to join us here today. Principal Penuelas, thank you for setting such a great example of educational growth and showing the excellence Illinois schooling has to offer.
When it comes to K-12 education, we've come a long way, and we still have a long way to go. Which is why I'm proposing we increase our investment in K-12 education by another $506 million: including $350 million in EBF, an $86 million increase in grants for transportation and special education, and an additional $70 million targeted at educator shortages. My teacher pipeline proposal directs the $70 million annually over each of the next three years to the 170 school districts with the most acute needs and vacancies. Those districts represent over 80% of the unfilled teaching positions in our state. Filling them will improve the student-teacher ratio for over 871,000 students."
Another item on the agenda is Historic Education Investments (Higher Ed).
"When we talk about early childhood and K-12 education, what we're really talking about is preparing them for what comes next, which can be a post-secondary degree or a job. But unless we're making it affordable to attend the institutions and programs that provide the necessary 21st century degrees and skills, we're not fulfilling on our promise of cradle to career opportunity.
Here with us today is the Mayor of Bloomington, Mboka Mwilambwe. Born the youngest of seven children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mboka came to the United States in 1989 to pursue a college education. And thanks to financial assistance from ISU, Mboka did that right here in Illinois, graduating from with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and then a master's in education. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008, and after a career as a college administrator, Mboka was elected Mayor of Bloomington � the first African American ever to hold that position.
Seated next to him is Jaichan Tyrique Smith from Chicago who is currently a junior at University of Illinois-Springfield, majoring in psychology with a minor in child advocacy studies. He plans to pursue a career as a child clinical psychologist so he can help the next generation of young Illinoisans. In Jaichan's words, he could not have attended college without the MAP Grant program.
Mboka and Jaichan, you represent the promise of what college affordability can do for someone's future, and how our state benefits from it. Your success is our success. Please stand so we can recognize you both.
I am determined to make sure that every person in Illinois has that same opportunity.
When I first took office, our state was losing high school graduates to other states because Illinois state government had cut funding for higher education and had fallen behind other states in providing financial support for students. Think about that for a moment: we were losing our brightest young people to other state universities because we weren't providing enough students with scholarships or providing a large enough award, so other states were simply doing what was in their own best interests by stealing our best economic assets � our brightest minds. And we know that when students leave their home state for college, 70% of them never come back.
I set out to change that, and working with the majority in the General Assembly, that's exactly what we did. This year, every single student who is eligible for a MAP grant now gets one, and we are providing larger scholarships than ever before. While other states battle dwindling enrollment numbers, our public universities are seeing extraordinary growth. For the second year in a row, freshman enrollment at our state universities has increased substantially � and at a much faster rate than the rest of the nation.
But we can do more.
With a $100 million increase to MAP, we can make history. Together with Pell grants, virtually everyone at or below median income in Illinois can go to community college tuition-free. That means higher wages and better jobs in healthcare, IT, construction management, manufacturing, accounting, and much more.
For decades we neglected direct investments in our state universities and community colleges. I propose we raise our direct investment in them by $100 million � the largest increase in more than two decades. This is yet another way to make college more affordable.
After years of decline, we're seeing growth across higher education in Illinois that's well above the national average. This is our moment to take it all to the next level."
Economic Growth was the next topic.
"Just a few weeks ago, Illinois was named the number one state in our region for workforce development. That's because we're making the necessary investments in job training. Let's hold onto that title by investing another $25 million into Illinois Works for diverse hiring in the trades, $10 million for high school vocational training for the electric vehicle workforce, $1 million for data center operator training, and $20 million in grants to recruit, train, and rapidly upskill workers for job openings at Illinois companies.
And we're going to need every one of those skilled workers and many more, because as of today, we have more than 81,000 more job openings in Illinois than we have skilled workers to fill them. And our economy and our industries are continuing to grow.
Capital investments in Illinois through EDGE agreements nearly tripled since before the pandemic � from $348 million in 2019 to $1 billion in 2022. And the number of new jobs created by EDGE has jumped nearly 60 percent.
The data center industry is booming in Illinois � creating more than 8,000 jobs just since the passage of our bipartisan Data Center Tax Credit in 2019. Since then, Illinois has become the second largest data center market in the United States, and the fifth largest in the world. And our expansion of clean energy production under CEJA is expected to feed our data center growth for years to come.
Thanks to our Film Tax Credit, TV and film production revenue in Illinois reached a record high last year of almost $700 million, including $400 million in wages paid and more than 15,400 jobs.
Cannabis legalization has created more than 30,000 jobs since 2020, and Illinois is home to the country's most diverse cannabis industry and some of the largest companies.
From Kellogg and 4Front to Ferrero and Tyson to Rivian and Lion Electric, large businesses are moving to and expanding in Illinois.
So too are small businesses. After a successful first round of grants, we are adding an additional $20 million to our Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program to spruce up and modernize central business districts all across Illinois so small businesses will thrive. To make it easier to do business in Illinois, we are creating a "one-stop business portal" to help small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs figure out what they need to do to start and grow a business, get permits and win business with state government. And with equity as a guiding principle, we are providing $10 million in assistance for minority-owned businesses who plan to expand in Illinois. There's more to do, but we're ensuring that Illinois is open for business."
Pritzker addressed Public Safety and Violence Prevention.
"But we need to be safe in our businesses and our homes. So we've beefed up support for law enforcement to reduce crime. In 2022, Illinois State Police's Metropolitan Enforcement Groups and Drug Task Forces across the state seized 679 firearms and over 13 tons of drugs including multiple major interdictions of deadly fentanyl, and 1,942 individuals involved in crimes were arrested. With increased patrols and technology, ISP cut the number of homicides on Chicago area expressways by 88% and shootings dropped nearly in half. That's real progress, and this year's budget continues funding the hiring of additional troopers and upgrading the tools to catch perpetrators."
Then talked about Rebuilding our Social Services.
"Hand in hand with public safety are the human services necessary for people most in need. Over the last decade, human services in Illinois were challenged in two ways: first, by massive budget cuts, and then, by the pandemic. Among the areas most in need has been behavioral health services. In so many ways, the pandemic exposed the cracks in this system � leaving too many to deal with crises without any help.
We've looked at ways both big and small to address these needs.
Today in Illinois there is no single, consistent front door for young people or for families to walk through if they need behavioral health care. There is no central website that parents can search or phone number to call. Instead, they are left to navigate a confusing and overlapping multiple agency bureaucracy on their own.
That's going to change. The FY24 budget invests $10 million to create our first care portal and resource referral tools for families seeking care. They can learn about the resources available to them and be matched with what meets their needs best, all in one place."
More on this can be found .
Fighting Poverty and Ending Homelessness was next.
"This entire budget proposal rests on our shared goal: to give Illinois families the support and opportunities for the big building blocks of a good life: food access, housing, and healthcare. Certainly most people won't need to rely on government for those things. But we will have failed everyone in Illinois if we don't place a higher priority on tackling poverty � because fewer people living in financial distress means a better quality of life for everyone in our state.
So, this budget proposes increasing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families � TANF � by $50 million so our families have more help to cover basic necessities like transportation, electricity, and food.
We also need to recognize that it does no good to provide a family with more money to purchase food if they have no local grocery store to shop at.
Government at the state and local level has tried hard to attract big retail food chains to neighborhoods that need them with tax incentives and flashy ribbon cutting ceremonies."
More on this topic can be found .
Then Expanding Reproductive Healthcare.
"Some of the most marginalized people in our society are women, especially women of color, who earn the least and take on some of the greatest societal burdens. When conservatives on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, they didn't strip the right to an abortion from wealthy women, they took it from the most vulnerable women.
I won't accept that for the women of Illinois, and neither do the majority of the people of Illinois. That's why, last month, we expanded our pool of abortion providers and eliminated barriers to access: allowing birth centers to provide all reproductive care, eliminating copays for birth control and abortive medications.
Since Roe was overturned, all the states around us have taken away reproductive freedom from their residents, so Illinois healthcare providers are seeing triple the demand, with desperate patients showing up at the crack of dawn every day.
That's why we are establishing a Reproductive Health Public Navigation Hotline, so patients can call ahead for a risk assessment and find the services that will meet their needs. From transportation and lodging to insurance coverage options, the hotline will help patients traverse a complex and overwhelmed system. To address the shortage of reproductive healthcare workers, we are providing $5 million toward learning collaboratives for worker training.
Let's not pull punches � this is the result of a national conservative crusade to legislate against the most intimate matters of a woman's basic healthcare. I'm sure there are some elected officials who would like us to stop talking about abortion.
Well, too bad.
There are women in this country right now who are facing untold mental and physical anguish because of the fall of Roe v. Wade. Here in Illinois, women know their rights are protected, but that doesn't take away our obligation as Americans to speak up for the rest of the nation."
Then Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure.
"In the past few years, we saw the critical role that our public health infrastructure plays in our residents' wellbeing. No one was prepared for a disease that took more than 36,000 Illinoisans' lives in 30 months and affected hundreds of thousands of others. And every responsible public health expert will tell you that the next pandemic will not take another 100 years to arrive. We must act on the lessons from COVID and build a more robust state and local public health infrastructure so we are prepared for whatever comes our way.
We must invest $45 million in upgrading our Department of Public Health's IT for Illinois' National Electronic Disease Surveillance system and Long-Term Care systems � which are tools states use to monitor the spread of disease, prevent outbreaks, and protect our most vulnerable residents. And we'll couple that with an $8.5 million investment to assist public health professionals identifying and projecting the potential impact of new and emerging diseases on the horizon. If COVID-19 taught us anything, we must invest in the tools to quickly and aggressively contain their spread.
Every day I've held this office since the outbreak of COVID, I think about the healthcare workers who risked their lives to save others � going home but needing to keep their distance from their spouses, parents or children, battling exhaustion and burnout, and too often having to deliver the worst possible news despite their best efforts. Our healthcare workers are heroes � and though there is never enough we can do to repay them for their sacrifice, I propose we makes their lives just a little bit easier by reducing the debt burden they face.
That's why the FY24 budget includes $3 million for Healthcare Worker Loan Repayment and Scholarship programs � alongside a $25 million rate increase for practitioners to broaden access to critical healthcare services, from an obstetrician for a pregnant woman to a behavioral health specialist for a struggling teen.
Delivering what matters to Illinois residents and their families is what defines good governance. We've all been asked to represent our constituents with tenacity and honor. And to speak up when our common American values are challenged.
Our history is a series of stops and starts, of ups and downs, of our ancestors getting it tragically wrong and courageously right. The only thing we can hope for in this work is that the values we attach our names to will make our grandchildren proud.
After all, this is the Land of Lincoln. We have a responsibility to that legacy.
As Elie Wiesel said, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
With that in mind, I want to take sides on something I feel obligated to speak out about, especially given the history of anti-Semitism and discrimination suffered by my ancestors and that persists for so many others today.
There is a virulent strain of nationalism plaguing our nation, led by demagogues who are pushing censorship, with a particular attack right now on school board members and library trustees. It's an ideological battle by the right wing, hiding behind a claim that they would protect our children � but whose real intention is to marginalize people and ideas they don't like. This has been done in the past, and it doesn't stop with just snuffing out ideas.
This afternoon I've laid out a budget agenda that does everything possible to invest in the education of our children. Yet it's all meaningless if we become a nation that bans books from school libraries about racism suffered by Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron, and tells kids they can't talk about being gay, and signals to Black and Brown people and Asian Americans and Jews and Muslims that our authentic stories can't be told.
I'm the father of two children. I care a great deal about their education. Like every good parent, I want to be involved in what they learn. I'm also a proud American. Our nation has a great history, and much to be proud of. I want my children to learn that history. But I don't want them to be lied to. I want them to learn our true history, warts and all. Illinois' young people shouldn't be kept from learning about the realities of our world. I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome, and thoughtful about what comes next.
Here in Illinois, we don't hide from the truth, we embrace it. That's what makes us strong.
I want to conclude today with sharing a story of someone who exemplifies the tenacity of our people here in the Prairie State.
In 1951, at the age of 18, Joyce DeFauw arrived on Northern Illinois University's campus to pursue a degree in economics. But life had other plans. She met her husband, Don Freeman Sr. and left NIU to raise a family.
Seven decades later � nine children, and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren later � Joyce decided she could focus on herself again, and she re-enrolled in college to finish her degree. Once again, life had other plans...a once-in-a-generation pandemic. But that didn't deter her. She finished her classes on a laptop given to her as a gift � and just two months ago, at age 90, Joyce walked across the stage to receive her Bachelor of General Studies, becoming the oldest person in history to graduate from NIU.
Joyce's story is a classic Illinois tale. We are a stubborn people � we persevere no matter the challenge.
We welcome opportunity for improvement. And when we rise, we rise together.
I see it in Mboka Mwilambwe who received a tuition waiver from this welcoming state and has returned it tenfold as Bloomington's Mayor, and in Jaichan Tyrique Smith, who is on his way to becoming a child clinical psychologist. I see it in Itanzia Dawson, a mom determined to provide a better life for her family and who now educates the children of Little Village. I see it in Anne Tyree, who supports mental health patients and their families who are going through the same thing she has. I see it in neighbors who helped each other through the pandemic, in small businesses contributing to their communities' success, in the determination of our young people to make positive change for our state and nation.
We are a people with enough empathy to be kind to one another, enough grit to persevere, and just enough confidence to believe we can make a difference in this world. That's the Illinois that I know. That's the Illinois we all represent.
Thank you. God bless the great state of Illinois and the United States of America."