Gov. Pritzker Celebrates 100 Days in Office

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 23 -- Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, issued the following news release:

Gov. JB Pritzker promised to think big for Illinois, and he's living up to that commitment.

Just 100 days in to his term, the Governor 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 what the governor has accomplished so far for the people of Illinois:

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, just 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)