Daniel Biss in 2018 IL Governor's race
On Abortion:
Protect the right to choose
The federal government will not tell the women of Illinois what to do with their bodies.
Daniel sponsored HB40, which protects a woman's right to choose even if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Protect GLBT by updating laws
Under Illinois law, the fear of someone's sexual orientation or identity can be used as an acceptable defense for violence. Daniel's bill ends this archaic practice and puts Illinois on the right side of history. Prohibiting youth conversion therapy.
Daniel sponsored the Youth Mental Health Act, which prohibits "gay conversion" therapy for minors in the state of Illinois.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Crime:
Rehabilitation rather than punishment
When criminal offenders do not receive rehabilitation and are discriminated against after reentering society, they sometimes return to lives of crime. Recidivism occurs at an immense cost to taxpayers, which is why Daniel advocates for
long-term solutions to crime reduction rather than unproductively harsh punishment. Job training provides offenders, many of whom come from marginalized communities, with a lawful way to support themselves after they reenter society.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Drugs:
Legalize marijuana
Legalizing and regulating marijuana will increase tax revenue, reduce law enforcement costs, and bring jobs to Illinois. More importantly, the application of marijuana laws disproportionately targets
African Americans despite similar rates of use between white and black Americans. This is why Daniel co-sponsored a bill that would fully legalize marijuana in Illinois.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Energy & Oil:
Fully renewable energy
Reducing carbon emissions needs to be a priority. Illinois must move to a fully renewable energy mix, preserve its rivers, prairies, and woodlands,
and make sustainability a goal in future infrastructure investments.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Gun Control:
Support sensible gun laws
Daniel sponsored a bill requiring all gun dealers in Illinois to have a license; this is one of many policies addressing
gun violence by enforcing requirements that keep guns out of the wrong hands.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Health Care:
Medicare for all
Daniel voted for a bill expanding total Medicaid eligibility, brought billions of new federal dollars in for healthcare, and brought coverage to over 300,000 uninsured Illinois residents. However, there's more work to be done.
Health insurance is still too expensive for many, and too many Illinoisans still do not have access to care. Daniel will fight for Medicare for all in Illinois, so that healthcare is finally treated like the universal right it should be.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Immigration:
Protect undocumented immigrants
Daniel backed the Trust Act, which creates safe havens for immigrants in state buildings and prevents
Illinois law enforcement from assisting in federal immigration actions without a warrant.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Jobs:
Raise the minimum wage to $15
The minimum wage should be a living one, and that's why Daniel fought for a $15-per-hour minimum wage. Worker's rights must be protected, and available to all--
that's why Daniel has passed bills to crack down on wage theft and finally close the wage gap that still leaves women earning less than 80 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
On Corporations:
The rich have set up a system that benefits them
It's about us. People across Illinois are hurting, and it's time to be honest about why. For too long, the rich, special interests and political insiders have made decisions about us, without us. They have set up a system that benefits them, and the
rest of us are paying the price.Daniel isn't a millionaire or part of any political machine. As a math professor and legislator, Daniel has spent his career finding solutions to complex problems.
The challenges facing Illinois are serious, but they are not unsolvable. This election is a chance to take control of our future. By being bolder than what's come before, and by giving everyone a seat at the table,
we can honor our commitments and make real investments in our people and our neighborhoods.
The only thing more powerful than money and the machine is people, ready to take their state back. That's what this campaign is about--it's about us. Join us.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website DanielBiss.com
May 2, 2017
On Environment:
Spent his time as a legislator protecting our environment
Daniel currently represents the 9th District in the Illinois State Senate and previously served one term in the Illinois House representing the 17th District.
He's spent his time as a legislator expanding access, equity and care for all Illinoisians, fighting for financial security for families, and protecting our environment.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website DanielBiss.com
Apr 30, 2017
On Principles & Values:
Took on the political machine & won with creative solutions
First as a mathematics professor, and now as a legislator, Daniel Biss has always tackled the hardest problems. While teaching, Daniel's desire to confront our state's most critical problems compelled him to get more involved in his local community--
first as an organizer, and later as a candidate.Daniel has taken on the machine and won, and now focuses on offering long-term, creative solutions and fighting for those whose voices are typically ignored.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website DanielBiss.com
Apr 30, 2017
On Social Security:
Help give retirement security to millions of workers
Daniel has taken the initiative to raise and make progress on issues significant to the future of Illinois that would have otherwise gone unaddressed, like helping giving retirement security to millions of
Illinois workers and addressing the fast-evolving problem of technology and privacy. He combines the discipline and pragmatism of a math professor with the tenacity of an organizer in everything he does.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website DanielBiss.com
Apr 30, 2017
On Technology:
PhD from MIT; math professor at U. Chicago
Daniel grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, and moved to Chicago after completing his Bachelor's degree at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the age of 25, he joined the University of Chicago's
mathematics faculty.His wife, Karin, is a former Peace Corps volunteer now working on her doctorate in history at Northwestern University. They live in Evanston with their two children, Elliot and Theodore.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website DanielBiss.com
Apr 30, 2017
On Abortion:
Criticized governor for attempt to ban abortion
Biss last year ran a political action committee that sought to link Rauner to President Donald Trump. At his campaign announcement this year,
Biss criticized Rauner for refusing to speak out against Trump's attempts to curb immigration, to ban abortion and to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
On Government Reform:
Political system favors billionaires & machine politicians
State Sen. Daniel Biss formally announced his Democratic candidacy for governor, assailing a broken system he says favors his political opponents. "We have a political system where billionaires and machine politicians are the ones who are listened to.
That's the system we have to change," Biss, who has represented Evanston for six years in legislature, said in a 25-minute Facebook Live video."We have to build a movement of the people because the question fundamentally is, 'Who do politicians feel
obligated to listen to?' In Illinois, the public has set very low expectations and we can understand why," he said.
Biss' indictment of Illinois' system of government covered a wide swath, including not only
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner but also Democratic rivals for governor. Rauner dismissed Biss as "part of the system."
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
On Health Care:
Criticized governor for attempt to repeal ObamaCare
Biss last year ran a political action committee that sought to link Rauner to President Donald Trump. At his campaign announcement this year,
Biss criticized Rauner for refusing to speak out against Trump's attempts to curb immigration, to ban abortion and to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
On Immigration:
Criticized governor for attempt to curb immigration
Biss last year ran a political action committee that sought to link Rauner to President Donald Trump. At his campaign announcement this year,
Biss criticized Rauner for refusing to speak out against Trump's attempts to curb immigration, to ban abortion and to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
On Social Security:
Alter public employee pensions to reduce state pension debt
It is questionable whether Biss will enjoy support from organized labor, a traditional Democratic ally.
In 2013 he co-sponsored legislation to alter public employee pensions to reduce the state's massive pension debt. The plan was later struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
On Tax Reform:
Initiate a state graduated income tax
In staking out a populist progressive tone, Biss backed changing the Illinois Constitution to allow the imposition of a graduated income tax, which would require the wealthy to pay higher rates.
He also spoke of the need to change Illinois' property tax-dependent system of financing education and providing economic help to impoverished neighborhoods and communities.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
Page last updated: Dec 11, 2018