J.B. Pritzker in 2018 IL Governor's race
On Crime:
Against death penalty; rectify wrongful convictions
My wife and I helped support the Center on Wrongful Convictions, which has become the national leader in rectifying wrongful convictions and did much of the work behind Illinois's moratorium on capital punishment.
[The Center on Wrongful Convictions is based at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, so named after School of Law alumnus J.B. Pritzker and his wife, M.K. Pritzker, made a $100 million gift.]
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Education:
Increase state funding for public schools
Every child in Illinois deserves a quality K-12 education, no matter where they grow up. According to the Illinois Constitution, the state has the primary responsibility for financing our system of public education. Unfortunately, Illinois ranks
nearly last in the nation in the percent of state funding for education and we are last among all 50 states in funding for low-income students. We must work to achieve a system that both adequately funds and equitably serves every child in Illinois.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Education:
Invest in higher education to attract jobs & businesses
Illinois should have world-class institutions of higher learning that attract students from across the country and provide Illinoisans the education and training they need to succeed in 21st-century jobs. But without sustained, long-term investment,
students of all ages will miss out on the opportunities higher education can provide. When we invest in higher education, we attract jobs and businesses that rely on a highly-educated workforce and drive economic prosperity across our state.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Families & Children:
Public/private partnership must invest in poor kids
I've become a national leader in supporting early childhood education and helped improve teacher training. I'm proud of working with some great local non-profit organizations to expand Illinois school breakfast program to
55,000 low-income students, and to change the law so that an additional 175,000 more kids are getting the breakfast they need to start their days off right.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Health Care:
Irresponsible to not fully fund Medicaid
The Republicans' elimination of Medicaid funding will force some hospitals to close and others to cut services and lay-off healthcare professionals. This is not only morally unconscionable, it is fiscally irresponsible.
I will fight to preserve full Medicaid funding and work with health experts and leaders across the state to expand health coverage for all Illinoisans.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Jobs:
Private initiatives can create new jobs
Not all that long ago, Illinois was way behind when it came to creating technology jobs--and we were missing out on the high-paying jobs those businesses create.
I led the creation of a non-profit small business incubator called 1871, which in the last five years is responsible for creating 6,000 new jobs in Illinois, and we're now ranked among the top ten tech hubs in the world.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Jobs:
State & local business share vocational training
Restoring vocational training for high school students and designing regional workforce development programs that are aligned with the needs of the local labor market and responsive to the unique characteristics of the communities they serve will help
Illinoisans gain the technical training and accreditation they need to transition into new & emerging jobs. [I'll] foster greater coordination between industry partners and local community colleges on curriculum design & the sharing of labor market data.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Jobs:
Uphold unions and living wage
By leveraging Illinois' strong agricultural base and energy generation sector, we can attract new industries and businesses to communities that need it most.
Our state must restore its vital partnership with working families and labor unions, and uphold the principle that every worker deserves a living wage.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Principles & Values:
Who needs another rich guy running for office?
Let me address a question I imagine may be on your mind:"With Bruce Rauner as Governor and Donald Trump as President, why do we need another rich guy running for office?"
My answer is that it's a matter of values. About a century ago, my great-grandfather Nicholas arrived in Chicago penniless. He worked hard--but he had help.
A social service agency helped him find a place to live. A good public school helped him learn English. A state university allowed him to get a higher education degree. You can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have any,
and this state gave my great grandfather his bootstraps. It's what everyone in Illinois deserves, it's what I've been fighting for my whole life, and it's what I'll be fighting for every day as your next governor.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Tax Reform:
Illinois needs progressive income tax
It's time for Illinois to modernize our tax code--and to do that, we must fairly raise revenue. Right now, Illinois has one of the most regressive tax structures in the nation. Low, middle, and working-class families pay more of their income in taxes
than millionaires and billionaires and that's unacceptable. A progressive tax system built around our modern economy will give us the tools we need to provide our children a top-notch education and expand job training programs across the state.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
On Drugs:
Legalize and tax marijuana
Asked about marijuana while speaking to a group of college Democrats in Bloomington, JB Pritzker received roaring applause to his one-sentence statement on the topic: "And I think we should legalize marijuana and tax it."Chris Kennedy was asked by a
student: if it was legalized, what would his plan be for using the tax money? "I think you have high hopes," Kennedy quipped to laughter and applause, and then said, "I don't know whether it'll get legalized, I don't know if it'll get taxed.
I mean, I think betting our future that all of that occurs and that somehow that's gonna cure our budget problem. I think we need thoughtful, real, concrete [policy plans] that operate without relying on something that has, you know,
tenuous, possibilities. Sorry. I'll tell you the truth." The students were dead silent when he finished, so Kennedy decided to take one more question because, he said, "I can't go out on that one."
Source: CapitolFax.com on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
May 1, 2017
On Abortion:
Undo restrictions to preserve women's reproductive rights
Pritzker said if he is elected governor, he is prepared to preserve women's reproductive rights at all costs. "We need a governor to sign this bill and when I become governor,
I will demand immediate action and I will be the governor that will sign it," he said.
The bill would remove language from the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 which declares that "the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person for purposes of the unborn child's right to life."
Additionally, the proposal would remove a provision that denies health insurance coverage of abortion to women on Medicaid and State Employee Health Insurance.
Source: Illinois Times on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Apr 27, 2017
On Corporations:
Raise corporate tax for education
[On corporate tax rates]: "We have only four states in the United States that have a flat tax system and Illinois is one of the four," Pritzker said. "We have to change the system so the people and corporations who can afford it,
pay a fair share of our education budget so we can raise school funding for these kids. We've really starved our schools and it's not fair to the kids or to the future of the state."
Source: The Chicago Citizen on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Apr 27, 2017
On Crime:
Erase juvenile criminal records for adults
[Said Pritzker of juvenile criminal records,] "Even if you live a life that's free of any interaction with the law, you still have this mark sitting on your records--it can prevent you from getting employment, an apartment. It shouldn't be that way.
You shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to get it off your record when you made a mistake at 15, 16 or 17 years old or younger. It should automatically be taken it off."
Source: The Chicago Defender on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Apr 27, 2017
On Gun Control:
Supports 2nd Amendment AND the fight for gun safety
[On gun rights, Pritzker] admitted that his perspective on guns was colored by his suburban upbringing, and said conversations with his wife--raised in rural South Dakota--helped awaken his understanding of their importance for self-defense.
Pritzker said he's a Second Amendment supporter who believes "there are things we can do to fight for gun safety."
Source: Peoria Journal Star on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Apr 27, 2017
Page last updated: Dec 11, 2018