Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has some big ideas for his second term.
He highlighted them in his inaugural address without indicating how to pay for them. That should come next week when he submits his budget.
One of them is universal preschool. At the moment it’s available to about 20 percent of all thee- and four-year-olds Illinois. The group Illinois actions for children estimates it would cost another $175 million to make it available to all young kids … in Chicago alone.
Pritzker’s priority of universal preschool is followed by free college tuition for working families.
Democrats acting on their own introduced some other bills like a statewide child income tax credit and banning vaping in public places, similar to the ban on tobacco smoke.
It’s an ambitious agenda being pushed by Pritzker for Illinois state lawmakers.
We’ll get into that with Illinois State Rep. Gregg Johnson.
“Early childhood learning is extremely important,” Johnson said. “I think anything that invests in a better future for our kids is something that we obviously have to always get behind.”
To hear what else Johnson has to say, click on the video.
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