Governor Pat Quinn says raising Illinois' minimum wage is about dignity and decency.
Quinn reiterated his push Wednesday during his State of the State address. He says he wants to raise the state's $8.25 rate to at least $10 an hour: "Our minimum wage workers are doing hard work. They are putting in long hours. Yet in too many instances, they are living in poverty. That's not right. That's not an Illinois value. that's not a fair shake."
The Chicago Democrat has wanted to increase the rate for years. Trying to do so has also been part of a national Democratic strategy. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced plans to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour, a jump over the current federal $7.25 rate. Minimum wage also has been a major issue on the 2014 gubernatorial campaign trail for Illinois Republicans. Three of the four GOP candidates oppose an increase.
Quinn also wants to beef up early education in Illinois. The Governor didn't detail how much money the initiative will cost or how it will be run. He says he wants to increase access to prenatal care, early learning and parental support. Quinn says putting more resources into early education will pay off in the future. The Illinois State Board of Education is asking lawmakers for a $25 million increase in early childhood education next year. But funding could be scarce. That's because a scheduled rollback of the state's temporary income tax may mean cuts for schools and social services.
Quinn is calling for doubling the number of monetary award program scholarships for college students. The Democrat used his State of the State address to propose the idea on Wednesday. He says it's part of his goal of making sure that 60 percent of the adult workforce in Illinois has a degree or career certificate by 2025. Quinn says MAP scholarships currently help 140,000 students go to college. It's a need-base scholarship. The governor says by increasing the amount of money available to for the grants, the state can ensure that ``deserving students in need are equipped to excel in the 21st Century workplace.''
Quinn says he's worked to rebuild Illinois ``one hard step at a time'' since he took office five years ago. The Chicago Democrat marked his five years in office Wednesday during his annual State of the State address. It's also the anniversary of when lawmakers removed his predecessor from office. Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich is now serving a federal prison sentence for corruption. Quinn says he's helped restore integrity to state government. He's also heralding the legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois.
