r/PritzkerPosting

Gov. JB Pritzker received the endorsement of Illinois’ largest teachers union Monday as the Democratic governor campaigns for a third term, though the announcement also highlighted growing tensions over how the state should address additional funding requests from Chicago Public Schools.

The Illinois Education Association (IEA), which represents more than 135,000 teachers, professors and education support staff across the state, formally endorsed Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Christian Mitchell for reelection in 2026. The endorsement marks the third time the union has backed Pritzker for governor.

Speaking after accepting the endorsement, Pritzker defended his administration’s education record, pointing to billions of dollars in additional K-12 funding approved since he took office. He also used the event to criticize Republican challenger Darren Bailey, arguing his administration has been a strong supporter of public education.

The endorsement comes as state leaders face increasing pressure over education funding, particularly after Chicago Public Schools approved a nearly $10 billion budget that assumes an additional $150 million in state aid that has not yet been appropriated. The move has set up a potential funding fight ahead of the General Assembly’s fall veto session.

Pritzker expressed skepticism that the state could provide Chicago with additional funding without also increasing support for school districts across Illinois.

Lawmakers are expected to revisit education funding issues when they return to Springfield for the fall veto session later this year.

Gov. JB Pritzker is pressing the Trump administration for answers about the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying he is deeply concerned about the health and safety of the roughly 5,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pritzker criticized what he called a lack of transparency surrounding the ship's deployment and questioned why its mission has been repeatedly extended without a clear end date.

The USS Abraham Lincoln deployed from San Diego in November with an expected return in May, according to Pritzker's letter. The governor said the ship has now been at sea for more than 250 days and has gone without a port call since December.

Pritzker cited reports from sailors' families alleging shortages of food and basic supplies, broken plumbing, unsanitary conditions and safety concerns aboard the ship. He also raised concerns about the crew's mental health, including reports of sailors attempting or threatening to go overboard.

"I am greatly concerned about reports outlining deteriorating mental health, including multiple incidents in which sailors attempted or threatened to go overboard, alongside accounts from families describing exhaustion, acute distress, and difficulty accessing mental healthcare," Pritzker said.

The governor also criticized the administration for not providing information requested by Congress, including the number of Illinois residents currently serving aboard the carrier.

Pritzker asked Hegseth to provide answers to three questions:

How many Illinoisans are currently aboard the USS Lincoln?

What mental health services are being provided for service members aboard the ship? Will there be a full investigation of what went wrong during this deployment? Will that report be made public?

What were the original objectives of this mission and what has changed that justifies an indefinite deployment?

"The seriousness of these reports demands a thorough, transparent accounting of the conditions aboard the ship and immediate action to address any deficiencies identified," Pritzker said.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed three bills Tuesday aimed at strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, while creating new protocols intended to identify high-risk intimate partner violence cases before they turn deadly.

The measures address emergency orders of protection, domestic violence risk assessments and access to sexual assault nurse examiners through telehealth services.

Pritzker said the legislation is intended to improve both prevention and response efforts for victims.

“This legislation is designed to create safeguards against domestic and sexual violence, making us more prepared to stop it before it happens and step in upon its discovery,” Pritzker said in a statement.

One of the new laws, Senate Bill 3044, seeks to eliminate gaps in legal protections for victims of domestic violence and stalking.

Under current Illinois law, emergency orders of protection generally remain in effect for 14 to 21 days. Supporters of the legislation said problems can arise when an emergency order expires before a final order of protection is officially served.

The new law will ensure emergency orders remain in effect until the final order has been served, closing what lawmakers described as a legal loophole.

“Her experience helped drive this change, and I’m proud that Illinois has now taken action to ensure victims remain protected every step of the way,” Stadelman said.

Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) said the measure could improve safety for people seeking protection from abuse.

SB 3044 takes effect Jan. 1, 2028.

A second measure, Senate Bill 3048, establishes requirements for law enforcement agencies when responding to certain domestic violence incidents.

The law requires officers to use a Lethality Assessment Protocol, an evidence-based screening tool designed to identify victims who may face an elevated risk of serious injury or death from an intimate partner.

Under the legislation, officers must administer a lethality assessment when there is an allegation of intimate partner domestic violence involving assault or battery that does not result in an arrest.

The law also requires:

Lethality assessments to be administered only after officers receive specialized training.

Victims to provide consent before participating in an assessment.

Officers to document when an assessment cannot be completed and provide referrals to domestic violence service providers.

Assessment records to be exempt from public disclosure.

Police reports to omit the specific domestic violence center to which a victim was referred.

Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Human Services will work with stakeholders to develop implementation guidance and model policies for local agencies by Jan. 1, 2028.

Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said the law will provide officers with more standardized tools for evaluating potentially dangerous situations.

“Identifying high-risk cases early is critical to protecting victims,” Kelly said.

SB 3048 takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The third measure, Senate Bill 3506, focuses on expanding access to sexual assault medical forensic examinations.

The law updates the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act, which is reviewed annually by a working group led by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Supporters said the legislation addresses ongoing shortages of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, commonly known as SANEs, by allowing trained providers who are still completing their certification process to conduct exams under virtual supervision.

The law permits hospitals and approved pediatric health care facilities to submit plans to the Illinois Department of Public Health for the use of TeleSANE systems. Those systems would allow qualified providers to supervise examinations remotely through telecommunications technology.

The measure also clarifies patient consent procedures. If a medical provider determines a survivor lacks decision-making capacity, consent for an exam may be provided by a guardian, spouse or an individual with power of attorney.

Most provisions of SB 3506 take effect Jan. 1, 2027, although some sections involving crime victims’ rights and treatment requirements take effect earlier.

The three laws are part of a broader effort by state officials and lawmakers to strengthen responses to domestic violence and sexual assault while expanding access to services for survivors across Illinois.

THANK YOU JB, for listening and coming to the South burbs!

Those of you who called this a minor storm, kiss my ass!

I'm beyond proud that this is my governor!!!

JB- I say this as a supporter, get your ass away from the butter cow at the Fair and over to the perpetually neglected So burbs who have been HAMMERED with consecutive devastating storms!
People are hurting here; Mike Braun of Indiana has sent his National Guard into NWI and has completely outflanked you!
You blew a political opportunity, now it is a political LIABILITY and a human tragedy!
Fire your Chief of Staff, horrible optics AND inaction.
And I am a supporter!

Illinois health officials say the state will not change its childhood vaccine recommendations following a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump that seeks to alter federal guidance on several routine immunizations.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it will continue following vaccine recommendations adopted earlier this year from the American Academy of Pediatrics, rather than the new framework outlined in Trump’s order.

Trump’s executive order, signed Monday, calls for significant changes to childhood vaccination guidance. Among them is a recommendation that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be administered as three separate shots over multiple appointments instead of the combined vaccine commonly used today. The order also reduces the emphasis on several vaccines, including those for hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, influenza and COVID-19, recommending some only for high-risk groups or through shared decision-making between families and healthcare providers.

However, states are not required to adopt the federal recommendations. School vaccination requirements are established by state governments, not the federal government.

Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized the executive order, calling it a “thoughtless piece of paper” that does not outweigh decades of scientific research on vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Illinois officials said they will continue relying on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which were unanimously adopted by the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee in February. Those guidelines call for children to receive the hepatitis B vaccine series, at least one COVID-19 vaccine, annual flu vaccinations, the first dose of MMR vaccine and two doses of hepatitis A vaccine by age 2. A second MMR dose is recommended between ages 4 and 6, along with continued annual flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

“The Illinois Department of Public Health is committed to ensuring Illinois residents have reliable access to vaccines and guidance supported by the most up-to-date science,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “IDPH will continue to be guided by science and work closely with clinical and community leaders to provide recommendations that allow Illinoisians to make the best choices to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy.”

Vohra expressed particular concern over the proposal to separate the MMR vaccine into multiple visits, saying the approach is not supported by scientific evidence. Public health experts have argued that spacing out doses could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases if families do not return for follow-up appointments.

The issue comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reshape federal vaccine policies. According to Capitol News Illinois, some administration attempts to alter vaccine recommendations have already faced legal challenges and have been blocked by a federal judge.

Illinois has taken steps in recent months to establish more independent authority over vaccine policy. Pritzker signed a law in December allowing IDPH to develop state-specific vaccine recommendations and requiring state-regulated insurance plans to cover vaccines recommended by the department. State officials said the law helps ensure access to vaccines even if federal guidance changes.

Illinois rideshare drivers will soon have the ability to unionize and collectively bargain under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, a measure supporters say will give more than 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers a greater voice in pay, benefits and working conditions.

The legislation, House Bill 5090, creates the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, establishing a framework for drivers working through app-based transportation companies to organize, select bargaining representatives and negotiate industrywide agreements with rideshare companies.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief Senate sponsor, said rideshare drivers have increasingly faced lower wages, rising vehicle costs and a lack of workplace protections despite playing a critical role in transportation across Illinois.

“Rideshare drivers are the back-bones of our communities, getting our neighbors to their job, school or doctors’ appointments,” Villivalam said in a statement. “So many of our residents rely on rideshare drivers – meanwhile those driving are facing decreased wages, increased vehicle costs and unfair working conditions.”

Supporters of the legislation say the growth of companies such as Uber and Lyft has transformed the transportation industry while leaving many drivers with limited recourse to challenge pay policies, deactivations or other workplace issues.

Under the new law, drivers will have the right to form and join driver organizations and bargain collectively through representatives of their choosing. The legislation also establishes procedures for union recognition, elections, contract negotiations and dispute resolution. It further outlines what constitutes unfair labor practices by both rideshare companies and driver organizations.

The measure creates a statewide bargaining unit for transportation network drivers and allows an exclusive bargaining representative to negotiate with covered rideshare companies on issues including compensation, benefits, paid leave, deactivation appeals, earnings transparency and workplace safety requirements. Any negotiated agreement would require approval from the Illinois Department of Labor before taking effect.

The law also establishes a Rideshare Workers Support Fund, financed through a per-trip fee paid by covered transportation network companies. Revenue from the fund will help cover administrative costs and support education and representation efforts for drivers.

Labor advocates hailed the signing as a landmark moment for gig economy workers.

“Governor Pritzker’s signature marks a turning point not just for rideshare drivers, but for the future of work in Illinois,” said Genie Kastrup, an App Drivers Union leader. “This law doesn’t just give drivers a seat at the table – it shifts power to the workers who make this industry possible.”

App Drivers Union leader Ronnie Gonzalez said the law gives drivers the opportunity to advocate for better compensation and working conditions through collective action.

“By signing this bill into law, Governor Pritzker has given drivers the freedom to come together and have a voice in decisions about the pay, protections, and dignity they deserve,” Gonzalez said.

According to Villivalam, more than 100,000 people drive for rideshare companies in Illinois. He said the new law will help drivers secure better wages, benefits and workplace protections while supporting the continued growth of the state’s transportation network.

The Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act took effect immediately upon becoming law.

Illinois is requiring polluters to begin reporting spills of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles, a growing source of contamination in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.

Companies that manufacture, use or transport nurdles also must develop plans to limit them in storm runoff, making the state the first in either watershed to officially designate bits of wasted plastic as pollution.

The new law, signed late last week by Gov. JB Pritzker, comes as an ongoing Tribune series, “Great Waste in the Great Lakes,” delves into threats posed by nurdles and other man-made particles known collectively as microplastics.

Nurdles, synthesized by petrochemical plants as building blocks of new plastics, have been found in every Great Lake and in rivers throughout Illinois.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday to help women receive proper medical treatment for menopause.

Healthcare professionals in Illinois are already required to complete a one-hour implicit bias training during their license renewal period. However, this law will allow a course covering perimenopause and menopause to satisfy the requirement.

"These are real medical experiences that deserve informed, evidence-based responses," said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan). "When providers are equipped with better knowledge, patients receive better healthcare."

This law passed unanimously out of both chambers. It will take effect Jan. 1.

Pritzker also signed legislation mandating private insurance plans cover medically necessary evaluation and treatment of perimenopause and menopause conditions, including hormone conditions and medications. It also amends the Human Rights Act to state it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual due to a menopause-related condition, including in the workplace.

"Illinois should be a leader in caring for women going through perimenopause and menopause - and that means removing obstacles that have held too many back from getting help," said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood). "Requiring private insurance to cover these evaluations and treatments will make care more affordable and help prevent serious long-term health issues."

The law also called for the Illinois Department of Public Health to create educational materials that include common symptoms, evidence-based treatment and available resources.

House Bill 5284 passed out of the Senate on a 51-4 vote. The proposal received a 78-33 vote in the House.

A separate law will require education on menopause and perimenopause, as well as on recognition and engagement, at all Illinois medical schools. Sponsors said this small change can help improve health outcomes for women.

"We need to talk about it," said Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). "We deserve the same healthcare as everybody else. This is an issue of equity, and we're going to keep fighting for that."

Senate Bill 3688 passed unanimously out of both chambers.

There’s no way he knows what “the board” did instead of firing themselves from the Veterans Museum when they found themselves unable to fulfill Maggie Daley’s vision for that legacy. They were Responsible for finishing the third floor for exhibition space for Ned Broderick’s paintings. His work is what inspired her gift- and remember the heart breaking Dog Tag exhibition hung from the ceiling painstakingly made as a sight specific work for the first floor memorializing their sacrifice?
Instead they fired Ned, sold a chunk of her expanding museum campus as commercial, and shoved the dog tag exhibit (and whatever is left of the Museum) to a second floor walk up on Milwaukee.
There’s no way Pritzker knows. I think there’s very few people who know. I think one of them must “own” property on Milwaukee. I wonder who “owns” that corner on Indiana now? The new dedicated museum building is gone. Maggie Daley got sick and trusted the board to do the stuff to finish, because Ned’s job is to paint. She wanted to make sure he did, so many people saw the gruesome honesty that they would probably never hear about. MD built culture for authenticity. She died and they shat all over her, this city, and national sacred historic acknowledgment of total sacrifice, whether the child returned or not
Will JB flay those mfrs and make them rebuild our stolen museum when he finds out?
He walked with us. I just think there’s no way he’ll let them get away with this grift once he knows. He’ll make it right.
Oh and speaking of iconic site specific legacy stolen- let’s all be on the lookout for the real Jane M. Burn’s Children’s fountain. God that breaks my heart. It was where it was for the all the visiting children. Hopefully they’ll come back, too.
And Roosevelt Bridge!! The globes west are just gone. First they let a line of demarcation make too far west obvious, and then instead of repairing or replacing the globes they got collected.

After the U.S. Treasury paid out $100 billion in tariff refunds to corporations at the end of last month, Gov. JB Pritzker wants to know where Illinois’ cut is.

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Thursday, Pritzker asked the president to send direct payments of $1,700 to Illinois families. He also encouraged Trump to stop seeking new ways to enforce tariffs and to support legislation that would require corporations to pass refund relief back to consumers.

“There is no portal to request a refund for a mother in Rockford buying groceries for her children,” Pritzker wrote. “There is no trade attorney representing a retiree in Carbondale paying off their mortgage. There is no check coming in for the farmer in Champaign who had to pay more for his equipment.”

The money reimbursed as of July was about 60% of the total $166 billion owed to U.S. companies after the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, in February, finding that the law did not authorize the president to unilaterally impose tariffs.

The refunds for the unconstitutionally collected tariffs have so far reportedly included $2.2 billion to Apple and $600 million to Amazon, and Walmart says it is owed an estimated $2.4 billion in refunds.

Those companies have made pledges to either issue partial refunds to customers who paid higher prices as a result of the tariffs, to generally cut prices, or to “reinvest” the money into U.S. manufacturing, but there is no mechanism to ensure that the higher costs passed on to consumers are routed back to them.

Pritzker encouraged Trump to support the Tariff Relief for Consumers Act, a bill that would require companies receiving refunds to lower prices paid by consumers on household goods that were affected by the illegal tariffs.

However, the bill has seen no movement in Congress since it was introduced in March, and the process for determining the costs incurred by consumers would be made nearly impossible due to the multiple rounds and intermittent nature of the tariffs.

Trump himself said on social media late last year that “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” to return money collected from tariffs back to consumers, though no such checks materialized.

But even while his administration is paying out refunds from the illegal tariffs levied last year, the Trump administration is still looking for new ways to get the courts to accept his approach to tariffs.

The initial round of tariffs levied illegally under the IEEPA framework ranged from 10-50% on nearly all U.S. global trading partners. Before Trump, no U.S. president had previously attempted to use IEEPA — designed to give the president the power to regulate international commerce in response to national security emergencies — to impose tariffs.

Hours after the court declared those tariffs illegal, the administration imposed a new 10% tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a temporary, 150-day measure to be used in a balance-of-payments emergency, where the value of the U.S. dollar is at such a crisis level that the country cannot meet its international payment obligations.

The U.S. Court of International Trade in May ruled that Trump’s use of Section 122 tariffs was also illegal, but declined to issue nationwide relief.

But despite the repeated rulings, the administration took a third swing at new tariffs after the Section 122 tariffs expired last month, this time saying the tariffs are necessary to combat forced labor in global trade.

Twenty-five states, including Illinois, sued the administration on Monday over the new round, which imposes tariffs of 10-12.5% on 60 economies that provide over 99% of American imports. The states called the invocation of forced labor a “pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme.”

“For the third time, I stand with my colleagues across the country to fight the Trump administration’s illegal tariffs,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “The Court of International Trade and the U.S. Supreme Court have already found the Trump tariffs to be unlawful, and we are confident we will prevail this third time.”

A July report by the nonpartisan research Midwest Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal found even broader harms of the tariffs on six Midwest states, including Illinois.

The states make up 19% of U.S. manufacturing and 20% of agricultural outputs, making them particularly vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs from countries reacting to Trump’s tariff regime.

In Illinois, that translated to an average $2,200 increase in costs per household, 7,500 lost manufacturing jobs and a $5 billion drop in GDP, according to the report.

That pain was felt most acutely by low-income households. For those in the bottom 10% of households by income — those making $15,100 or less — the tariffs added an average $800 in costs for the year, meaning the new tariffs ate up 5% of income for Illinois’ poorest households.

Pritzker’s letter to Trump this month followed an earlier one he sent in February after the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal, attaching an invoice of $8.6 million and instructing Trump to, “Cut the check.”

The invoice “was past-due then,” Pritzker wrote in Thursday’s letter. “The invoice remains unpaid. Illinois families are still waiting.”