Governor’s Agenda 2022 Recap: Illinois

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker delivered his 2022 State of the State address in February outlining several keys areas of focus for the upcoming year. In 2022, several these from Governor Pritzker’s address remained consistent with those of past years: namely that education and economic development were the main areas of focus, as they have been since 2019, Pritzker’s first year in office. This lines up with priority areas for many of the country’s governors. Looking over historical data, economic development and regulation and education, both primary/secondary and higher education, have been two of the areas getting the most attention in the governors’ agendas over recent years.

In each of his State of the State addresses over the years, Governor Pritzker has emphasized specifics pertaining to economic development, such as taxes and tax breaks, business development, and ways to improve and develop the workforce. His address in 2022 proposed several forms of tax relief, such as breaks for gas, property, and grocery taxes. Additionally, this year he’s proposed more direct grants for thousands of small businesses as they recover from the economic downturn of the past two years.

Another area of focus for Governor Pritzker has consistently been in education, both in primary and secondary and higher education. Throughout his years in office, Governor Pritzker has addressed higher education by speaking primarily to affordability and funding for those in need. In 2022, he proposed increasing MAP scholarships by $200 million, getting more Pell Grants and low-cost federal loans, and increasing direct financial support to institutions of higher learning. For primary and secondary education, much of his attention was directed at funding. Each year since coming into office, Governor Pritzker has pledge more funding for K-12 schools, including an increase of $350 million in 2022 for the K-12 Evidenced Based Funding (EBF) program which allocates financial resources appropriately to schools districts that need it most.

A few months after Governor Pritzker’s address, the state’s budget was signed in April. According to a press release accompanying the approval of the budget, several funding areas following the Governor’s address were featured. This includes $1.8 billion in tax relief, including $400 million on the grocery tax, $70 million on the motor fuel tax, and $520 million on property tax rebates. It also mentions several budget items supporting education, including those called out in Governor Pritzker’s address, namely the increases in funding for EBF, early childhood education, and higher education financial support.

Deltek also has some resources available regarding this year's State of the State addresses:

• Webinar: "‘State of the States’: Innovation, Equity, and Infrastructure"
• Data Set: "Governors' State of the States Agenda Items (2019-2022)"

The full text of Governor Pritzker’s 2022 State of the State address can be read here.