c-span fan. shop at c-spanshop.org. >> democracy is not just an idea , it is a process shaped by leaders and elected to the highest offices and guarding its basic principles. it is where debates and decisions are made and the nations course is charted. democracy in real-time. this is your government at work. this is c-span, giving you your democracy unfiltered. >> illinois governor jb pritzker talked about economic growth and health care affordability during his 2025 state of the state address. he spoke before a joint session of the legislature in springfield.

>> members and guests, the governor of this great state, the honorable j.b. pritzker! [applause] gov. pritzker: thank you very much. my fellow constitutional officers, the members of the 104th general assembly, chief justice, and members of the supreme court, first lady pritzker, honored guests, and

all the people of the great state of illinois, i am j.b. pritzker and grateful to be here to deliver my seventh state of the state and budget address. [applause] of the state address. in 1818, the first inning the michael: and mandated that the governor shall from time to time give the general assembly information about the state of the movement and recommend their duration -- to their consideration such measures as he shall deem as far as i in one fashion or another, only governors have stood before this body to do what our first constitution mandated of them. these messages have reflected the unique times during which governors served. our second governor advocated for the abolition of slavery

decades before abraham lincoln. passionate in his entreaty it was a matter of justice and humanity. dwight greene, our 32nd governor implored illinoians at the start of the first cycle were not to let despair overcome us. no matter what the budget circumstances, no matter if there is a world war or deadly pandemic, no matter how any governors and legislators have been elected and installed, every year, our democratic process begins again. every year, we come together as democratically elected rep. santos: of the people to acknowledge the power they grant us with each election and reelection is not unlimited. it is traditions like this one that bring together all of our branches of government to stand in respect of each other, that

underpin the guardrails of our democracy. the only power of constitution truly recognizes is a power capable of humbling itself for our people. since i became governor, each of our budget has been an effort to strengthen the fiscal foundation upon which we can all confidently build prosperity throughout illinois in good years and in bad. together so far, we have paid down more than $12 billion in debt, grown a rainy day fund of more than $2 billion, improved our pension-funded ratio, and earned nine credit upgrades which are the first in a quarter century.

[applause] we invested in things that matter to him ends -- education, health care, public safety, infrastructure and job creation. every single one of these budget years has presented its own unique set of difficulties. this year is no exception. here's the good news. we have made responsible investments and illinois is better billed for the long-term. that means a legal budget years are a challenge and no longer a catastrophe. overcoming a challenging budget year starts with growing our economy. because every business we add, every dollar we invest, every worker we employ, every entrepreneur we uplift strengthens our resiliency. for too many years illinois lacked an organized effort to attract, retain and expand businesses, cables, and career opportunities. global ceos and site selectors have told me, illinois was never on their radar screen because for decades, our state was not proactively competing for their new factories or headquarters

like other states were. that's all changing thanks to the work of this general assembly and our new team illinois economic development organization. this state has so much to offer. among the best in the nation for workforce talent, innovation, clean energy, abundant fresh, fertile soil, educational and scientific institutions, and so much more. i have been across the country and around the world with illinois business leaders showing our wares to company leaders looking for a place to expand and we have had real success. in 2019 see nbc's list of top states for business ranked illinois 30th out of 50 states. today, we are 15th. [applause] our economy is over $1.1

trillion and growing. the fifth largest in the united states and the 18th largest in the world. we are now -- [applause] we are now ranked no. 2 in the nation for corporate expansions and relocation destinations. and you can see the progress, from decatur to manteno to belvidere. back in 2016, mitsubishi closed is only u.s. plant in normal, illinois. the community's future was in jeopardy. along came a rivian automotive which bought the idled plant and brought new life to the factory and, in turn, to the community. not satisfied with that, team illinois worked with the general assembly to support rivian's decision to invest $1.5 billion more in a factory expansion. in 2018 there were 27 rivian employees in normal.

there are now thousands. [applause] when vaughn and bushell manufacturing, an economic engine and committee is tradition in bushnell for over 150 years was on the verge of closing, hundreds of jobs and the future of the community were at risk. a small town where generations of illinois and had laid down roots, those lives and raise families would have disappeared. team illinois immediately began working with the company and local officials to make sure that that didn't happen. those efforts compelled the marshalltown company to step in and acquire vaughan & bushnell keeping jobs right here in illinois and keeping a small town together. [applause] the bushnell

mayor is here with us today. would you please stand and be recognized? [applause] when her community was in need, mayor wilt rolled up her sleeves and work with my team to keep it together. she didn't worry about partisan politics or budget gains. she her focus was, as it should be, on the working families who depend on our ability to get results. ellenova, reason man group, and so many more representing tens of billions of dollars of investment and revenue, these are just some of the new facilities and headquarters that have moved to illinois or expanded here in just the last few years. [applause]

and they are an important part of the vital new economic foundation of this state. economic growth is an essential ingredient that allows us to move beyond the budget hearings like this one. none of this happens without fiscal responsibility. i am proud to say that this year's budget proposal is balanced and responsible. it represents some hard sacrifices, and moderated spending. we are presenting the progress that we've made over the last six years, streamlining certain departments to do more with less , and delivery for our residents , without raising their taxes. i nationally [applause] like so many other states, our fy '26 ribbon will grow at a slower rate than in previous years. for example, state-sourced

revenue increased 15 point 9% in 2021 and 13.2 percent in 2023. we expect to finish this year with 5% revenue growth. but for 2026, our forecast projects a 1.9% increase. much more modestly in part because the u.s. economy is projected to grow at a slower pace. while we hope this is temporary in nature, i'm not going to base a budget on bloated revenue estimates. i have never done that. therefore, overspending must reflect reality. we have to live within our means. [applause]

-- budget mx cost-operational efficiencies, improve productivity, curtails new hiring at agencies, for the dates segregated funds, eliminates dormant boards and commissions, and overhouse state purchasing to save taxpayers money. each and every year i have proposed a balanced budget and, and each and every year are the general assembly has passed a balanced budget. [applause] as always i stand ready to work with members of the general to deliberate and negotiate a final budget. but let's be clear i will only sign a balanced budget. if you come to the table looking to spend more, i'm going to ask you where you want to cut. [applause] i have made difficult decisions, including two programs that i have champion, which is hard for

me just as i know some of the difficult decisions that you will have to make will be hard for you. i believe strongly that we must continue our firm commitment to building up the rainy day fund, new funding for public schools, investing in economic growth and jobs, and improving much needed services for working families and to the most vulnerable. these are things we cannot compromise on, particularly when we face he acidity of the federal government's haphazard ready, fire, aim tactics towards everyday americans. it is the fashion of the federal level right now to indiscriminately cut funding. the city are doing to eliminate inefficiencies. but only an idiot would think we should eliminate emergency response to natural disasters, education and health care for disabled children -- [cheers and applause] gang crime

investigations, clean air and water programs, monitoring of nursing home abuse, nuclear reactor radiation and cancer research. here in illinois, 10 years ago we saw the consequences of a rampant ideological cutting of government. it genuinely harms people. our citizens hated it. trust me, i won an entire election, in part, on just how much they hated it. [applause] so while this budget makes sacrifices, it preserves illinois progress towards delivering what children and families need the most. we want to be focused on making life more affordable for everyday illinoisans.

with the new tariffs already put in place by trumbull and the ones he has proposed, the cost of everyday goods like tomatoes and beef and beer is likely to rise again. it is confounding that when this happens, it seems like large corporations just hike up prices to drive up profits while everyday people get stuck with the bill. it's not right and we ought to call out the federal government and the companies on it. [applause] we can do something about it at the state level. last year we lowered taxes on payments when we enacted the child tax credit. and permanently eliminated the state grocery tax. [applause] together, saving illinoisans more than half a billion dollars per year. this we will need to do even more to address high prices and counteract trumbull's tariffs that will raise taxes on hard-working families.

at the top of the list, we need to lower health care costs. one of the great ironies of our modern age is that breakthroughs in research are producing medications that can treat and even cure long-standing chronic diseases. but the high costs of these drugs are making them unaffordable for people who need them the most. what is causing that? patients, health care providers and independent pharmacists will ultimately that pharmacy benefit managers, or pbm's, are driving up prices. [applause] pbm's are middlemen in the health-care industry. they extract extra profit from patients with opaque and often predatory tactics. they are not doctors, but they work with insurance companies to deny people the drugs and treatment that doctors prescribe. not only are they driven up health care costs for illinois families by hundreds of millions of dollars per year, but they are also putting small, local independent pharmacies out of business. michelle dyer of macoupin county

is a pharmacy owner -- will you please stand and be recognized? [applause] michelle was forced to close three of her stores after years of skyrocketing pbm fees. her likelihood was threatened, and so were her patients. she is not alone. we are talking about rural, small businesses being ruined by large pharmacy store chains that own pbm's. michelle and all the independent, family-run families -- pharmacies are under threat, and they deserve a level playing field. that's why i am introducing the prescription drug affordability act, to rein in the unfair practices of pbm's, reduced drug costs by hundreds of dollars per year on average copy protect independent pharmacists.

[applause] we will also give full statutory authority to the illinois department of insurance to examine the books and records of pbm's that require them to submit to at noon reporting and auditing. we will than the overcharging for drugs that people rely on, from insulin for diabetics, to chemotherapy for cancer patients. millions of illinoisans have had an unescorted illness or accident that left them owing thousands of dollars in medical bills. that they'll never be able to pay. today i am announcing a second batch of medical debt made

possible through our landmark program established last year. over 100,000 illinoisans have now seen their medical debt automatically erased. [applause] this is a great example of the creative policies that have allowed us to transform the lives of our people the better while remaining fiscally prudent for you to so far, $900,000 has allowed us to eliminate over $128 million in medical debt owed by middle-class and working-class families, saving them over $1000 on average. last year are we enacted the health care protection act, allowing doctors and patients to make their own medical decisions without interference from insurance companies. it'll save illinoisans money while improving the quality of medical care in the state. this year we will take it a step

further, we'll stop insurance companies from blocking access to mental health. we can do that by banning prior authorization for all behavioral health care. [applause]" rural illinois families and those who live far away from certain medical care, we will require insurance reimbursement for reasonable travel costs associated with medical appointments when the distance traveled exceeds network efficacy requirements. [applause] the days of unchecked health insurance greed are coming to an end here in illinois. predatory practices are being dismantled one by one, and we will lower the cost of health care for working families. [applause]

one of the biggest affordability challenges people are facing is housing. amid the construction supply chain challenges of the last few years along with higher interest rates, illinois housing inventory decreased more than the national average. that's got to change. last year i appointed a director of housing solutions and formed an advisory committee of housing experts. they proposed a slate of reforms to unlock new financing, attract capital, incentivize builders, and eliminate unnecessary barriers to housing construction. this year, i am asking the general assembly to work so that we can make it in my housing more affordable and economical. [applause] while this is a year for tightening our belts, we have made real progress towards giving every illinois child the

support they need to live a healthy and prosperous life. let's not lose that forward momentum. our historic investments in evidence-based funding have made a profound impact on student success. in 2024, reading scores for illinois eighth graders were the second highest in the nation. their math scores were the fifth highest in the nation. [applause] on top of that good news, high school graduation rates in illinois have reached a 14 year high. i believe in building on what works. so despite the challenges that we are facing this year with the budget, my budget proposal increases our commitment to evidence-based funding for public education so that we can put new resources in underfunded schools first.

improving the classroom environment and limiting distractions is vital to student achievement, and in conversation with educators and parents around this date, there is one thing they commonly cite as an impediment to learning in the classroom -- cell phones. furthermore, cyber bullying has expended at alarming rates and it is time for illinois to take measures to protect our kids. that is why this session i will move forward with legislation requiring all school districts to adopt a cell phone policy that bans the use of phones during classroom instruction. [applause] more focus on learning will bring even greater success for

kids across our state. according to u.s. news & world report, illinois ranks seventh in the nation for pre-k to 12 education. that is why so many of our students go to college and our map grant and aim high scholarship programs, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy -- along with offers like the husky pledge and illinois promise, are making university education and illinois more affordable. but making it more accessible would help us keep our best and brightest students here at home. so i propose we pass the direct admission programs act introduced but majority leader kimberly light for last year. [applause] it would allow students to know before they apply whether they qualify for admission to any or all of our state as public universities. that with a student can apply with no fee in full confidence in their acceptance. more kids in illinois will stay

and go to school here, and that is good for our state's families, and our economy. [applause] along those lines, i want to offer one final proposal focused on one of the jewels of the illinois education system, our community colleges. yep. [applause] illinois is going to one of the best committee color systems in the nation, third-largest in size and still growing. last fall, enrollment group for the third consecutive year, outpacing the national average by almost 3%. one of those students is melissa of jerzy veale, who is here today. will you stand, melissa? [applause] melissa is a nursing student at lewis and clark college -- community college and the student trustee, along with

being a devoted mother and grandmother. melissa wants to pursue a baccalaureate degree in nursing. but the costs and the commute to a school further away will make it too expensive. there are people like melissa all over illinois who want to get a four-year degree could make a better living. we should make that easier for them. that's why i am proposing that we allow community colleges to offer 4-year baccalaureate degrees for in demand career paths. nursing, advancement of fracturing, early childhood education and beyond. with lower tuition rates at a greater presence across the state especially in rural areas, community colleges provide the flexibility and affordability the students need. this is a consumer-driven,

student-centered proposal that will help fill the needs of regional employers in high needs sectors and create a pathway to a stable, quality jobs for more illinoisans. this is my seventh state of the state address. i have come before you to present a budget in good years, and in bad. in years of crisis in the years of relative stability. there is a whole industry of x-date valley acres in the state and around the country who make a profession out of rhetorically tearing down illinois and suggesting that if we would just enact one of their magic fixes, that we would never face another difficult budget year. but there is one thing i have learned as governor, there are no magic fixes. each year there is some difficulty that requires us to work hard to overcome it. this year the surfacing difficulty is donald trump's and elon musk's plan to steal illinois tax dollars and to deny

our citizens the protection and services that they need. i want to offer you a few examples. 20 million americans, 700,000 of them here in illinois, will lose health care coverage if congressional republicans are successful in their effort to cut the affordable care act. and rural hospitals across illinois will be shuttered. the trump administration cut off funding for food safety inspectors for nearly a month, impacting more than seven pulju facilities in illinois. without these inspectors, the supply chain collapses and prices go through the roof. jobs will be lost. meals on wheels programs, which home delivery of 12 million meals per year to 100,000 seniors and people with disabilities in illinois, are on the federal chopping block. this is real. the new administration and the

republican congress and elon musk intend to take these programs away. for all illinoisans watching at home, let me be clear, this will affect your daily lives. our state budget can't make up for the damage that is done to people across our state if they succeed. there are people, some in my party, who think that if you just give donald trump everything that he wants, he will make an exception and spare you some of the harm. i will ignore the moral abdication of that position for just a second to say -- almost none of these people have had the experience with the president that i do. i once swallowed my pride to offer him what he values most -- public trees on the sunday news shows, in return for ventilators and n95 masks during the worst of the pandemic. we made a deal. it turns out his promises were as broken as the machines he

sent us a set of ventilators. going along to get along does not work. just ask the trump-fearing red state governors. [cheers and applause] you can boo all you want until your constituents move these services. those red state governors are dealing with the same cuts that we are and i won't be fooled twice. last week that was condemned, the unchecked power of the former speaker of this house. if you uploaded that decision, like i did, than i expected to defend and upload those same federal courts as they check this president in his quest for unrestrained power.

[applause] i have been reflecting these last four weeks on two important parts of my life. my work helping to build the illinois holocaust museum, and the two times i have had the privilege of reciting the oath of office. as some of you know, skokie, illinois once had one of the largest populations of holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. in 1970 eight, nazis decided that they wanted to march in there. the leaders of that march neither the images of swastika-clad young man go stepping down a suburban street would terrorize the local jewish population, so many of whom had never recovered from their time in german concentration camps.

the prospect of that march parked a legal fight that went all the way to the supreme court. it was a jewish lawyer from the aclu who argued the case for the nazis, intending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment. as an american and as a jew, i find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that supreme court case. but i am grateful that the prospect of nazis marching in their street spurred the survivors and other residents to act. they joined together to form the holocaust, a foundation and built the first illinois holocaust museum in a storefront in 1981, a small but important forerunner to the one i helped build 30 years later here.

i do not invoke the specter of nazis lately. but i know the history intimately and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the holocaust. here is what i have learned. the route the tears apart your house as the foundation begins as a seed. a seed of distrust and hate and blame. a seed that grew into a dictatorship in europe a lifetime ago did not arrive overnight, it started with everyday germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame. i am watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. . a president who watches a plane go down in the potomac and suggests, without facts or findings, that a diversity higher is responsible for the crash. or the missouri attorney general who just sued starbucks, arguing that customers pay higher prices for their coffee because of the baristas are two female and nonwhite. the authoritarian playbook is laid bare here. they point to a group of people who don't look like you and tell

you to blame them for your problems. i just have one question -- what comes next? after we have discriminated against, deported, or discouraged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women, and the minorities, once we have ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends, after that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face, what comes next? all the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. and if we don't want to repeat history then for god sakes, in this moment, we better be strong enough to learn from it! [applause]

eyesore the following both mama on abraham lincoln's bible, "i do solemnly swear that i will support the constitution of the united states, and the constitution of the state of illinois, and that i will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of governor accorded to the best of my ability." but both mama is to the constitution of our state -- might both mama is to the constitution of our state and our country. we don't have kings in america, and i don't intend to bend the knee to one. [applause] might both mama i am not speaking up for in service to my ambitions but in deference to my obligations. if you think i am overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this -- it took the

nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. all i'm saying is that when the five alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man in a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control. those illinois nazis did end up holding their march in 19 78, just not in skokie. after all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in chicago instead. only 20 of them showed up. but two thousand people came to counter-protestor. the chicago tribune reported that the rally sputtered to an unspectacular end in 30 minutes. it was illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame. tyranny requires your fear and your silence and compliance.

democracy requires your courage. so, gather your justice and humanity, illinois, and do not let the tragic spirit of despair overcome us when our country meets us the most. thank you. [cheers and applause] -- when our country needs as the most. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> american history tv, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. this weekend at 2:00 on the civil war, a military history professor at the u.s. army command and general staff college on the role of african american soldiers in the union

army in their efforts to gain civil liberties. at 7:00, watch first 100 days as we look at the start of presidential terms. this week, we focus on the early months of president franklin roosevelt's first term including actions taken to alleviate economic conditions. and the professor talks about the life and legacy of slaves and how the united states and other foreign powers reacted to the 1791 haitian revolution. on the presidency, the national constitution center president and ceo leads a discussion of historians on inaugural addresses and how they shape a president's legacy. exploring the american story, watch american history tv saturdays on c-spans and find a full schedule in your program guide or watch anytime online at

c-span.org/history. >> booktv every sunday on c-span2 features leading authors discussing their latest nonfiction books. here is a look at what is coming up this weekend. at 4:00 eastern, he talks about his life is apolitical activist and organizer in the latino community. at 6:45 eastern, nicol turner lee with her book, "digitally invisible." at 10:00 eastern, professor ewing with her book, "original sins," that argues the u.s. education system reinforces racial inequality at the expense of black and native children.

she is interviewed by associate press editor alia wong. find a full schedule in your program guide or watch anytime at booktv.org. ♪ >> democracy is always an unfinished creation. >> democracy is worth dying for. >> democracy belongs to us all. >> we are in the sanctuary of democracy. >> great responsibilities fall once again to the great democracies. >> american democracy is bigger than any one person. >> freedom and democracy must be constantly guarded and protected. >> we are still at our core a democracy. >> this is also a massive victory for democracy and freedom. ♪ >> listening to programs on

c-span through c-span radio is easy. tell your smart speaker, "play c-span radio" and listen to "washington journal" daily. weekdays, catch "washington today." listen to c-span any time. c-span, created by cable. >> the senate judiciary committee held a hearing on strengthening online safety protections for children featuring lawmakers, advocates, and legal experts. during their remarks, witnesses fielded questions on federal regulations, age restrictions for online content, and artificial intelligence. this runs two hours and 10 minutes.