thank you, barbara flynn curly and thank you senator dwight hutchinson. you helped get the job done with your colleagues. [ applause ] by doubling the value of the illinois earned income tax credit and improving the personal exemption, we are providing targeted tax relief to 1 million working families and their children. people like rhonda jones. rhonda is a single mom raising five children on the south side of chicago. she works as a public high school counselor for a modest salary. she knows what it's like to live from paycheck to paycheck. year after year, the federal and state earned income tax credit has been her saving grace. she uses that extra money to help pay bills and support her kids through school. three of her children are now in college and two more are on the way. thank you, rhonda. thank you for being a great person. [ applause ] from the moment i took office, my goal has been to advance education for everyone. that's why we passed landmark education laws that are a model for the entire nation. laws that improve school report cards so par