Governor JB Pritzker

- 43ND GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS
- SWORN IN: JANUARY 14, 2019
- SECOND TERM
- NEXT ELECTION: NOVEMBER 2026
Illinois Governor News Feed
- Drone use for hunting prohibited in Illinois, IDNR reminds hunters September 27, 2023SPRINGFIELD - The use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, for any aspect of hunting or recovery of wildlife is unlawful, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding the public. "Not only is drone use for hunting unlawful in Illinois, it goes against the spirit of fair chase and widely accepted hunting ethics," said Jed […]
- Rebuilding DuPage County - Major projects highlight Year Five of Rebuild Illinois September 26, 2023DUPAGE COUNTY - Entering Year Five of Rebuild Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced multiple projects in the DuPage County area are underway or planned, highlighting an ongoing commitment made possible by Gov. JB Pritzker's historic, bipartisan capital program.
Governor JB Pritzker was sworn in as the 43rd Governor of Illinois on Jan. 14, 2019. Since taking office, he has accomplished one of the most ambitious and consequential policy agendas in state history.
The governor won bipartisan passage for Rebuild Illinois, the largest investment in state history to upgrade roads, bridges, rail, broadband, and schools. He overcame years of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois by proposing and passing a balanced budget every year, eliminating the state’s multi-billion dollar bill backlog, reducing the state’s pension liability, and achieving six credit upgrades from rating agencies. He took bold action to put state government back on the side of working families by creating jobs, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, protecting reproductive rights, making university and community college education more affordable, and advancing equal pay for women.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pritzker saved lives and livelihoods by prioritizing the health and safety of Illinois residents while supporting families and businesses through the COVID-induced recession. To protect hardworking families from additional hardship, one of the defining features of the governor’s response to the COVID financial crisis was launching the nation’s largest pandemic relief grant program for small businesses and the nation’s largest housing assistance program.
In 2021, Governor Pritzker proposed and signed a comprehensive clean energy bill, making Illinois a national leader on climate action and the first state in the Midwest to pass a law phasing out fossil fuels.
Before becoming governor, Pritzker founded 1871, the non-profit small business incubator in Chicago. Since its creation, Chicago has been named one of the top ten technology startup hubs in the world, and 1871 was named the best incubator in the world. As governor, he continues to expand support for new business creation throughout the state and cut taxes for hundreds of thousands of small businesses while incentivizing job creation. Since 2019, annual new business startups in Illinois have grown by nearly 70%. Illinois now has the largest growth in small business creation among the largest states in the nation, beating states like California, Texas, Florida and New York.
Governor Pritzker and his wife, MK, have been married for more than 25 years, and they are the proud parents of daughter, Teddi, and son, Don.