Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says he won’t cut education funding in the difficult budget year ahead.  The Chicago Democrat made the comments during his annual budget address to lawmakers yesterday.  Quinn is calling for making the state’s temporary income tax increase permanent and giving homeowners a $500 property tax credit.  The pending rollback of the tax increase in January is expected to cause a $1.6 billion loss in revenue.  He says former Republican governor Jim Edgar was right to use income tax to invest more in education in the late 1990s.  Quinn says his plan creates a state budget that “properly funds” schools.  He wants more money for early childhood education and community colleges.

Raising the minimum wage has so far been a key campaign theme for Governor Pat Quinn, but he didn’t mention it in his annual budget speech.  The Chicago Democrat has focused on the issue in his re-election bid and brought it up in his State of the State address earlier this year.  He’s also blasted his Republican opponent Bruce Rauner for changing his stance on it.  Quinn has said he wants the state’s $8.25 rate to be at least $10 by year’s end.  Quinn’s first political ad focused on his Republican rival’s changing stance.  Rauner initially said he’d cut it, but now says he’d raise it under the some circumstances.