Quinn Delivers State of the State Speech

It's the start of Illinois' new legislative session, and Governor Pat Quinn has now explained what he wants lawmakers to accomplish.  

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Credit Chris Slaby

Illinois lawmakers listen to Gov. Pat Quinn during his State of the State address

In his fifth State of the State address since becoming governor, Quinn laid out a wide-ranging agenda:

He wants to allow same-sex couples get married and he wants to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour. He also said lawmakers should pass a measure that would allow voters to register online.

In addition, Quinn called for a ban on the sale of assault weapons.

"We all weep over the senseless violence in our communities. But as elected officials we're in a position to do something about it,” Quinn said. 

“We have lifesaving work to do. We cannot wait for another tragedy to happen before we take action.”

House Republican Leader Tom Cross criticized the speech. He said that rather than give a laundry list of scattered ideas, Quinn needs to get focused.

While the governor touched on Illinois' pension debt, which is approaching $100 billion, he mostly repeated previous - and so far unsuccessful - calls for action. 

Quinn spoke about the pension crisis for only two-and-a-half minutes of his nearly 40-minute speech.