Robert W. Pritchard
Robert W. Pritchard (b. February 2, 1945) is a former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing District 70 from 2003 to 2018. He resigned on July 1, 2018.[1]
Biography
Pritchard earned his B.S. in Communications from the University of Illinois in 1967 and his M.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois in 1968. His professional experience includes working as an agriculture producer, executive director of the Illinois Agriculture Leadership Foundation, director of Monsanto, and extension advisor at the University of Illinois.[2]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Pritchard served on the following committees:
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Pritchard served on the following committees:
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Pritchard served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Higher Education |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Pritchard served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Educ |
| • Appropriations-Higher Education |
| • Elementary & Secondary Education |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Higher Education |
| • Insurance |
| • Veterans' Affairs |
Issues
Death penalty
At the beginning of the 2011 session, Kwame Raoul sponsored a proposal that will appeal the death penalty in Illinois. He faced opposition from the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association.
Raoul cited 10 years of studies that demonstrate a broken criminal justice system.
“There’s got to be a point where you try and solve a problem,” said Raoul. “I think it’s high time the Illinois justice system catch up.”
In 2000, former Gov. George Ryan placed a temporary moratorium on the death penalty, which has since been upheld. Three years later and two days before leaving office, he commuted the sentences of 167 Death Row prisoners.
Sheldon Sobol, Grundy County state's attorney and president of the Illinois State's Attorneys Association, said that the legislation was rushed through committee and that victims didn’t get a chance to be heard by lawmakers.
“When this bill is taken by the Legislature, they have not heard from the most important people that are impacted by this decision,” said Sobol.[3]
On January 6, 2011, the House narrowly passed the bill to abolish the death penalty. The measure now moves to the Senate, where it will be considered when that chamber returns to the Capitol next week.
Lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3539 with the required 60 votes after waging an earlier emotional, hour-long debate. However, the $20 million annual cost of death penalty cases that convinced state Rep. Patrick J. Verschoore to change his previous “no” vote to “yes.”
“I was on both sides of this issue. But then you think of the potential cost savings of this bill, and the state needs all of the savings we can get,” Verschoore said. “Besides, my wife was on me to vote for it.”
“Let’s instead put that money where it really matters,” said state Rep. Karen Yarbrough. “Let’s give law enforcement some training that they need to wage the fight against crime. Let’s give victims of these heinous crimes the support and services that they long deserve.”
Former FBI agent and state Rep. Jim Sacia could not be swayed. He recalled that Brian Dugan confessed to the 1985 killing of 7-year-old Melissa Ackerman in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
“We wouldn’t have had information on the heinousness of this crime had we not had the tool of the death penalty,” Sacia said.
Rep. Robert W. Pritchard said issues of life and death aren’t that cut and dried.
“I agree there are cases that we’d like to have that perpetrator put to death,” Pritchard said. “But it’s arbitrary how and who we pursue in those cases.”
Rep. William Burns agreed and noted that the death penalty has often been biased in its implementation.
“If you’re an African-American who kills a white victim, you’re more likely to be sentenced to death than a white person who kills a black person,” Burns said. “That if you’re low-income, if you are uneducated, you’re more likely to be sentenced to death than someone who has more education and more money.”[4]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.[5]
Incumbent Robert W. Pritchard ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 70 general election.[6][7]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 70 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Robert W. Pritchard Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent Robert W. Pritchard ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 70 Republican primary.[8][9]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 70 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Robert W. Pritchard Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013. Incumbent Robert W. Pritchard ran unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[10][11][12]
2012
Pritchard won re-election in the 2012 election for Illinois House of Representatives District 70. Pritchard was unopposed in the March 20 Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[13][14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert W. Pritchard Incumbent |
100% | 33,823 | |
| Total Votes | 33,823 | |||
2010
Pritchard won re-election to the 70th District Seat in 2010 with no opposition. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on February 2nd. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.[16]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 70 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Robert W. Pritchard (R)
|
28,396 | 100.0% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Republican Robert Pritchard won re-election to the Illinois House of Representatives District 70 receiving 35,501 votes, ahead of James Dusing (Green) who received 10,663 votes.[17]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 70 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Robert Pritchard (R)
|
35,501 | |||
| James Dusing (G) | 10,663 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Republican Robert Pritchard won re-election to the Illinois House of Representatives District 70 receiving 18,310 votes ahead of Democrat Charles Sauer who received 12,008 votes.[18]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 70 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Robert Pritchard (R)
|
18,310 | |||
| Charles Sauer (D) | 12,008 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Illinois scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2018
In 2018, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that "help or hinder Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities access more included lives in their homes and communities."'
- Legislators are scored on their votes on manufacturing issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31. There were also special sessions. The 1st special session was June 21-July 6. The 2nd special session was July 26-July 31. During the 3rd special session, the Senate met on August 13, and the House met on August 16. The 4th special session was on August 28-29. There was a veto session from October 24-November 9.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Pritchard and his wife, Mary, have two children. She is chair of the Church Finance Committee, president of the Agriculture Relations Council, and past president of the Illinois Department of Agriculture Assembly Board.[2]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Robert + Pritchard + Illinois + Legislature
See also
- Illinois House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Illinois State Legislature
- Illinois state legislative districts
External links
- Robert Pritchard Official website
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Profile from Open States
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004
Footnotes
- ↑ WSPY News, "State Rep. Bob Pritchard Resigns Ahead Of Term Ending; Says 'Other Issue' Requires He Step Down," June 26, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Pritchard," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ "Local prosecutors: Don’t rush death penalty vote," Illinois Statehouse News, January 4, 2011
- ↑ "House narrowly approves abolition of death penalty," Illinois Statehouse News, January 6, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Board of Elections, "General Primary Election Official Canvass," April 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ Illinois Elections Division, "Illinois Official 2010 General Election Results," November 2, 2010
- ↑ Illinois Elections Division, "Illinois House of Representatives official election results for 2008," November 4, 2008
- ↑ Illinois Elections Division, "Illinois House of Representatives official election results for 2006," November 4, 2006
- ↑ Citizen Action Illinois, "99th General Assembly Legislative Scorecard 2016," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities, "2016 Illinois Community Living Report," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Illinois House of Representatives District 70 2003–2018 |
Succeeded by Jeff Keicher (R) |
