DiCianni, Krishnamoorthi compare plans to help working families
The candidates for Illinois' 8th District congressional seat - Republican Pete DiCianni of Elmhurst and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg - differ on the role a minimum wage hike and other measures would play in helping working families.
DiCianni said he's open to raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour but believes greater help for working people can be provided by funding career and tech educational programs for high school students.
He said he'd also push for tuition reimbursement for people who major, and then work for a certain number of years, in high-demand fields such as nursing and other types of health care.
DiCianni said he would fight for equal pay, access to free or reduced public health and free community college with available child care for single mothers pursuing viable career paths.
Krishnamoorthi says he'd aggressively pursue raising the minimum wage to $10.10 or even higher in more expensive areas.
He criticized DiCianni's stance of being "open" to a higher minimum wage as a dodge from taking a position.
Krishnamoorthi said he wants to help employers set up 401(k) retirement plans, backs legislation allowing the refinancing of private student loans and wants to see a national version of Harper College's Harper Promise program, which offers two years of free tuition to high achieving high school students.