104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The members of the 104th General Assembly were sworn into office during a ceremony on Wednesday, January 8 at noon. As you know, Illinois runs on a two year General Assembly cycle. The two years of the 103 rd General Assembly ended on January 7th. All of the bills in that Assembly are now dead. They started over on January 8th with HB 1 and SB 1. Both chambers remain under firm veto-proof Democratic majorities. The party makeup remains the same for the new General Assembly (78 Democrats/40 Republicans in the House and 40 Democrats/19 Republicans in the Senate).
On Wednesday, Senate President Don Harmon was reelected to his fourth term as Senate President while Senator John Curran was reelected to his second term as Republican Leader. After a two-year, large-scale renovation of the Capitol’s North wing, the Senate reconvened on Wednesday in the restored Senate Chamber. The Senate welcomed three newly elected members: one Democratic and two Republicans. And while the chamber remains under clear Democratic control, the hints of bipartisanship displayed in the 103rd General Assembly are expected to continue. Both leaders followed tradition and voted for one another, with their inaugural speeches highlighting the importance of cooperation and coalition building. Additional information on newly elected Senators is here.
Meanwhile, in the House, Emmanuel “Chris” Welch was reelected to his third term as Speaker. Representative Tony McCombie was reelected to her second term as Republican Leader. The House welcomed six new members: four Democrats and two Republicans; their profile Information is here.
Tensions seem to be more evident in the House. The inaugural speeches, which at times were politically divisive, suggest that a similar tone will prevail in the House during the new General Assembly. Meanwhile, the House Republican Caucus continues to navigate internal strains with the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus. Five Republicans chose not to attend the House inauguration ceremony at the University of Illinois Springfield on Wednesday, electing instead for their swearing-in at the State Capitol. On the other side of the aisle, House Democrats face changes to four top staff positions, including the Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel, as well as potential shifts in caucus leadership.
The 2025 legislative session is expected to be exceptionally demanding. Lawmakers will face the daunting task of developing and balancing the FY 26 budget, which currently projects a deficit nearing $3.2 billion. With federal COVID-19 relief funds ending, other revenue sources slowing, the need for a tier 2 pension fix, and the looming mass transit funding cliff, this will be the first time many sitting legislators have had to contend with such significant budgetary pressures. Adding to the challenge is the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the new Trump administration. The process of crafting last year’s budget was already difficult, and the development of next year’s budget is anticipated to be even more arduous.
Read more here and here. Biographical information on newly elected members is here.
Prior to adjourning on Thursday, both chambers organized for the 104th General Assembly, including adopting operating rules that mostly mirror those from the 103rdGeneral Assembly.
The Senate Operating Rules make the following changes:
1. Committees: Removes references to the Redistricting Committee which is no longer operational. Removes the Early Childhood Education Committee and adds the following Committees: Child Welfare, Commerce, Consumer Protection, Criminal Law, and Pensions.
2. Floor Debate: Requires senators to avoid threats, inciting violence or other assaults in debate.
3. Verification: Maintains the current practice of requiring a verification request be submitted prior to the bill being called to allow members ample time to return to the floor while navigating continued construction in the Capitol complex.
4. Appointment Messages: Replaces the residential address of appointees on Appointment messages with the County of residence for the appointee.
5. Parliamentary Practice: Updates the Senate stopgap parliamentary practice to the 2020 edition of Mason’s Manual of Legislative Practices.
A complete listing of Senate Committees is here.
In the House, notable changes to the Operating Rules include the creation of the Appropriations Pensions and Personnel Committee and the expansion of the Appropriations Public Safety Committee to the Appropriations Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee to more accurately reflect the current scope of the committee. The new rules also allow a change of sponsorship when the bill is pending in the Senate (currently only when the bill is pending before the House). A full list of committees for the House is here.
The Illinois General Assembly will reconvene from January 28 through 30. Legislators are currently in the process of selecting office space for the next two years. Over the coming days and weeks, caucus leaders will finalize their leadership teams, announce committee chairs and spokespersons, and assign members to committees. Committees are expected to begin meeting in early February. The bill drafting deadline is January 24, and the bill filing deadline is February 7.
Below are highlights from this week’s bill filings:
· Two bills were introduced to regulate Hemp products: HB 1 (Ford) and HB 64 (Harper).
· HB 35 (Morgan) creates the Artificial Intelligence Systems Use in Health Insurance Act.
· Representative Morgan also filed HB 43 which creates the Task Force on Firearm Insurance, aimed at reviewing current and potential future insurance policy offerings for the safe and legal possession of firearms and to offer policymaking recommendations on firearms insurance.
· HB 1089 (West) creates the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Act.
· Representative Ford refiled HB 1143 to create the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act.
· Pharmacy Benefit Managers are the subject of two newly filed bills: HB 1018 (Cabello) and HB 1159 (Jones).
2025 Spring Session Key Dates and Deadlines:
January 24: House and Senate LRB Request Deadline (LRB Blackout Begins)
February 7: Deadline – Bill Introduction Deadline Both Chambers
February 19: Governor’s Budget and State of the State Address
March 21: Deadline – Committee Deadline Both Chambers
April 11: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Both Chambers
May 9: Deadline – Committee Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 23: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 31: Adjournment
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
IDPH Approves New Conditions for Treatment with Medical Cannabis: The Illinois Department of Public Health approved four new medical conditions to be added to the list of issues eligible for treatment with medical cannabis. IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra approved the additions after a thorough review by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board and IDPH staff.
Under Illinois law, the IDPH Director reviews petitions to add conditions to the approved list. In making determinations, the Director considers available scientific analysis and medical literature to assess whether medical cannabis would be an appropriate treatment option for each condition. Read more about the newly approved conditions here.