103rd ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
Members of the 103rd General Assembly were sworn into office on Wednesday. Both chambers adjourned Thursday of this week and will be taking next week off. The Illinois Senate will resume session on Tuesday, January 24. The Illinois House will return to session on Tuesday, January 31.
Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch were reelected. Senator John Curran was elected to serve as House Minority Leader and Representative Tony McCombie was elected as the first woman to serve as House Minority Leader. Biographies and photos of new members are here.
House Speaker Chris Welch announced his leadership team:
· Robyn Gabel – Majority Leader
· Jehan Gordon-Booth – Speaker Pro Tempore / Chief Budgeteer
· Mary E. Flowers – Deputy Majority Leader / Dean of the Caucus
· Elizabeth Hernandez – Deputy Majority Leader
· Jay Hoffman, Natalie Manley, Kam Buckner, Aaron Ortiz, Barbara Hernandez, Marcus Evans, Bob Rita, Kelly Burke – Assistant Majority Leaders
· Theresa Mah – Majority Conference Chair
· Nick Smith – Majority Officer / Sergeant at Arms
In addition to the leadership posts, Speaker Welch appointed the following as Caucus Whips:
· Lakesia Collins – Black Caucus Whip
· Edgar Gonzalez – Latinx Caucus Whip
· Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz – Asian American Caucus Whip
· Frances Ann Hurley – Mod Caucus Whip
· Lawrence Walsh Jr. – Downstate Caucus Whip
· Will Guzzardi – Progressive Caucus Whip
· Anne Stava-Murray – Women’s Caucus Whip
· Nabeela Syed – Freshman Caucus Whip
· Maurice West – Assistant Floor Whip
· Ann Williams – Assistant Floor Whip
· Katie Stuart – Assistant Floor Whip
· Bob Morgan – Assistant Floor Whip
Senate Republican Leader John Curran announced his leadership team:
· Sue Rezin – Deputy Leader
· Neil Anderson – Caucus Chair
· Terri Bryant, Dale Fowler, Steve McClure, Jason Plummer – Assistant Minority Leaders
· Sally Turner and Jil Tracy – Caucus Whips
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie announced her leadership team:
· Norine Hammond and Ryan Spain – Deputy Republican Leaders
· Jeff Kiecher – Conference Chair
· CD Davidsmeyer, Charlie Meier, Bradley Stephens, Jackie Haas, Mike Marron, John Cabello – Asst Minority Leaders
· Patrick Windhorst – Floor Leader
The Illinois Senate adopted operating rules for the 103rd General Assembly. Notable changes from previous rules include:
· Committee chairs and minority spokespersons serve “at the will” of their respective leader.
· Allows the parliamentarian to assign “technical” amendments to the Senate Floor without going through the Committee on Assignments.
· Reduces number of amendments that need to be filed from 6 to 1.
· Requires members to ask for a verification of the roll call during the debate rather than the end of debate (this is to accommodate members who are in offices in the Stratton Building and need time to travel to the temporary chambers in the Howlett Building).
· Allows motions in committee to be renewable.
Senate Committees for 103rd GA:
· Agriculture
· Appropriations
· Appropriations – Education
· Appropriations – Health and Human Services
· Appropriations – Public Safety and Infrastructure
· Behavioral and Mental Health
· Criminal Law
· Early Childhood Education
· Education
· Energy and Public Utilities
· Environment and Conservation
· Executive
· Executive Appointments
· Financial Institutions
· Health and Human Services
· Higher Education
· Human Rights
· Insurance
· Judiciary
· Labor
· Licensed Activities
· Local Government
· Public Health
· Revenue
· State Government
· Transportation
· Veterans Affairs
Senate Committees eliminated:
· Ethics
· Healthcare Access and Availability
· Higher Education
· Pensions
· Redistricting
· Tourism and Hospitality
Note the Public Safety Committee was renamed to Public Health and the Health Committee was renamed to the Health and Human Services Committee.
The Illinois House will adopt operating rules when they return to session at the end of January. No word yet on when Senate President Harmon will announce his leadership team.
GOVENOR’S HIGHGLIGHTS:
DOI Fines Quartz Health Insurance: The Illinois Department of Insurance levied a $500,000 fine for Quartz Health Insurance Corporation for violating the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Read more here.
State Water Plan Updated: The Illinois State Water Plan, which serves as a blueprint for addressing key water-related challenges in the state over the next decade, has been updated for the first time since 1984 and is available to help guide state and local leaders in setting priorities for water resources.
Different from previous Illinois state water plans, the updated plan strives to integrate social and environmental justice perspectives into recommendations in every section to better serve economically and socially marginalized individuals and communities in Illinois. It also addresses climate change impacts for the first time.
The updated Illinois State Water Plan spotlights 13 key water issues and focuses on improving the resiliency, sustainability, public safety, stewardship, economic development, and understanding of the water resources of Illinois to improve the lives of the people of the state.
The next phase is to work closely with the General Assembly to implement the plan. The plan is dynamic and subject to change by the State Water Plan Task Force based on stakeholder collaboration to address these changes in Illinois for the good of its inhabitants. Read the 2022 Illinois State Water Plan here.
2023 Key Dates:
January 27: Deadline – Senate LRB Requests
February 3: Deadline – House LRB Requests
February 10: Deadline – Introduction of Substantive Senate Bills in the Senate
February 17: Deadline – Introduction of Substantive House Bills in the House
February 15: Governor’s State of the State/Budget Address
February 28: Consolidated Primary Election
March 10: Deadline – Substantive Bills Out of Committee in both chambers
March 24: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline – Substantive House Bills in the House
March 31: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline – Substantive Senate Bills in the Senate
April 4: Consolidated Election
April 28: Deadline – Substantive Bills out of Committee in both chambers
May 11: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive House Bills in Senate
May 12: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive Senate Bills in House
May 19: Adjournment