by Greg Bishop, The Center Square | February 09, 2021 09:00 AM Print this article
Term limits on legislative leaders, allowing remote committee hearings, and advancement of all bills to committees are some of the updates to proposed rules for the Illinois House. Republicans say the proposed new rules largely are unchanged from when former Speaker Mike Madigan was in charge.
Typically, House Rules are among the first things voted on when a new term of the Illinois House begins. The rules are what governs members’ conduct and dictate how proposed legislation advances through committees.
The House didn’t vote on rules when lawmakers started a new session Jan. 13. The day was historic in that the House selected a new speaker in state Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, who took over for Madigan, D-Chicago. Madigan was speaker for all but two years from 1983 until last month.
Welch sought a unifying tone in his first floor speech as speaker, telling his fellow lawmakers “today will be the last time I talk about us as Democrats or Republicans.”
(The Center Square) – For the first time in decades, there’s a new speaker of the Illinois House and he’s making history. But he also comes in under a cloud of recently revealed allegations of abusive behavior from year.
State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, a Democrat from suburban Chicago, became the first Black speaker of the Illinois House on Wednesday, succeeding longtime Speaker Michael Madigan, who on Monday suspended his campaign for another two-year term.
Welch, 49, of Hillside, received 70 votes from House Democrats, avoiding what originally was shaping up to be a days-long struggle among fellow lawmakers over Madigan s candidacy and those running against him.
Speaking to lawmakers after his election and formal opening of the 102nd General Assembly, Welch said he wants to unite lawmakers behind common goals and reduce divisiveness in the House, where Democrats control the chamber with 73 seats to Republicans 45 seats.