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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Just a couple of weeks into a job that most people couldn’t imagine being held by anyone other than the guy who had it for decades, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch is putting together a House that looks both familiar and different at the same time.
Welch’s first week included a rollout of his new leadership team, with a Black woman as speaker pro tempore and fresh faces throughout. By the third week, we’ll see committee membership rosters and vice chairs. The following week will be the new rules.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin told reporters he was “pleased” that Welch was allowing his party some input on the rules. Durkin told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Rachel Hinton that Welch suggested the two get together regularly for coffee or breakfast. I seriously doubt Durkin ever received such an invite from House Speaker Michael Madigan.
All of Welch’s new appropriations committee chairs are people of color. I asked Welch if there was any particular reason for this.
“First of all, let me say that I think my list is full of people that are super talented,” Welch said. “I’m really proud of the diversity of our caucus. I think that’s the strength of our caucus, the strength of our state. But also I think you can’t not recognize the fact that those people are high in seniority.”
Welch said that when you look at the new chair list, “you’re gonna find that there’s a lot of consistency,” meaning several representatives retained their committee posts. Rep. Mike Zalewski, for instance, is still chairing Revenue. “I think people were doing a good job. And they should be allowed to continue doing a good job. Again I tried to recognize people’s requests and many of them wanted to continue doing the same thing that they were doing. And I think I was able to accommodate that.”
Up until his ascension, Welch had chaired the Executive Committee, which handles much of the bigtime heater legislation. Rep. Bob Rita will take over that important helm. “He’s someone that I know and trust,” Welch said, “with the tough issues that are going to come through that committee.”
The new House speaker also wanted to point out some new special committees he’s created, including Ethics & Elections, which will be chaired by Rep. Kelly Burke. Immigration & Human Rights will be helmed by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.
The new Police & Fire special committee will be chaired by Rep. Fran Hurley. Welch didn’t mention this, but considering the law enforcement uproar over the recently approved criminal justice reform bill, putting a Mount Greenwood resident — who has a ton of cops in her district and who voted against the Black Caucus bill — in charge of that special committee should help rebuild some bridges.
“Those new committees should be a signal of where we’re headed,” Welch said. “Ethics reform is very important to me. We need to rebuild trust in the legislature, we need to rebuild trust in our process.”
Some of Welch’s members want Gov. J.B. Pritzker to move legislators into the 1b vaccination phase so they can immediately receive their COVID-19 shots. Pritzker has said they need to wait their turn.
“I understand what the governor’s issues are on that, and I respect his position,” Welch said. “I’m going to take the vaccine when it’s my turn. Other members have their personal thoughts on that, and I’ll defer to them.”
Welch said he expects the new House rules will be “similar” to the Senate’s, which allow for remote committee hearings. The issue of remote floor votes is being researched by lawyers, he said, but he’d like to “put that in the rules so that we have that flexibility.”
Last year, Welch publicly pressured the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to disclose data on the use of Black-owned businesses for Medicaid-related professional services, primarily through managed care organizations. After finally prying the information loose, Welch then called on that state department to penalize managed care organizations for not meeting contract goals, and demanded that Attorney General Kwame Raoul step in.
I asked Welch whether he intended to keep up the pressure.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I know my voice,” Welch said. “I’m looking forward to using my new voice to continue to highlight the issues that are important to me and to the communities that I serve and the core constituencies that our caucus represents, so I want to continue to find a way.”
Subscribers have the rest of that interview.
* Related…
* House GOP leader calls new speaker’s style and offer of talks over coffee ‘refreshing’ — and he’s not talking about the cup of joe
* Brendan Moore in The Pentagraph: Meet the new boss: Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch seeks to put his stamp on Illinois House
* Welch seeks to set a new tone in Illinois House
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 9:39 am
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Comment by SWIL_Voter Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 10:03 am
As an economic development Democrat, I look forward to Speaker Welch’s views on jobs and the economy because the Speaker can make a difference.
Comment by West Wing Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 10:21 am
To the post,
Good read, thanks Rich for giving a deeper look into the changes, not simply the overview of window dressing looks.
For me, what’s been interesting is the idea how “quietly” change came, and in the end, the 19 didn’t cave, and they were *exactly* as advertised, they only agreed that the former Speaker must go. Once that was accepted (or finally realized that it wasn’t a game) then we saw the Caucus do its business, and now the result(s) of choices; committee chairs, rules, a reaching out to Durkin that probably wouldn’t be something after these past years seemed… possible.
But it’s been “quiet”, no thundererous trumpeting or liberating yells, it’s been as governing should be; wonky interesting, with an inside baseball revealing to this new era ushered in.
As I think Durkin being the longest serving leader of the Four Tops, a governor in his third year of total public service, how much institutional knowledge the leaders bring, their caucuses have, and how much now is leaving. John Amdor and his tracking of seniority, I see in Welch’s choices a nod to a new era, but still trying to keep the much needed institutional knowledge he himself will need leading the chamber.
Looking forward to learning more, so far this new era is showing change and showing a new direction, and showing Welch’s own thoughts to both.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 10:26 am
Kelly Burke is a partner in a law firm that concentrates on election challenges. Putting her in charge of a committee on elections seems a lot like the past way of doing things.
Comment by SouthSde Markie Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 10:58 am
As usual, Oswego is right on. I thought there was going to be a bloodbath over choosing a new speaker whenever Speaker Madigan left (and, like I think most people feel, I’m still in shock that he’s gone). I thought the House was going to dissolve into utter chaos.
I don’t know yet if this is a result of Speaker Welch’s skills, but he seems to be doing a good job so far. I wish him well.
Comment by TwoFeetThick Monday, Feb 1, 21 @ 3:14 pm