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Aren’t we missing something here?
Friday, Jan 22, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
New Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch’s leadership team, which he announced Thursday, does not have enough suburban representation and includes too many Michael Madigan loyalists, says Democratic state Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison.
The team also does not include any of the women who ran for House Speaker — Willis, Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego and Rep. Ann Williams of Chicago, she noted.
Neither Willis nor Rep. Fred Crespo, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, was retained by Welch in House leadership.
Suburban representation will include only Reps. Natalie Manley of Joliet and Robyn Gabel of Evanston, plus Rep. Deb Conroy of Villa Park in one of six new positions of caucus whip, which do not pay leadership stipends.
Um, the new House Speaker (remember him?) is from the suburbs.
Rep. Marcus Evans’ district has a big chunk of suburbia. Also, there’s Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez. Last time I checked, Cicero was in the suburbs. [Rep. Mary Flowers’ district also includes a chunk of suburbia.]
* Meanwhile, here’s Rep. Stephanie Kifowit’s take…
“I assumed people would be appreciative and supportive,” she told me earlier this week. “In reality, what I found was my candidacy was not taken seriously.”
I’d say that sentiment could bring an emotional kind of exhaustion to anyone who already was physically tired. But after getting a few days of solid shut-eye following all of last week’s drama, Kifowit, a Marine veteran who does not back down from adversity, insists there are no sour grapes. […]
Even though there’s plenty of speculation that Welch, a Madigan supporter, may be strongly influenced by the former speaker, Kifowit sees that as “a fallacy.” Because he’s in the spotlight and under the gun to turn things around, “I am hopeful,” she said, “he will be independent and tread his own course.”
The good news is that with a strong movement away from the Chicago-machine-style politics that kept him in power too long, “there will never be another Mike Madigan,” she predicted.
…Adding… Rep. Kifowit just told me that despite what Rep. Willis may have implied…
I did not ask Speaker Welch for a leadership position. I am excited to work with him and his new leadership team for the betterment of Illinois. I know there is a lot of work that we all need to do and I have the utmost confidence in the Speaker and his leadership team during these difficult times.
* Related…
* Power shifts from city stronghold to west suburbs
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* News-Gazette editorial…
Hats off to members of the Black caucus in the Illinois General Assembly.
They introduced four major bills — criminal justice, education, health care and economic equity — on Jan. 8 and passed three of them through the House and Senate in six days. The health care bill was approved in just one of the two legislative bodies.
Their political play using last-minute action by a lame-duck legislature could not have been handled with more sophistication and raw power. The legislation now goes for signature by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
It will be amazing if he, in deference to the politics of the moment, doesn’t swallow them whole.
But while political calculations may have been splendid, the policy questions remain wide open.
And if you read on, there’s not a single actual policy argument made in the editorial. It’s all about process.
The bills all passed in a lawful manner. Individual legislators were free to vote however they wished. Some huge compromises were made with opponents, some fixes were promised down the road. Also, human beings tend to push things off to the deadline, which is why so many people file their taxes on April 15th.
Process can certainly be an issue. The horrific schedule of the lame duck session is most definitely worth criticism. But I can’t help but wonder if a lot (not all) of the criticism of this “process” is more about the legislators who were pushing the bills and the people who were opposed rather than the substance. And some of it is just wrong…
Defenders of this process argue that the Black caucus held a series of online hearings to listen to interested parties discuss general concepts related to these extremely complicated policy proposals.
But those discussions did not result in substantive legislation until Jan. 8, when the measures were introduced by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford. She later explained she did not show her hand until the last minute to avoid having to submit them to public scrutiny and debate.
There were hearings during the lame duck session. I wrote about some of them and watched many of them. And they all resulted in changes to the legislation, sometimes even drastic changes. The health care bill didn’t pass partly because of those hearings.
* Also, if editorialists were truly concerned about process, you’d think we would see something written about the new Senate rule that allows the Assignments Committee to send the same bills to multiple committees, which is likely going to be a huge boon to Statehouse contract lobbyists who spend most of their time killing legislation.
*** UPDATE *** Speaking of process…
At a September news conference announcing the agenda, Black Caucus Chair Kimberly Lightford, a state senator from Maywood, acknowledged the national scrutiny and building momentum as a chance to address longstanding grievances and reforms sought by Black lawmakers and activists.
“This moment in time is presenting us with an unlimited opportunity to at long last address systemic racism and oppression that has plagued our communities for generations,” she said.
That same day, the Black Caucus held its first subject matter hearing, both for the agenda and for its criminal justice policy pillar. The topic was use-of-force laws and police transparency, and witnesses included representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police who clashed in their testimonies.
This scene would be repeated more than four months later on the House floor, where many of the use-of-force provisions discussed in that hearing were included in the Black Caucus criminal justice bill. The ACLU and IACP would again disagree on use-of-force provisions as witnesses in a House Criminal Judiciary Committee hearing during the lame duck session.
Following that first subject matter hearing in September, Senate committees held eight more hearings through November. Police certification, mandatory minimum sentences, drug laws, collective bargaining and transparency issues were all debated with input from relevant stakeholders months before the bill was introduced.
* Related…
* Illinois poised to become first state to end wealth-based pre-trial detention
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* Press release…
Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the members of his House Democratic leadership team Thursday, including state Reps. Jehan Gordon-Booth, Robyn Gabel, Jaime M. Andrade, Jr., and Jay Hoffman.
Welch released the following statement:
“As we begin a new day in the House, I’m committed to assembling a Democratic leadership team that values those things that have made our caucus so successful while also pursuing needed changes to strengthen our caucus, our House and our state. Throughout their careers, Reps. Gordon-Booth, Gabel, Andrade and Hoffman have all brought leadership, integrity and unique perspectives to our chamber. They have spoke passionately for their communities and also extended their hands to their colleagues in compromise. I look forward to working closely with them, and with all members of this chamber, to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of this moment.”
The following can be attributed to state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, who will serve as deputy majority leader and speaker pro-tempore:
“As Speaker Welch begins a historic speakership, I’m proud to be a part of a leadership team that recognizes that the diversity of our caucus is our strength. Last week, Democrats stood together to move forward on landmark legislation advancing justice for all – something that required each of us to think beyond our own experience and listen to one another. While there is a lot of work ahead, we will continue to work together in this way to build a stronger Illinois.”
The following can be attributed to state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, who will serve as assistant majority leader:
“Speaker Welch has called on every member of this House to work together to meet the challenges of this moment. We come to the table prepared to advocate for the critical services families and small businesses need to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, smart budget solutions that invest in our future, the health of our families, our environmental resources, strong schools and a strong economy.”
The following can be attributed to state Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr., D-Chicago, who will serve as assistant majority leader:
“This leadership team reflects the diversity and geography of our state, and we share a commitment to doing what is right for every part of Illinois. The challenges ahead of us are clear, but Speaker Welch has made it clear this is no time to hide from these challenges – it’s time to confront them head on and work together to strengthen our state.”
The following can be attributed to state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, who will serve as assistant majority leader:
“The work ahead of our state is so critical. We are tasked with bringing Illinois through an unprecedented pandemic, repairing the budgetary damage that crisis has created, and building a stronger, more just state. Democrats stand united with Speaker Welch in this effort. We’re enthused by this new moment and remain committed to continuing our work for a stronger middle class, an economy that works for everyone, and a better Illinois for all.”
Welch’s full leadership team will consist of:
• State Rep. Greg Harris - Majority Leader
• State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth - Deputy Majority Leader / Speaker Pro-Tempore
• State Rep. Mary E. Flowers - Deputy Majority Leader and Dean of the Caucus
• State Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Robyn Gabel - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Jay Hoffman - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Natalie Manley - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Delia Ramirez - Assistant Majority Leader
• State Rep. Carol Ammons - Democratic Conference Chair
In addition to these leadership posts, Welch has tapped leaders within each caucus of the House Democratic delegation to serve as a caucus whips. These members will be empowered to rally the various caucuses around legislation and issues of importance to the entire Democratic Caucus. This team will be:
• State Rep. Will Guzzardi - Progressive Caucus Whip
• State Rep. Kam Buckner - Black Caucus Whip
• State Rep. Theresa Mah - Asian Caucus Whip
• State Rep. Larry Walsh, Jr. - Downstate Caucus Whip
• State Rep. Deb Conroy - Women’s Caucus Whip
• State Rep. Aaron Ortiz - Latinx Caucus Whip
Welch and his full leadership team are preparing new changes to the House rules, based on input from both sides of the aisle.
Gabel, Guzzardi and Conroy were part of the “19.”
Anyway, thoughts?
…Adding… Sun-Times…
Democratic state representatives moving up to the role of assistant majority leader are North Siders Jaime Andrade and Delia Ramirez, South Sider Marcus Evans Jr. and Robyn Gabel of Evanston.
State Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana moves up to chair of the Democratic Caucus. That position was previously held by state Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison, who also ran for speaker but dropped out to support a candidate other than Welch.
Democratic Reps. Natalie Manley, of Joliet, Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero and Jay Hoffman of Swansea will remain as assistant majority leaders in Welch’s ranks. Hoffman was also an unsuccessful candidate for speaker.
Gone from leadership posts are Reps. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates and Will Davis of Homewood, who both served as assistant majority leaders.
Members of the Latinx and Black caucuses held elections for their leaders and submitted names to Welch for inclusion in the team, the new speaker said.
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