SPRINGFIELD — Signaling the end of one era and the beginning of another, state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch was elected the new speaker of the Illinois House on Wednesday — succeeding Mike Madigan, the longest serving statehouse speaker in U.S. history.
Welch is the first African American to win the powerful leadership position.
Read MoreIllinois State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch is isolating at home after he tested positive for COVID-19.
The Hillside Democrat said his symptoms are minor.
Read MoreState Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch (7th), whose district encompasses a large part of Proviso Township, has tested positive for COVID-19.
During an interview on Nov. 29, Welch said that he started feeling symptoms last Wednesday and tested positive on Saturday. He said he’s been quarantined in the basement of his Hillside home ever since then.
Read MoreIllinois lawmakers are free to pursue their own investigation into House Speaker Michael Madigan’s role in a bribery scheme involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison, as long as they don’t specifically ask witnesses what information they’ve shared with federal investigators or a federal grand jury.
Read MoreFederal prosecutors have given Springfield lawmakers investigating House Speaker Michael Madigan the all-clear to call witnesses and request documents — so long as they steer clear of asking for procedural details about the criminal probe into utility Commonwealth Edison.
Read MoreU.S. Attorney John Lausch said in a letter Thursday that his office doesn’t have an issue with an Illinois House committee seeking testimony and documents from witnesses in its inquiry of Speaker Michael Madigan, while also offering some guidelines.
Read MoreThe Illinois House kicked off a rarely used disciplinary process Thursday to probe the conduct of Speaker Michael Madigan in light of allegations that Commonwealth Edison undertook a bribery scheme to gain his favor, with Republicans seeking to hear testimony from the powerful Democrat and former utility executives and lobbyists.
Read MoreDid the longtime Speaker of the Illinois House, Michael Madigan, engage in conduct “unbecoming” of a legislator such that it is a “breach of public trust”?
Read MoreComplaints of political posturing created some bumps in the road Thursday for the bipartisan state House committee during its first meeting investigating Speaker Michael Madigan.
Read MoreCharges have been filed for the first time in the ongoing ComEd investigation that has implicated Illinois' powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Read MoreAfter taking the months since George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police to put together an agenda to end systemic racism in Illinois, Black state lawmakers are now calling on their colleagues in the legislature to support their demands for policy changes to four key "pillars."
Read MoreRepublicans in the Illinois House of Representatives on Monday moved to create a special committee to investigate a deferred prosecution agreement that implicated powerful Speaker Michael Madigan in an alleged bribery scheme with ComEd that prosecutors say lasted nearly a decade.
Read MoreIllinois’ Black legislators plan to capitalize on the intense focus on inequalities instigated by the killing of George Floyd to push forward this fall a robust policy agenda to root out systemic racism.
Read MoreIn the wake of nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Chicago-area Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch is calling for a statewide response to hold police accountable for excessive use of force and to address what he sees as “institutional racism” that has devastated many black communities in Illinois.
Read MoreAn Illinois lawmaker said the state needs to invest $1 billion into black communities that have been historically ignored, adding that it would just be the beginning.
Read MoreBlack elected officials are demanding transformational change in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the attention it has brought to police brutality and systemic racism, and they’re demanding the state provide money to back it up – at least a billion dollars.
Read MoreA group of state lawmakers are calling for police reform and at least a billion dollars of investment into black communities.
For the fourth day in a row, members of the Joint Caucus of Black Elected Officials held a "Day of Action" event discussing the death of George Floyd and solutions to systemic racism.
Read MoreAn array of elected officials from across the state gathered in Maywood on Sunday to make a series of demands as Gov. J.B. Pritzker stood mere feet away. All of those gathered stood underneath the shadow of Maywood native son Fred Hampton, whose bronze bust was the focal point of the June 7 gathering in front of the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center, 300 Fred Hampton Way.
Read MoreRick Pearson is joined by Democratic State Rep. and chairman of the powerful House Executive Committee, Emanuel “Chris” Welch to discuss the past session and what’s next. Chris highlights several issues dealt with during the session including the overall need for a state budget, the casino bill, and more.
Read MoreWill students in Illinois go back to school in the fall?
The state's top education official said Wednesday she doesn't know.
Read More
