First Reading ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH UNIT
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First Reading ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH UNIT VOLUME 30, NO. 2 NOVEMBER 2016 Democrat than in the current Congress). Both U.S. Senators Election Sends from Illinois will be Democrats. Mixed Signals A 2015 Illinois law required that a special election be held for a vacancy in an executive-branch office except Gov- ernor or Lieutenant Governor if over 28 months remain in This November’s Illinois election results were almost mirror the term. Former Representative and current Chicago City images of national results. Republicans reduced Democratic Clerk Susana Mendoza (D) was elected Comptroller over majorities in both houses of the General Assembly (although appointed Comptroller Leslie Munger (R) to finish the term those majorities remain strong) but lost the office of Comp- of the late Judy Baar Topinka (R). troller in a special election. Nationally, Democrats reduced Republican majorities in Congress but lost the Presidency. A constitutional amendment limiting transportation-related revenues to transportation uses was approved by nearly 79% In the General Assembly, Republicans gained four House of those voting on it. q seats but Democrats still have a majority (67). Republicans gained two Senate seats, but Democrats retain a veto-proof majority (37). Thirty-one members of the 100th General As- INSIDE THIS ISSUE sembly won their first full terms in November 2016. Ten Re- Biographies of publicans will be new to the House; five others appointed to New House Members the 99th General Assembly will return. Six Democrats will 2 be new to the House and one will return after being appoint- ed. In the Senate, three Republicans will be new and two Biographies of will return after appointment; one Democrat will be new, and New Senate Members three will return after appointment. Additionally, Republican 6 Senator Tom Rooney will serve in the 100th General As- sembly after being appointed to finish a 4-year term spanning Persons Elected to the 100th the 99th and 100th General Assemblies. Finally, two former General Assembly Senate General Assembly members will return (former Representa- 9 tive Jil Tracy to the Senate, and former Representative Brad Persons Elected to the 100th Halbrook to the House). General Assembly House 10 Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President, apparently without a majority of the popular vote (only the fifth time Members Not Returning this has happened). Hillary Clinton won Illinois’ electoral to Current Office votes with over 55% of its popular vote. In Congress, Demo- 12 crats gained seats in both houses but Republicans will main- tain majorities. Illinois’ Congressional delegation will have Partisan Division Statewide & in two more Democrats next year. Democratic Congresswoman General Assembly, 1968-2016 Tammy Duckworth defeated Republican Senator Mark Kirk 13 for his Senate seat; former U.S. Representative Brad Schnei- der (D) defeated Republican Congressman Robert Dold; and Abstracts of Reports Required to Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi will replace Congresswoman be Filed Duckworth. All other Illinois Congressional incumbents with General Assembly won re-election—including Congressman Darin LaHood, 14 who won his third election in 5 months and earned his first 2016-2017 Legislative Staff full 2-year term. Illinois will have 11 Democrats and 7 Interns Republicans in the House in the 115th Congress (one more 16 http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/lru_home.html Biographies of New House Members Avery Bourne (R-95th, Litchfield) was appointed in February 2015 to replace Rep- resentative Wayne Rosenthal, who was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. She has now been elected. She is a graduate of Columbia College in Missouri, where she was president of the Student Government Associa- tion, and is a law student at Washington University in St. Louis, where she has been a Dean’s Fellowship Scholar. She has served in the offices of a Missouri state senator and of two members of Congress. Her committee assignments are to the House Ag- riculture & Conservation; Consumer Protection; Counties & Townships; Transporta- tion: Vehicles & Safety; and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Tim Butler (R-87th, Springfield) was appointed in March 2015 to replace Repre- sentative Rich Brauer, who resigned to take a position in the Illinois Department of Transportation. He has now been elected. He is a graduate of Eastern Illinois Univer- sity and has served as district chief of staff to both former Congressman Ray LaHood and current Congressman Rodney Davis. He serves on the House Environment; Museums, Arts, & Cultural Enhancement; Tourism & Conventions; Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges; and Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committees. Melissa Conyears-Ervin (D-10, Chicago) has a B.S. in finance from Eastern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University. She is a licensed insurance professional in a family-owned brokerage, and has worked for over 15 years in the insurance industry. She is active in community organizations and her local church, where she serves as a Sunday School Superintendent. LaToya N. Greenwood (D-114, East St. Louis) has a B.A. in criminal justice from Michigan State University and a Master’s degree in public administration and policy from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She has been an East St. Louis City Council member since 2011, and is the Director of Human Resources for East St. Louis School District 189. http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/lru_home.html 2 / Legislative Research Unit Brad Halbrook (R-102, Shelbyville) was a member of the House from 2012 to 2015. He attended Lakeland Community College. He owns and operates a diversi- fied organic farm, and has past business experience in livestock genetics and fence contracting. He chairs the Shelby County GOP Central Committee, a position he also held from 2006 to 2012. Michael W. Halpin (D-72, Rock Island) has a B.A. from Roger Williams University and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. He is a partner in Mc- Carthy, Callas, & Freeney, P.C. and a director of Bridging the Gap: Stand Down for Homeless Veterans, where he provides pro bono legal aid. He previously was a law clerk for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman, and a personal aide to former Congressman Lane Evans. Sonya M. Harper (D-6, Chicago) was appointed to the House after former Repre- sentative Esther Golar’s death. She has now been elected. She has a B.A. in journal- ism and broadcast news from the University of Missouri at Columbia and worked for 10 years in the television news industry. She runs a public consulting firm, Sharper PR Communications; is the Executive Director of Grow Greater Englewood; and is involved with several other community organizations. In the House, she serves on the Economic Development & Housing; Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies; Environment; Renewable Energy & Sustainability; and Re- storative Justice Committees. Jerry Long (R-76, Streator) has worked as an over-the-road union truck driver for the last 30 years. He also owns a property management company, and is active in his community and his church. Theresa Mah (D-2, Chicago) has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and spent the first decade of her career as a college professor. She was a Senior Policy Advisor and Director of Asian-American Outreach under Governor Quinn, and has held sever- al roles in the nonprofit sector. She was a member of the Illinois Advisory Council on Bilingual Education, a board member for Common Cause Illinois, and a member of the Task Force on Language Access to Government Services. She also worked with the Asian-American Employment Plan Advisory Council. She currently is a member of a local school council in Chicago, and of the Advisory Board for the Chinese- American Museum of Chicago. http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/lru_home.html Legislative Research Unit / 3 Tony M. McCombie (R-71, Savanna) is the Mayor of Savanna and a former mem- ber of its city council. She has an undergraduate degree from Western Illinois Uni- versity, and is pursuing an M.P.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a real estate broker, and the founder and owner of a real estate appraisal business. She also is a former president of the Savanna Chamber of Commerce, and is active in other area chambers of commerce. David S. Olsen (R-81, Downers Grove) was appointed to the House in August 2016 after the resignation of Representative Ron Sandack, and has now been elected. He has an undergraduate degree in finance and management from the University of Illinois, where he was Student Body President. He is on the Board of Directors of the District 58 Education Foundation and previously was Vice Chairman of the College of DuPage Board of Trustees and a member of the Downers Grove Village Council (where he was chosen as Mayor Pro Tem). He is an ethics and compliance officer in the commodities trading industry. He is a member of the House Community College Access & Afford- ability; Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies; Judicia- ry—Criminal; Public Utilities; and Renewable Energy & Sustainability Committees. Lindsay Parkhurst (R-79, Kankakee) has a B.A. from the University of Illinois; a J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law; and an LL. M. from DePaul University College of Law. She is a member of the Bishop McNamara High School board, and of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley. She has practiced defense and general law for 27 years, and worked part-time for the Kankakee County Public Defender’s Office. She is also an active volunteer for sev- eral local organizations. Steven Reick (R-63, Woodstock) has an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Illinois, and a Master’s in accountancy and a J.D.