Freshly inaugurated Illinois legislators meet 'critical moment' after lame-duck infighting
SPRINGFIELD — After closing out a lame-duck legislative session tainted by internal strife, Illinois Democrats heralded a fresh start Wednesday as the latest class of the Illinois General Assembly enters a daunting budget season and prepares for the second presidency of Donald Trump.
“We meet here this afternoon at a critical moment in the history of our state and our country, and as the elected leaders from our communities, we have some difficult things to do in the days and months ahead,” Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said at his chamber’s inauguration ceremony at the University of Illinois-Springfield.
“Trying to build connection, compassion and community in a time fraught with division and discord — these are challenges created and exacerbated by many factors beyond our control,” Welch said, nodding toward a second Trump administration at odds with Illinois’ supermajority Democratic Party. “The people who sent you here, who gave us this moment, expect us to move forward as one.”
But the Hillside Democrat’s caucus saw discord of its own in a lame-duck session confrontation that enraged Gov. JB Pritzker.
Several House Democrats shouted down Pritzker agency heads during a Monday caucus meeting over a controversial hemp regulation bill, in a heated encounter that ended with at least one staffer in tears and one of Pritzker’s top legislative priorities tanked.
The governor’s office criticized Welch for allowing the berating to happen, while Pritzker publicly slammed Welch for not calling a floor vote for the bill that would have effectively banned most sales of hemp-derived THC products like delta-8.
Pritzker demanded apologies to his staff, and on Wednesday he said “a little of that has happened,” while downplaying the possibility of any bad blood transitioning to the new legislative session as lawmakers grapple with an estimated $3 billion budget deficit.
“Every day is a new day to do the right thing,” Pritzker told reporters after presiding over the Illinois Senate’s inauguration. “People can make mistakes, and certainly mistakes were made and behavior was improper during that caucus. But people can make amends and we can all get along.”
Senate President Don Harmon preached a similar message of unity as he was sworn in for a third full term at the helm of the upper chamber. He advised his colleagues to “treat your neighbors well, stay humble [and] be kind.”
“Your seatmates, the members of your caucus, are your neighbors in the Senate. Your time here will be much more pleasant if you are good to them,” Harmon said inside a newly renovated chamber. “The Senate is an active laboratory for coalition building. Forge those bonds and look out for one another.”
Neither leader, nor Pritzker, went far into specifics on their legislative agendas heading into the spring session. While lawmakers ended the previous General Assembly without advancing legislation intended to preempt policies from the incoming Trump administration, “we're all going to have to be on guard for what the impact of that will be in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
He suggested Trump tariff policies and potential Medicaid cuts could exacerbate the state’s looming budget deficit.
“We don't know what they're going to do,” Pritzker said. “We know that we have a gap that we need to fill or that we need to manage in order to have a balanced budget, and I'm confident that we will do that. But it is true that there's some unpredictable results that may come from Washington.”
The governor has until the end of May to hammer out a budget with lawmakers. He’ll deliver his initial proposal next month.
Other legislators floated their priorities for the upcoming session, including South Side state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, who highlighted the need for a broad transit funding reform bill to avert a fiscal cliff; and Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who wants to add safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence in health care.
Republicans, who remain relegated to superminority status in Springfield, voiced frustration with the Democrats’ iron grip on the State Capitol.
“Illinois is a great place to live, and Illinois has always been a state of possibilities, but one-party control has stifled that success,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie. Republicans have been outnumbered in the House since 1994, and the Senate since 2000.
“I, like many, was disappointed with our election outcomes, and the ability for us to secure more Republican seats to bring some balance to the General Assembly,” McCombie said. “However, this was not due to a lack of good candidates or hard work, but due to special interests and Illinois's gerrymandered maps, the most outrageous maps in the nation.”
With over $600 million raised in campaign contributions across all political campaigns in 2024, neither party had much to show for their time and money. The state House and Senate saw no party gain or lose a seat, as Democrats held onto their bicameral supermajority for four straight elections.
Republican Senate Minority Leader John Curran offered a cooperative hand in his chamber, praising Harmon “for making the table more open to the minority party. I look forward to that continued inclusion in the upcoming session.”