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New governor prepares to kick off ambitious agenda
I know the thoughts and prayers of legis- lators were with the Chicago police family this holiday season. Many of them reached out to me, and I’m sure to many of you
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Pritzker and the rest of the statewide elected officials will be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 14 in Springfield. He will have an ambitious agenda and super majorities in both chambers with whom to work. The frustrations created over the last four years have been growing and there is a
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as well, to express their sadness over the tragic on-duty deaths of Officers Eduardo Marmolejo and Conrad Gary. These sense- less deaths are another unneeded reminder of the sacrifice our officers make for us every day.
The new Illinois General Assembly will be sworn into office on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at noon in Springfield. As we have discussed before, the Democrats will have super majori- ties in both the Senate and House. Senate President John Cul- lerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan will now have addi- tional members in their caucuses to work with new Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The Democrats in the Senate will have a 40-19 margin, while the House will be led by a 74-44 Democrat- ic majority. The majority of the Republican seats are now sol- idly downstate. In fact, in 2019, no GOP senators will be living in Cook County, and there will only be one Republican senator who lives in DuPage County.
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sense that initiatives will once again begin to move. Pritzker is bringing in State Representative Christian Mitchell from Chicago and former Democrat Comptroller Dan Hynes as well as president of the Chicago Park District Board Jesse Ruiz as key advisors. They all are intelligent and knowledgeable in- dividuals who will serve the new governor well. His star cam- paign manager, Anne Caprara, will serve as the governor’s chief
of staff.
The new General Assembly will begin work in earnest at the
end of January and maintain a very busy schedule through the spring. Their adjournment is set for May 31. It is highly likely that — unlike recent years — they will have a budget on time.
24 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2019