Page 26 - December 2020

As the dust settles from this fascinating 2020 election, Illinois government is looking to how it will move forward in 2021. There are many unresolved public policy issues that need to be addressed, as well as several thorny polit-
ical issues that are up in the air. As this unprecedented year concludes, Illinois
looks to start the New Year with a vari-
ety of tumultuous discussions.
The final tally is in, and the results show that
the Republicans have gained one seat in the House,
while the Democrats have increased their majority
in the Senate by one vote. The House Democrat super- majority will now stand at 73-45, while the Senate Democrat supermajority will be 41-18.
Senate President Don Harmon is set to continue in that post. The Senate Republicans have elected a new leader: Senator Dan McConchie, from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. He replaces Senator Bill Brady from Central Illinois.
For the first time since he became speaker, Mike Madigan has a challenge for his speakership. Of the 73 Democrats in the House, 18 members have already publicly stated that they will not vote for him. This is an unresolved and fluid sit-
uation. Madigan needs to retain 60 votes on the House floor at the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 13 to re- main speaker. Mike Madigan is the longest-serving speaker of a state house in U.S. history. House Re- publican Leader Jim Durkin has been reelected by
his caucus.
The legislature will have a variety of difficult issues,
including a state budget that was in difficult shape be- fore the pandemic but is now in even worse shape. The fail- ure of the Fair Tax makes the budget situation even tougher. The Black Caucus agenda to address racial inequality issues will also be taken up, as well as the once-a-decade redistrict- ing of all legislative districts. Their agenda will be more than full.
A full agenda
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26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2020