Illinois Senate

Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
Illinois General Assembly
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 9, 2019
Leadership
President	Don Harmon (D) ; since January 19, 2020
Majority Leader	Kimberly Lightford (D) ; since January 7, 2019
Minority Leader	Dan McConchie (R) ; since January 13, 2021
Structure
Seats	59
Political groups	Majority Democratic (41); Minority Republican (18);
Length of term	4 years (with one two-year term each decade)
Authority	Illinois Constitution Article IV
Salary	$67,874/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020
Next election	November 8, 2022
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	State Senate Chamber; Illinois State Capitol; Springfield, Illinois
Website
	Illinois State Senate

The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, the Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population and redistricted every 10 years; based on the 2010 U.S. census each senator represents approximately 217,468 people.^[1] Senators are divided into three groups, each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms.^[2] This ensures that the Senate reflects changes made when the General Assembly redistricts itself after each census.

Depending on the election year, roughly one-third, two-thirds, or all Senate seats may be contested. In contrast, the Illinois House of Representatives is made up of 118 members with its entire membership elected to two-year terms. House districts are formed by dividing each Senate district in half,^[3] with each senator having two "associated" representatives.

The Illinois Senate convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Its first official working day is the second Wednesday of January each year. Its primary duties are to pass bills into law, approve the state budget, confirm appointments to state departments and agencies, act on federal constitutional amendments and propose constitutional amendments for Illinois. It also has the power to override gubernatorial vetoes through a three-fifths majority vote. The Illinois Senate tries impeachments made by the House of Representatives, and can convict impeached officers by a two-thirds vote.

Voting in the Illinois Senate is done by members pushing one of three buttons. Unlike most states, the Illinois Senate allows members to vote yes, no, or present. It takes 30 affirmative votes to pass legislation during final action.^[4]^[5] The number of negative votes does not matter. Therefore, voting present has the same effect on the tally as voting no.

Party summary[]

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Republican	Conservative		Vacant
End of previous legislature	37	21	1	59	0

2019-2021	40	19	0	59	0

February 6, 2021	41	18	0	59	0
Latest voting share	69.49%	30.51%	0%

Leadership[]

As of February 6, 2021, the 102nd General Assembly of the Illinois Senate consists of the following leadership:^[6]

Majority[]

President of the Senate: Don Harmon
Majority Leader: Kimberly A. Lightford
Assistant Majority Leader/President Pro Tempore: Bill Cunningham
Deputy Majority Leaders:
- Laura Murphy
- Emil Jones III
Assistant Majority Leaders:
Majority Caucus Chair: Mattie Hunter
Majority Caucus Whips:

Minority[]

Minority Leader: Dan McConchie
Deputy Minority Leader: Sue Rezin
Assistant Minority Leaders:
Minority Caucus Chair: Jason Barickman
Minority Caucus Whips:
- Dave Syverson
- Jil Tracy

Officers[]

Secretary of the Senate: Tim Anderson
Assistant Secretary of the Senate: Scott Kaiser
Sergeant-at-Arms: Joe Dominguez
Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Dirk R. Eilers

Members[]

In 1924, Florence Fifer Bohrer became the body's first female member and Adelbert H. Roberts became its first African American member.^[7]^[8] In 1977, Earlean Collins became the first African American woman to serve in the Illinois Senate.^[9] Barack Obama, later the first African-American President of the United States, served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.^[10]

As of January 25, 2021, the 102nd General Assembly of the Illinois Senate consists of the following members:^[11]

District	Senator	Party	Residence	Assumed office	Next election
1	Antonio Munoz	Democratic	Chicago	January 9, 1999	2022
2	Omar Aquino Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	July 1, 2016	2022
3	Mattie Hunter	Democratic	Chicago	January 8, 2003	2022
4	Kimberly A. Lightford Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	November 20, 1998	2022
5	Patricia Van Pelt	Democratic	Chicago	January 9, 2013	2022
6	Sara Feigenholtz Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	January 21, 2020	2022
7	Mike Simmons Ɨ^[12]	Democratic	Chicago	February 6, 2021	2022
8	Ram Villivalam ƗƗ	Democratic	Chicago	January 5, 2019	2022
9	Laura Fine ƗƗ	Democratic	Glenview	January 6, 2019	2022
10	Robert Martwick Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	June 28, 2019	2022
11	Celina Villanueva Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	January 7, 2020	2022
12	Steven Landek Ɨ	Democratic	Bridgeview	February 5, 2011	2022
13	Robert Peters Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	January 6, 2019	2022
14	Emil Jones III	Democratic	Chicago	January 14, 2009	2022
15	Napoleon Harris	Democratic	Harvey	January 9, 2013	2022
16	Jacqueline Y. Collins	Democratic	Chicago	January 8, 2003	2022
17	Elgie Sims Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	January 26, 2018	2022
18	William Cunningham	Democratic	Chicago	January 9, 2013	2022
19	Michael Hastings	Democratic	Tinley Park	January 9, 2013	2022
20	Cristina Pacione-Zayas Ɨ	Democratic	Chicago	December 22, 2020	2022
21	Laura Ellman	Democratic	Lisle	January 9, 2019	2022
22	Cristina Castro	Democratic	Elgin	January 11, 2017	2022
23	Tom Cullerton	Democratic	Villa Park	January 9, 2013	2022
24	Suzy Glowiak	Democratic	Western Springs	January 9, 2019	2022
25	Karina Villa	Democratic	West Chicago	January 13, 2021	2022
26	Dan McConchie Ɨ	Republican	Hawthorn Woods	April 20, 2016	2022
27	Ann Gillespie	Democratic	Rolling Meadows	January 9, 2019	2022
28	Laura Murphy Ɨ	Democratic	Des Plaines	October 5, 2015	2022
29	Julie Morrison	Democratic	Deerfield	January 9, 2013	2022
30	Adriane Johnson Ɨ^[13]	Democratic	Buffalo Grove	October 11, 2020	2022
31	Melinda Bush	Democratic	Grayslake	January 9, 2013	2022
32	Craig Wilcox Ɨ	Republican	McHenry	October 1, 2018	2022
33	Don DeWitte	Republican	St. Charles	January 9, 2019	2022
34	Steve Stadelman	Democratic	Rockford	January 9, 2013	2022
35	Dave Syverson	Republican	Rockford	January 13, 1993	2022
36	Neil Anderson	Republican	Rock Island	January 15, 2015	2022
37	Win Stoller ƗƗ	Republican	Metamora	January 5, 2021	2022
38	Sue Rezin Ɨ	Republican	Morris	December 11, 2010	2022
39	Don Harmon	Democratic	Oak Park	January 8, 2003	2022
40	Patrick Joyce Ɨ	Democratic	Kankakee	November 8, 2019	2022
41	John Curran Ɨ	Republican	Woodridge	July 23, 2017	2022
42	Linda Holmes	Democratic	Aurora	January 10, 2007	2022
43	John Connor	Democratic	Lockport	January 13, 2021	2022
44	Sally Turner Ɨ^[14]	Republican	Beason	January 25, 2021	2022
45	Brian W. Stewart ƗƗ	Republican	Freeport	December 5, 2018	2022
46	Dave Koehler ƗƗ	Democratic	Peoria	December 3, 2006	2022
47	Jil Tracy	Republican	Quincy	January 11, 2017	2022
48	Doris Turner Ɨ^[15]	Democratic	Springfield	February 6, 2021	2022
49	Meg Loughran Cappel ƗƗ	Democratic	Shorewood	December 10, 2020	2022
50	Steve McClure	Republican	Springfield	January 9, 2019	2022
51	Chapin Rose	Republican	Mahomet	January 9, 2013	2022
52	Scott M. Bennett Ɨ	Democratic	Champaign	January 14, 2015	2022
53	Jason Barickman	Republican	Bloomington	January 9, 2013	2022
54	Jason Plummer	Republican	Edwardsville	January 9, 2019	2022
55	Darren Bailey	Republican	Louisville	January 13, 2021	2022
56	Rachelle Aud Crowe	Democratic	Glen Carbon	January 9, 2019	2022
57	Christopher Belt	Democratic	Cahokia	January 9, 2019	2022
58	Terri Bryant	Republican	Murphysboro	January 13, 2021	2022
59	Dale Fowler	Republican	Harrisburg	January 11, 2017	2022

Ɨ Legislator was appointed to the Illinois Senate during session.
ƗƗ Legislator was appointed to the Illinois Senate after being elected, but prior to inauguration day of the General Assembly to which they were elected.

Past composition of the Senate[]

References[]

^ "Table 4. Resident Population of the 50 States, The District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2010 Census and Census 2000" (PDF). October 7, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2012.
^ Illinois Constitution Article IV, Section 2(a) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con4.htm
^ Illinois Constitution Article IV, Section 2(b) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con4.htm
^ Gonzales, Nathan (February 13, 2007). "The Ever-'Present' Obama". The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
^ Burnett, Sara (February 14, 2013). "Illinois Senate votes to legalize gay marriage". Associated Press. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
^ "102ND GA SENATE LEADERSHIP" (PDF). Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ Thomas, Whitney Freund (April 1998). "Florence Fifer Bohrer: A Woman Before Her Time". Illinois History: A Magazine for Young People. 51 (3): 59–60. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
^ Gherardini, Caroline, ed. (February 1984). "Honors". Illinois Issues. Vol. 9 no. 2. Springfield, Illinois: Sangamon State University. p. 41. ISSN 0738-9663. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
^ Musser, Ashley; Dutton, Julie (February 11, 2016). "Illinois Women in Congress and General Assembly" (PDF). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
^ Miller, David R. (ed.). "A Former New Member: Barack Obama (D-13, Chicago) (From First Reading, December 1996)" (PDF). First Reading. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Legislative Research Unit. p. 4.
^ "Current Senate Members 102bd General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
^ Miller, Rich (February 6, 2021). "Mike Simmons appointed to replace former Sen. Heather Steans". Capitol Fax. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ DeGrechie, Eric (October 12, 2020). "Johnson Replaces Link, Becomes 1st Black Senator From Lake County". Buffalo Grove Patch. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
^ Solutions, LRS Web. "Sally Turner appointed as Illinois State Senator". senategop.state.il.us. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ Miller, Rich (February 6, 2021). "Doris Turner to replace Andy Manar in the Senate". Capitol Fax. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

External links[]

Illinois General Assembly – Senate official government website
Illinois Senate Republicans official party website
Illinois Senate Democrats official party website
Legislature of Illinois at Project Vote Smart
Illinois campaign financing at FollowTheMoney.org
Illinois Senate at Ballotpedia

[1] "Table 4. Resident Population of the 50 States, The District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2010 Census and Census 2000" (PDF). October 7, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2012.

[2] Illinois Constitution Article IV, Section 2(a) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con4.htm

[3] Illinois Constitution Article IV, Section 2(b) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con4.htm

[4] Gonzales, Nathan (February 13, 2007). "The Ever-'Present' Obama". The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 26, 2014.

[5] Burnett, Sara (February 14, 2013). "Illinois Senate votes to legalize gay marriage". Associated Press. Retrieved September 26, 2014.

[6] "102ND GA SENATE LEADERSHIP" (PDF). Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[7] Thomas, Whitney Freund (April 1998). "Florence Fifer Bohrer: A Woman Before Her Time". Illinois History: A Magazine for Young People. 51 (3): 59–60. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

[Statue-8] Gherardini, Caroline, ed. (February 1984). "Honors". Illinois Issues. Vol. 9 no. 2. Springfield, Illinois: Sangamon State University. p. 41. ISSN 0738-9663. Retrieved August 21, 2017.

[ILRU_2016-9] Musser, Ashley; Dutton, Julie (February 11, 2016). "Illinois Women in Congress and General Assembly" (PDF). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved August 21, 2017.

[10] Miller, David R. (ed.). "A Former New Member: Barack Obama (D-13, Chicago) (From First Reading, December 1996)" (PDF). First Reading. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Legislative Research Unit. p. 4.

[11] "Current Senate Members 102bd General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved January 21, 2021.

[12] Miller, Rich (February 6, 2021). "Mike Simmons appointed to replace former Sen. Heather Steans". Capitol Fax. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[13] DeGrechie, Eric (October 12, 2020). "Johnson Replaces Link, Becomes 1st Black Senator From Lake County". Buffalo Grove Patch. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

[14] Solutions, LRS Web. "Sally Turner appointed as Illinois State Senator". senategop.state.il.us. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[15] Miller, Rich (February 6, 2021). "Doris Turner to replace Andy Manar in the Senate". Capitol Fax. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

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show v t Members of the Illinois Senate
102nd General Assembly (2021–2023) President Don Harmon (D) Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D) Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R)
Antonio Munoz (D) Omar Aquino (D) Mattie Hunter (D) Kimberly A. Lightford (D) Patricia Van Pelt (D) Sara Feigenholtz (D) Mike Simmons (D) Ram Villivalam (D) Laura Fine (D) Robert Martwick (D) Celina Villanueva (D) Steven Landek (D) Robert Peters (D) Emil Jones III (D) Napoleon Harris (D) Jacqueline Y. Collins (D) Elgie Sims (D) William Cunningham (D) Michael Hastings (D) Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D) Laura Ellman (D) Cristina Castro (D) Tom Cullerton (D) Suzy Glowiak (D) Karina Villa (D) Dan McConchie (R) Ann Gillespie (D) Laura Murphy (D) Julie Morrison (D) Adriane Johnson (D) Melinda Bush (D) Craig Wilcox (R) Don DeWitte (R) Steve Stadelman (D) Dave Syverson (R) Neil Anderson (R) Win Stoller (R) Sue Rezin (R) Don Harmon (D) Patrick Joyce (D) John Curran (R) Linda Holmes (D) John Connor (D) Sally Turner (R) Brian W. Stewart (R) Dave Koehler (D) Jil Tracy (R) Doris Turner (D) Meg Loughran Cappel (D) Steve McClure (R) Chapin Rose (R) Scott M. Bennett (D) Jason Barickman (R) Jason Plummer (R) Darren Bailey (R) Rachelle Crowe (D) Christopher Belt (D) Terri Bryant (R) Dale Fowler (R)
Democratic (41) Republican (18) Illinois General Assembly Illinois House of Representatives Illinois Senate

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