The first official week of the 99th General Assembly finished with little legislative action, but considerable activity in the areas of organizational process and bill filings.
Committee Changes and Assignments
The Illinois House gathered to vote on the House rules – guidelines that will govern the body for the next two years. There were few changes, with the exception of the release of the committee structure, chairmanships, and committee assignments.
Of note to IFT, the House changed the previous K-12 committee structure. The Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will now be split into three committees – School Curriculum & Policies, Licensing Oversight, and Charter School Policy.
In addition, the House established a new Higher Education Committee called the Community College Access and Affordability Committee. View the complete list of House and Senate assignments online.
Governor Rauner
Governor Rauner hit the road this week to preview his State of the State speech in Decatur and Champaign. While outlining the financial problems Illinois faces, the Governor blasted labor unions saying,“Groups that contract with the state should not be making campaign contributions to the people across the table with whom they're negotiating."While claiming he’s not anti-union, he promoted “right to work”zones for Illinois, despite the fact that states with such laws fair far worse than other states in key economic factors like unemployment rates, household income, and more.
The Governor will give his State of the State speech on Wednesday, February 4th.
Watch the IFT website for updates.