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Illinois State Senate

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Illinois State Senate


General Information
Type:   Upper house
Term limits:   None
2012 session start:   January 11, 2012
Website:   Official Senate Page
Leadership
Senate President:   John Cullerton, (D)
Majority Leader:   James Clayborne, (D)
Minority leader:   Christine Radogno, (R)
Structure
Members:  59
   Democratic Party (35)
Republican Party (24)
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:   Art IV, Illinois Constitution
Salary:   $67,836/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (21 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (59 seats)
Redistricting:  Illinois General Assembly
Meeting place:

Contents

The Illlinois State Senate is the upper house of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, 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.[1] Depending on the election year, roughly ⅓, ⅔, or all of the senate seats may have terms ending. In contrast, the Illinois House of Representatives is made of 118 members with its entire membership elected to two-year terms. House districts are formed by dividing each Senate district in half. The Senate meets at the State Capitol in Springfield Each member represents an average of 217,468 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[2] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 210,496 residents.[3]

Sessions

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution establishes when the Illinois General Assembly, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 5 of Article IV states that the General Assembly will convene its regular session on the second Wednesday of January.

Section 5 also creates rules for the convening of special sessions. The section allows the Governor of Illinois to convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone. When the Governor calls a special session, the General Assembly can generally only deal with matters related to the purpose of the session, as stated by the Governor's proclamation of the session, but they can also deal with impeachments or confirmation of appointments. Section 5 also allows the presiding officers of both houses of the General Assembly to convene a special session through joint proclamation.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the Senate will be in session starting January 11 and meet throughout the year.

Major issues

Governor Pat Quinn (D) and all four legislative leaders say reforming the state's public employee pension system will be a top priority in 2012. Legislators are also expected to address gambling expansion.[4]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the Senate was in session from January 12-June 1. A special session has been called by Governor Pat Quinn to settle disputes regarding Illinois construction projects. The session is slated to begin June 22, 2011.[5]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the Senate was in regular session from January 13th to May 7th.

Elections

2012

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Illinois' state senators will be held in Illinois on November 6, 2012. The primary date will be March 20, 2012.

The filing period will be from November 28, 2011 through December 5, 2011. Petitions can be circulated starting on September 6, 2011.[6]

All 59 seats will be up for election, as the election is the first following redistricting.


2010

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senator were held in Illinois on November 2, 2010. Seats in every third district (1, 4, 7...) and also district 51 are up for election in 2010, for a total of 21 of 59 districts.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was November 2, 2009, and the primary election day was February 2, 2010.

In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in state senate campaigns was $19,051,437. The top 10 donors were: [7]

Donor Amount
Illinois Senate Democratic Fund $3,849,507
Republican State Senate Campaign Cmte of Illinois $1,493,465
Illinois Democratic Party $1,454,869
Illinois Republican Party $1,016,221
Illinois Health Care Association $459,144
Illinois Education Association $395,908
Illinois State Medical Society $315,142
Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $282,582
AT&T $282,495
Illinois Laborers $261,618


Qualifications

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution states: To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaska

Whenever there is a vacancy in the Illinois State Senate, the Illinois Constitution mandates that the seat must be filled by appointment when allowed by law. The appointment must be made within 30 days after the vacancy. If a vacancy by a member of the Illinois Senate has more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointment is interim until the next general election and in this case, a special election must be held to fill the balance of the unserved term. All other Senate vacancies and vacancies in the House of Representatives should be made by appointment with the person appointed being a member of the same political party that last held the seat[8].

The vacancy must be filled by the respective party organizations covering the legislative district[9]. This must be voted on by the respective committeemen and committeewomen representing the legislative district[10]


Senators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the Illinois House of Representatives are paid $67,836/year. Additionally, legislators receive $132/day per diem.[11]

The $67,836/year that Illinois Representatives are paid as of 2010 is an increase over the $57,619/year they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $125/day in 2007 to $132/day in 2011. [12]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 35
     Republican Party 24
Total 59


Leadership

Current leadership

Leadership of the 97th General Assembly:[13]

Office Representative Party
President of the Senate John Cullerton Democratic
State Senate Majority Leader James Clayborne Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Antonio Munoz Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Maggie Crotty Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Jeffrey Schoenberg Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader John Sullivan Democratic
State Senate Majority Caucus Leader Donne Trotter Democratic
State Senate President Pro Tempore Don Harmon Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Susan Garrett Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Ira Silverstein Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Mattie Hunter Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Terry Link Democratic
State Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno Republican
State Senate Deputy Minority Leader Dale Righter Republican
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader Dave Syverson Republican
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Jones Republican
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader David Luechtefeld Republican
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader Bill Brady Republican
State Senate Minority Caucus Leader Matt Murphy Republican
State Senate Minority Whip Pamela Althoff Republican

List of current members

District Representative Party Residence Term ends
1 Antonio Munoz Democratic Chicago 2013
2 William Delgado Democratic Chicago 2013
3 Mattie Hunter Democratic Chicago 2013
4 Kimberly Lightford Democratic Chicago 2013
5 Annazette Collins Democratic Chicago 2013
6 John Cullerton Democratic Chicago 2013
7 Heather Steans Democratic Chicago 2013
8 Ira Silverstein Democratic Chicago 2013
9 Jeffrey Schoenberg Democratic Chicago 2013
10 John G. Mulroe Democratic Chicago 2013
11 Steve Landek Democratic Chicago 2013
12 Martin Sandoval Democratic Chicago 2013
13 Kwame Raoul Democratic Chicago 2013
14 Emil Jones Democratic Chicago 2013
15 Rev. James Meeks Democratic Chicago 2013
16 Jacqueline Collins Democratic Chicago 2013
17 Donne Trotter Democratic Chicago 2013
18 Edward Maloney Democratic Chicago 2013
19 Maggie Crotty Democratic Oak Forest 2013
20 Iris Martinez Democratic Chicago 2013
21 Ron Sandack Republican Downers Grove 2013
22 Michael Noland Democratic Elgin 2013
23 Carole Pankau Republican Bloomingdale 2013
24 Kirk Dillard Republican Hinsdale 2013
25 Chris Lauzen Republican Aurora 2013
26 Dan Duffy Republican Buffalo Grove 2013
27 Matt Murphy Republican Palatine 2013
28 John Millner Republican St. Charles 2013
29 Susan Garrett Democratic Highwood 2013
30 Terry Link Democratic Vernon Hills 2013
31 Suzi Schmidt Republican Lake Villa 2013
32 Pamela Althoff Republican Crystal Lake 2013
33 Dan Kotowski Democratic Park Ridge 2013
34 Dave Syverson Republican Rockford 2013
35 Christine Johnson Republican 2013
36 Mike Jacobs Democratic East Moline 2013
37 Darin LaHood Republican 2013
38 Sue Rezin Republican 2013
39 Don Harmon Democratic Oak Park 2013
40 Toi Hutchinson Democratic Crete 2013
41 Christine Radogno Republican Lemont 2013
42 Linda Holmes Democratic Aurora 2013
43 Arthur Wilhelmi Democratic Joliet 2013
44 Bill Brady Republican Bloomington 2012
45 Tim Bivins Republican Dixon 2012
46 David Koehler Democratic Pekin 2013
47 John Sullivan Democratic Rushville 2013
48 Tom Johnson Republican West Chicago 2013
49 William "Sam" McCann Republican Carlinville 2013
50 Larry Bomke Republican Springfield 2013
51 Kyle McCarter Republican Greenville 2013
52 Mike Frerichs Democratic Gifford 2013
53 Shane Cultra Republican 2013
54 John Jones Republican Mount Vernon 2013
55 Dale Righter Republican Mattoon 2013
56 William Haine Democratic Alton 2013
57 James Clayborne Democratic Belleville 2013
58 David Luechtefeld Republican Okawville 2013
59 Gary Forby Democratic Benton 2013

Standing Senate Committees

The Illinois Senate has 27 standing committees:[14]

External links


Wikipedia has an article on:

References

  1. ↑ Article IV of the Illinois Constitution (Section 2a describes term length for senators)
  2. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  3. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  4. ↑ Illinois Issues, "Push for pension changes grows, but players are far from agreement," January 12, 2012
  5. ↑ ABC.com, General Assembly to hold special session next week, June 15, 2011
  6. ↑ Confirmed via email with Illinois Board of Elections, February 28, 2011
  7. ↑ Follow the Money: "Illinois Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions
  8. ↑ Illinois General Assembly "Illinois Constitution"(Referenced Section Article IV, Section 2(d))
  9. ↑ Illinois General Assembly "Illinois Election Code"(Referenced Statute 10 ILCS 5/25 6 (a), (c))
  10. ↑ Illinois General Assembly "Illinois Election Code"(Referenced Statute 10 ILCS 5/25 6 (d))
  11. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
  12. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  13. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, Senate leadership," accessed March 14, 2011
  14. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Senate Committees 97th General Assembly," accessed March 21, 2011
v • d • e
Democrat majority Current members of the Illinois State Senate
Senate President: John Cullerton (D) • Majority Leader: James Clayborne (D) • Minority Leader: Christine Radogno (R)
   
Democratic (35) • Republican (24) • Illinois State Senate • Illinois House of Representatives
v • d • e
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Note: Parts of this article were taken from this article on Wikipedia under its GNU license.

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