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Dan Kotowski
Dan Kotowski is a former Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing District 28 from 2006 to October 5, 2015. He resigned to become president and CEO of ChildSer.[1]
Biography
Kotowski earned his B.S. in Communications from the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana and his M.S. from DePaul University. His professional experience includes working as the Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kotowski served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations I, Vice chair |
| • Appropriations II, Chair |
| • Criminal Law |
| • Higher Education |
| • Revenue |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Kotowski served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations, Vice-Chairperson |
| • Appropriations II, Chairperson |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Criminal Law |
| • Higher Education |
| • Revenue |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kotowski served on these committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Appropriations, Vice Chair |
| • Appropriations II, Vice Chair |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Criminal Law |
| • Higher Education |
| • Revenue, Chair |
| • Legislative Audit |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Kotowski served on these committees:[2]
| Illinois committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Appropriations II |
| • Commerce, Chairman |
| • Criminal Law |
| • Financial Institutions, Vice-Chairman |
| • Human Services |
Campaign themes
2012
Kotowski's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
- Political Corruption
- Middle Class Families
Raising lawmaker salaries
In May 2011, Illinois Senate lawmakers entertained a bill, SB2467, which included an “additional amounts per year” for select lawmakers: committee chairmen and committee minority spokesmen and spokeswomen. Sen. Dan Kotowski sponsored the measure.
The lump-sum appropriations in the proposal would increase pay for Senate committee chiefs by 14 percent. House committee bosses would see a 47-percent jump in pay. The increases were on top of the base $67,836 annual salaries that all lawmakers earn. Committee and leadership posts bring extra pay. In other words, more taxpayers’ money would be funneled into extra pay for select lawmakers, said Sen. Dale Righter.
“So there’s some games being played here,” said Righter, a member of the Senate Executive Committee. “And sometimes that’s the way things happen — like this — is because (Democrats) want to do it before anyone really sees it.”
However, Kotowski said this move would restore the public’s good faith and trust to the government.
“We’re basically changing the existing law, to require legislators to work 12 days without getting paid,” he said. “That’s very, very, important, and that’s going to lead to reduction in salaries across the board this year and a total of saving $1.2 million for taxpayers.”
Lawmakers do want the public to notice when they cut their own pay, Righter and Kotowski said.
“But not this, the increasing the stipend (proposal), because it kind of makes it look like, ‘OK you’re taking it out of your pocket over here, but you’re going to shove your other pocket full,’” Righter said. “That’s what it looks like, like the outset that they’re trying to do here.”[3]
Sponsored legislation
Elections
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
Kotowski won re-election in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 28. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2012 and defeated Jim O'Donnell (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Daniel Kotowski Incumbent |
57.3% | 45,656 | |
| Republican | Jim O'Donnell | 42.7% | 34,035 | |
| Total Votes | 79,691 | |||
2008
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Democrat Dan Kotowski won re-election to the Illinois State Senate District 33 receiving 48,344 votes, ahead of Republican Michael Sweeney receiving 32,293 votes.[7]
| Illinois State Senate, District 33 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Dan Kotowski (D)
|
48,344 | |||
| Michael Sweeney (R) | 32,293 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Illinois scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
In 2015, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on manufacturing issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 31.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31.
|
Illinois Opportunity Project
The Illinois Opportunity Project, "an independent research and public policy enterprise that promotes legislative solutions in advance of free markets and free minds," annually releases its Legislative Vote Card, grading all members in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly on the basis of their support of "pro-growth economic policies that increase personal freedom and reign in expansive government."[8][9]
2012
Kotowski received a score of 50.00 out of 100 in 2012 for a grade of D- according to the IOP’s grading scale. His score was tied for the 32nd highest among all 59 members of the Illinois State Senate included in the Vote Card.[9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Dan + Kotowski + Illinois + Senate
See also
- Illinois State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Illinois State Legislature
- Illinois state legislative districts
External links
- Social media:
- Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Wikipedia
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006
Footnotes
- ↑ sj-r.com, "Dan Kotowski to leave Illinois Senate, run nonprofit group," accessed September 15, 2015
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "List of Illinois Senate Committees," July 28, 2009
- ↑ "Illinois lawmakers hush-hush about pay raise in the budget," Illinois Statehouse News, archived May 24, 2012
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed December 31, 2012
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "2008 Official general election results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Opportunity Project, "The Project," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Illinois Opportunity Project, "Legislative Vote Card home page," accessed February 21, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Millner (R) |
Illinois Senate District 28 2013-October 5, 2015 |
Succeeded by Laura Murphy (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Illinois Senate District 33 2006–2013 |
Succeeded by Karen McConnaughay (R) |
