In The Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is leading House Democrats in speaking out against the ways the Trump agenda is hurting communities across Illinois. Members are taking to the House floor every session day to discuss the ways Trump’s erratic leadership is hurting the economy, stripping care from families and veterans, and raising prices in red communities and blue communities alike.

WESTCHESTER, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is helping local students continue their education by supporting the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (ILBCF) Scholarship and encouraging qualified degree seekers to apply.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is empowering two new working groups to lead House Democrats’ work on property tax relief and reform, and sustainability and economic security in state pensions.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Members of the Illinois House of Representatives recognized Black History Month by celebrating the historic Speakership of Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, the first African American to serve as Speaker in the state’s history.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch and House Democrats welcomed Gov. JB Pritzker to the House floor Wednesday for the annual State of the State and Budget Address.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is empowering colleagues to lead important conversations on reproductive rights, gun safety, education, healthcare access, and other critical matters facing the state by announcing reconstituted and reconfigured House Democratic working groups for the new legislative session.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch led his Democratic colleagues in condemning the cruel, destructive, and unlawful orders President Donald Trump has issued during his first weeks in office. Welch and his colleagues passed a series of formal resolutions aimed at calling out Trump’s extremism and committing to move Illinois in a fundamentally better direction.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch joined school administrators from across the state for a discussion on education funding, college and career readiness, teacher retention, and school safety priorities at the Education Leadership Forum held Wednesday at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

WESTCHESTER, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch brought together his new House leadership team for a wide-ranging discussion on the work of the new legislative session at his third annual leadership retreat Wednesday.

WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Marking four years to the day since his historic election, House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is highlighting major legislative victories for Illinois and looking ahead to the next steps to uplift working families.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois House delivered major gun safety reforms to get guns out of the hands of domestic abusers Tuesday, creating new protections to remove firearms and ammunition from individuals who are the subject of protection orders.

(Photos by Andrew Adams)

WESTCHESTER, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch is highlighting new reforms taking effect next month that will help families and seniors cut costs and access better, more affordable healthcare.

CHICAGO – On Thursday, Governor JB Pritzker joined IBM’s Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos, Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) CEO Harley Johnson, and industry stakeholders to announce the new National Quantum Algorithm Center.

(Photo from IBM)

CHICAGO – The State of Illinois’ Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program has relieved more than $72 million worth of medical debt for 52,745 Illinois residents from across the state. This debt abolishment is the first effort as part of the State’s commitment to erase roughly $1 billion in medical debt across Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House adjourned on Thursday, marking the end to legislative session in 2024. During the two-week fall veto session, Democratic House members re-elected Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to another two-year term as Speaker of the House.

FOREST PARK – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch hosted his 12th annual Senior and Veteran Resource Fair last weekend at Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy in Forest Park.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday, Nov. 12th for the two-week fall veto session. Session is scheduled to begin at 3p.m.

FOREST PARK – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch will host his 12th annual Senior and Veteran Resource Fair on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy in Forest Park. 

FOREST PARK – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch will host his 12th annual Senior and Veteran Resource Fair on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy in Forest Park.

SPRINGFIELD – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch hosted his fourth annual job fair at the Capitol in Springfield last week. The event encouraged jobseekers interested in working in state government to come learn about career opportunities with the Office of the Speaker and the House Democratic Caucus. There was an in-person option where jobseekers were able to meet one-on-one with current employees of the office, as well as a virtual option for those who were unable to attend the event at the Capitol.

CHICAGO – Traveling alongside Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, and other state leaders, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch returned to Illinois this week after a successful trade mission in Japan. 

CHICAGO— Governor Pritzker along with leaders in business, education, and government from around the state will embark on a trade mission to Japan. During the course of the visit, the delegation will meet with their counterparts in Tokyo to discuss strengthening economic cooperation between the State of Illinois and Japan. Programming throughout the mission will focus on… clean energy, manufacturing, life sciences, quantum, and other key growth industries for the state.

CHICAGO – Illinois Department of Transportation has been awarded a combined $305.5 in federal funding to invest in Interstate 290 as well as the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program’s 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project. Both projects will improve traffic throughout the region but will also help create jobs and quality of life for residents.

SPRINGFIELD, Il. – One year after Illinois lead the nation in ending cash bail, judges and other officials tracking the law’s data say that it’s making communities safer. The law, which aims to make the criminal justice system fairer and more equitable, no longer allows offenders to buy their way out of jail regardless of the crimes they’re accused of committing. The SAFE-T Act allows judges the ability to hold people based on the risk they pose to the community.

CHICAGO, IL – A shared goal of a modernized and improved I-290 Blue Line Corridor is advancing with action taken today to invest in a corridor development office (CDO). 

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Library districts are receiving grant funding to help ensure all residents have access to quality resources and programming, Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias announced.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced Wednesday the creation of a new House working group designed to look more closely at Illinois’ public transit system and provide recommendations on how it can better serve the communities that rely on it.

(Photo by Jerry Nowicki, Capitol News Illinois)

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed a proclamation last week to designate the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, IL as a national monument. Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch attended the ceremony in the Oval Office, along with state Sen. Doris Turner, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, and more.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch delivered a keynote address to the 2024 Edgar Fellows class last week. As a former Edgar Fellow, Speaker Welch spoke about the importance of unity, civility, and letting passion be a guiding force.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Governor JB Pritzker, joined by legislators, civil rights leaders, and activists, signed multiple bills this week designed to further protect reproductive rights in Illinois. The package of bills signed includes HB581, which ensures that pregnant women can access needed emergency medical care, HB5239, which expands Illinois’ shield laws, and HB4867, which clarifies and expands the Illinois Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on reproductive health decisions.