Springfield, IL – Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the House of Representatives to close its doors to members of the public, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch welcomed the first guest back to the chamber on Wednesday.
Read MoreSpringfield, IL – Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch is delighted to welcome back guests to the House of Representatives after two years of a global health pandemic forced the chamber to institute health and safety mitigations.
Read More“As Chair of the Special Investigating Committee, I made it clear that this matter needed to be handled in a court of law, completely separate from the legislature.”
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, IL – Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch made a public request to members of the Illinois House of Representatives this week to bring civility and respect back to Springfield.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following the Democrat's commitment to ensure ethical oversight over the General Assembly, the Illinois House of Representatives took decisive action to appoint Michael McCuskey, a veteran judge of both federal district court and state circuit court, as the next Legislative Inspector General. After decades of service that routinely earned bipartisan support, Justice McCuskey expressed interest in continuing his public service to help restore confidence in state government.
Read MoreSpringfield, IL – With Governor JB Pritzker's plan to lift the statewide mask requirement, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch applauded the people of Illinois for doing their part to keep each other as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch applauded Governor JB Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address that was delivered on Wednesday at the Old State Capitol. The governor's proposal included $1 billion in one-time relief for every Illinoisan, made possible after years of hard work and fiscally responsible decisions with the General Assembly.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Welch announced on Thursday that House members will return to Springfield for legislative session next week.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In his continued effort to prioritize shared leadership among a diverse group of members in the House of Representatives, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) announced today the creation of a House Budget Negotiation Team.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Today marks one year since the Illinois House of Representatives elected Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Hillside) as Illinois' first Black Speaker of the House. Speaker Welch is incredibly proud of all that was accomplished under the first year of his leadership, and is eager to build on those successes.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and state legislators returned to the Illinois State Capitol for the first day of the 2022 legislative session on Wednesday. Due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Speaker Welch and Senate President Don Harmon cancelled the remainder of session days this week, as well as next week.
Read MoreHILLSIDE, Ill. –Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch hopes everyone has safely enjoyed this holiday season and sends well wishes to all in 2022. With the rising number of coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant, Speaker Welch wants to encourage everyone to receive their COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot to protect yourself and loved ones.
Read MoreHILLSIDE, Ill. – Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch is thrilled to host the inaugural Christmas in Proviso event on Thursday, December 23rd to help make the holidays a little brighter for families in need.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch wants to highlight that the Senate and House Redistricting Committees released a proposed map of new Cook County Judicial Subcircuit boundaries to reflect population shifts that have taken place over the course of three decades.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch wants to highlight that applications are now open for the second round of the Illinois Rental Payment Program to assist tenants and landlords who have experienced hardship during the pandemic.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch applauded the dedicated service of Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago) who announced he will not be seeking reelection after 16 years in the legislature.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch applauded Governor JB Pritzker for signing the new U.S. House district map that preserves minority representation in Illinois’ delegation and reflects the diversity of the entire state.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch applauded Governor JB Pritzker for signing the Reimaging Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act into law this week. The incentives package will benefit the entire state and provide a boost in the EV manufacturing industry to meet the goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch applauded the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. When signed into law by President Joe Biden, the legislation will create a generation of good-paying union jobs and modernize our state's aging infrastructure.
Read MoreSPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch is joining Governor JB Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon on a trip to London to promote Illinois' climate leadership and encourage economic development opportunities.
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