Illinois House of Representatives
General Information
Party control:	Democrat
Session start:	January 14, 2026
Session end:	May 31, 2026
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$93,712/year + per diem
Members
Total:	118
Democrats:	78
Republicans:	40
Other:	0
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
Speaker:	Chris Welch (D)
Maj. Leader:	Robyn Gabel (D)
Min. Leader:	Tony McCombie (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheIllinois House of Representatives is thelower chamber of theIllinois General Assembly. Alongside theIllinois State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Illinois state government and works alongside thegovernor of Illinois to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Illinois House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Illinois House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building inSpringfield, Illinois.

This page contains the following information on the Illinois House of Representatives.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Illinois House of Representatives as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body and is elected by its full membership. Duties of the speaker include preserving order and decorum, deciding all points of order, signing all bills and acts of the House, and appointing all chairs, co-chairs, and vice chairs of committees, as well as appointing all majority caucus members of committees. The minority leader appoints all minority caucus members to committees.^[1]

Leadership and members

• Speaker of the House:Chris Welch (D)
• Majority leader:Robyn Gabel (D)
• Minority leader:Tony McCombie (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

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

Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.^[3]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article IV of theIllinois Constitution states: "To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent."^[4]

65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a) states, "A person is not eligible for an elective municipal office unless that person is a qualified elector."^[5]

Historical party control

Democrats won control of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996. In2024, they won a 78-40 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Illinois House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Before 1992

From 1900 to 2022, the Illinois House of Representatives switched partisan control 15 times.

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Illinois was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2003-2014, 2019-2023
• Republican trifecta: 1995-1996
• Divided government: 1992-1994, 1997-2002, 2015-2018

Elections

Elections by year

Illinois state representatives servetwo-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Illinois holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2026

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isMarch 17, 2026. The filing deadline wasNovember 3, 2025.

2024

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2024

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasMarch 19, 2024. The filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2023.

In the 2024 election, the partisan breakdown did not change. Democrats maintained their majority of 78-40.

2022

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 14, 2022.

In the 2022 elections, the Democratic majority in the Illinois House of Representatives increased from 74–44 to 78–39 with one vacancy.^[6]

2020

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 17, 2020. The filing deadline was December 2, 2019.

In the 2020 elections, the Democratic majority in the Illinois House of Representatives decreased from 74–44 to 73–45.

Selection of speaker

On January 13, 2021,Emanuel Welch (D) was elected speaker of theIllinois House of Representatives. Welch replaced former House SpeakerMichael Madigan (D), the longest-serving statehouse speaker in American history and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. To read more about the events leading up to Welch's election,click here.

2018

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 20, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2017.^[7]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Illinois House of Representatives from 67-51 to 74-44.

2016

See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives were held in2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.^[8] All118 seats in theIllinois House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, Democrats held a 71-47 majority. Democrats lost four seats in the election, giving them a 67-51 majority.

Click [show] to see election information dating back to 2000

2014 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2014 Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013. All 118 House seats were up for election in 2014. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 70-47 majority with one vacancy. Democrats gained one seat in the election, giving them a 71-47 majority. Illinois House of Representatives Party As of November 3, 2014 After November 4, 2014      Democratic Party 70 71      Republican Party 47 47      Vacancy 1 0 Total 118 118 2012 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2012 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2012. The primary election was held on March 20, 2012, and the general election was held onNovember 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 5, 2011. All 118 House seats were up for election in 2012. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 64-54 majority. Democrats gained seven seats in the election, giving them a 71-47 majority. Illinois House of Representatives Party As of November 5, 2012 After the 2012 Election      Democratic Party 64 71      Republican Party 54 47 Total 118 118 The table below details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election in 2012. 2012 Margin of Victory, Illinois House of Representatives District Winner Margin of Victory Total Votes Top Opponent District 79 Katherine Cloonen 0.2% 42,483 Glenn Nixon District 112 Dwight D. Kay 0.7% 48,733 Marleen Suarez District 71 Mike Smiddy 4.1% 48,048 Richard Morthland District 77 Kathleen Willis 5.2% 26,065 Angelo Saviano District 68 John M. Cabello 6.5% 47,260 Carl R. Wasco District 55 Martin J. Moylan 6.5% 40,032 Susan Sweeney District 62 Sam Yingling 10.6% 37,972 Sandy Cole District 45 Dennis Reboletti 10.8% 43,459 JoAnn Franzen District 57 Elaine Nekritz 11% 36,263 Jonathan L. Greenberg District 91 Michael D. Unes 11.8% 43,539 Jennifer Groves Allison 2010 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2010 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2010. The primary election was held on February 2, 2010, and the general election was held onNovember 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was November 2, 2009. All 118 House seats were up for election in 2010. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 70-48 majority. Democrats lost six seats in the election, giving them a 64-54 majority. Illinois House of Representatives Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election      Democratic Party 70 64      Republican Party 48 54 Total 118 118 In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in state House elections was $50,734,623. The top 10 contributors were:[9] 2010 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $5,100,516 House Republican Organization of Illinois $1,304,567 Illinois Republican Party $1,302,517 Illinois Education Association $807,027 Citizens to Elect Tom Cross $769,486 Illinois House Republican Organization $700,651 Illinois Health Care Association $675,393 Hoffman, Jay C $543,711 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $520,270 Illinois State Medical Society $517,693 2008 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2008 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on February 5, 2008, and a general election on November 4, 2008. During the 2008 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $42,866,912. The top 10 contributors were:[10] 2008 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $3,211,111 House Republican Organization of Illinois $1,267,651 Illinois Education Association $956,847 Illinois Republican Party $906,754 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $614,128 Illinois State Medical Society $595,424 Illinois Federation of Teachers $484,993 Afscme Illinois Council 31 $465,724 Illinois Health Care Association $431,593 Illinois Pro-Choice $406,436 2006 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2006 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 21, 2006, and a general election on November 7, 2006. During the 2006 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $38,897,487. The top 10 contributors were:[11] 2006 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $2,714,136 House Republican Organization $2,127,379 Illinois Education Association $1,013,978 Illinois State Medical Society $709,294 Illinois Republican Party $508,701 Illinois Federation of Teachers $501,815 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $479,422 AT&T $410,063 Citizens to Elect Tom Cross $347,717 Illinois Hospital & Health Systems Association $341,045 2004 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2004 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 16, 2004, and a general election on November 2, 2004. During the 2004 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $36,703,698. The top 10 contributors were:[12] 2004 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $2,906,011 House Republican Organization $1,562,774 Illinois Education Association $946,284 Citizens to Elect Tom Cross $591,399 Illinois State Medical Society $549,399 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $375,400 Illinois Federation of Teachers $358,443 Illinois Trial Lawyers Association $321,122 Illinois Hospital & Health Systems Association $308,935 Illinois Realtors Association $296,421 2002 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2002 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 19, 2002, and a general election on November 5, 2002. During the 2002 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $35,823,142. The top 10 contributors were:[13] 2002 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $1,468,207 Illinois Education Association $1,084,976 House Republican Campaign Cmte of Illinois $662,308 Goldberg, Michael $600,000 Illinois State Medical Society $444,067 Leaders For A Republican Majority $392,856 Illinois Trial Lawyers Association $380,765 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $336,204 Illinois Federation of Teachers $315,027 Illinois Realtors Association $277,721 2000 See also:Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2000 Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 21, 2000, and a general election on November 7, 2000. During the 2000 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $35,659,714. The top 10 contributors were:[14] 2000 Donors, Illinois House of Representatives Donor Amount Illinois Democratic Party $3,989,911 House Republican Campaign Cmte of Illinois $2,492,649 Illinois Education Association $896,830 Friends of Lee Daniels $772,903 Illinois State Medical Society $456,892 Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois $447,285 Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte $425,000 Illinois Trial Lawyers Association $362,200 Illinois Federation of Teachers $356,171 Illinois Hospital & Health Systems Association $304,245

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theIllinois General Assembly, thestate 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 occurs in theSenate with more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointment is interim until the next general election, when a special election must be held. All otherHouse and Senate vacancies are to be filled by an appointment from the same political party that last held the seat.^[15] If the vacated seat was held by an independent (no party affiliation), thegovernor is to appoint an independent successor within 30 days.^[16]

The vacancy must be filled by the respective party organizations covering the legislative district.^[17] The respective committeemen and committeewomen representing the legislative district must vote on a replacement.^[18] The person selected for the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.^[19]

See sources:Illinois Const. Art. 4, Sec. 2(d) andIllinois Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/25-6

District map

See also:Illinois state legislative districts

The state of Illinois has 118 state House districts. Each district elects one representative each.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in Illinois

TheIllinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a redistricting plan. Thegovernor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[20]

In the event that both chambers of the state legislature do not approve a legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber must appoint two members each to the commission (one legislator and one general citizen). Of the eight commission members, no more than four may belong to the same political party. In the event that these eight members cannot approve a plan, theIllinois Supreme Court must select two individuals (from different political parties) as potential tiebreakers. Thesecretary of state must then appoint one of these individuals to the backup commission to break the tie.^[20]

TheIllinois Constitution requires that state legislative districts be "contiguous and reasonably compact." There are no such requirements in place for the state's congressional districts.^[20]

State law also mandates the establishment of state legislative districts "that allow racial or language minority communities to elect--or influence the election of--the candidates of their choice, even if no comparable district would be required by the federalVoting Rights Act."^[20]

2020

See also:Redistricting in Illinois after the 2020 census

The Illinois State Legislature approved new state legislative maps in a special session on August 31, 2021. Gov.J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the new maps into law on September 24, 2021.^[21] These maps were revised versions of maps enacted on June 4, 2021, that the legislature based on non-census population estimates. Following the release of census data in August, the legislature reconvened to develop and approve a revised map. These maps were later subject to afederal lawsuit that was decided on December 30, 2021, with the court upholding the maps enacted on September 24, 2021.^[22] Learn morehere.

District map before and after 2020 redistricting

Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

2010

See also:Redistricting in Illinois after the 2010 census

Following the completion of the 2010 United States Census, Illinois lost one congressional seat. At the time of redistricting, Democrats held majorities in both chambers of thestate legislature. On May 30, 2011, theIllinois House of Representatives approved a congressional redistricting plan. TheIllinois State Senate approved the plan on May 31, 2011, and GovernorPat Quinn (D) signed it into law on June 24, 2011. Legal suits were filed challenging the new congressional district map, but these were all ultimately dismissed.^[20][23][24]

The state legislative redistricting plan was passed by the legislature on May 27, 2011. Quinn signed the map into law on June 3, 2011. As with the congressional map, lawsuits were filed challenging the new state legislative districts. These suits were ultimately dismissed.^[20]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Illinois House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the House to the Senate and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Illinois by year

2025

See also:2025 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on May 31, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 16, 2024, and adjourn on May 29, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2023, and adjourn on May 27, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 5, 2022, and adjourn on April 9, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13, 2021, and adjourn on June 1, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on May 23, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. TheIllinois General Assembly suspended its session, effective March 16, 2020. The suspension was originally set to expire the week of March 23, 2020. It was subsequently extended. The legislature reconvened on May 20, 2020, before adjourning on May 23, 2020.[25][26][27][28][29][30] 2019 See also:2019 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2019, through November 14, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2018, through May 31, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 11, 2017, through May 31, 2017. The legislature held its first special session from June 21, 2017, to July 6, 2017. The legislature held its second special session from July 26, 2017, to July 31, 2017. The state Senate met on August 13, 2017, to override Gov.Bruce Rauner's (R) veto of a school funding formula. The state House met on August 16, but did not override the veto. The Illinois state Legislature met again from August 28 to August 29 in special session over school funding. The legislature held a veto session from October 24 to November 9. Click [show] to read about the 2017 Illinois budget debates. In 2017, disagreements between GovernorBruce Rauner (R) and the Democratic-controlledIllinois General Assembly over the state budget drew national attention when S&P Global Inc. and Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Illinois' credit rating and some government services, including transportation projects and the state lottery, were on the verge of being shut down.[31][32] Rauner and the legislature failed to come to an agreement on a budget during the regular session, which ended on May 31, leading Rauner to call a special session from June 21 to June 30, the last day of the 2017 fiscal year. A budget agreement was not reached before June 30, meaning Illinois entered the 2018 fiscal year without a budget. A budget was passed on July 6, 2017, when the legislature overrode Rauner's vetoes of a $36 billion spending plan and a $5 billion tax increase. In the votes in the Illinois House, 10 Republicans joined the Democrats in voting for the overrides. Up to this point, Illinois had not passed a budget since 2014, whenPat Quinn (D) served as governor. According toThe Associated Press, two years was the longest any state had gone without a budget in recent memory.[33] Important issues surrounding the budget debate included differences in Democratic and Republican plans concerning income tax rate increases, a property tax freeze, changes to regulations related to injured worker compensation, and the state's pension liabilities. The budget deal that eventually passed increased the personal income tax rate from 3.75 to 4.95 percent, increased the corporate tax rate from 5.25 to 7 percent, and left overall spending at $36 billion for fiscal year 2018.[34] The budget had an impact beyond the state, costing Wisconsin millions from its state budget. This was because, as of July 2017, Illinois and Wisconsin had a reciprocity agreement to account for the greater number of Wisconsinites that cross the state border to work in Illinois, but not pay state income taxes, than Illinoisans who came to work in Wisconsin. With higher incomes taxes in Illinois, Wisconsin's reciprocity payment increased.[35] Coverage of the budget negotiations centered on the relationship between Rauner and Speaker of the HouseMichael Madigan (D).[36] As of July 6, 2017, Rauner was seeking re-election as governor in 2018 and Madigan was defending the Democrats' 67-51 majority in the state house. Rauner and Madigan disagreed on a number of issues including whether the income tax increases should have been permanent.[37] Education funding $8.2 billion in state aid for public schools was included in the budget agreement. However, language was also included that said $6.76 billion of the aid had to be dispersed through a funding formula that calculated state aid for school districts based on the cost of strategies that supporters say are proven to improve student performance. The funding for districts could be increased by elements such as income, property wealth, and English-learning needs.[38][39][40]On August 29, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill that included the necessary funding formula. Read more the timeline of events below. On May 31, the Legislature passed SB 1, which contained the necessary funding formula. Gov. Rauner indicated that he would veto the bill, causing Senate PresidentJohn Cullerton (D) to hold it in the chamber.[41] According to Rauner's office, the governor would not support the bill because he believed it would benefitChicago at the expense of other areas of the state.[42] On July 24, Rauner called the General Assembly into a special session starting July 26 to address education funding. He had set a deadline of 12:00pm CT on July 24 for Cullerton to send him SB 1 so that he could use his amendatory veto power to make unspecified changes to the provisions he disagreed with. When the deadline passed without Cullerton sending him the bill, he called the special session.[43] On July 31, the last day of the special session, SB 1 was transmitted to Rauner.[44] Rauner issued an amendatory veto on August 1, rewriting SB 1 to remove a $250 million block grant to Chicago Public Schools and changing how the funding formula determines state aid.[45] According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Rauner's changes would result in a $463 million decrease in funding for Chicago Public Schools in the 2017-2018 school year.[46] The Illinois Senate met on August 13 and overrode the veto by a 38-19 vote, with all Democrats and RepublicanSam McCann voting to override.[47] The Illinois House was scheduled to vote on the override on August 23, but Speaker Madigan cancelled the vote on August 22. He said that progress had been made in negotiations with Rauner and Republicans.[48][49][50] On August 24, the four leaders in the General Assembly— Madigan, Cullerton, Senate Minority LeaderBill Brady (R), and House Minority LeaderJim Durkin (R)— announced that they had reached a compromise agreement on SB 1. According toPolitico, the agreement kept the funding formula from SB 1 and included $75 million in subsidies for private school education.[51] On August 28, 2017, the Illinois House rejected the agreement in a 46-61 vote.[52] The chamber next voted on an override of SB 1. After the override vote received just 63 of the 71 votes it needed to pass, the chamber took up the compromise bill again and passed it 73-34.[53] On August 29, the Illinois Senate passed the compromise bill by a 38-13 vote.[54] Gov. Rauner signed the bill into law on August 31.[55] According toThe Chicago Sun-Times, some schools in low-income areas cannot remain open without the state money that is allocated by the budget.[38] In addition to the state aid in the budget, education funding in Illinois also comes from property taxes levied by local governments. Areas that pay more in property taxes can spend more on schools and are less dependent on state aid.[56] 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31. 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).[57] Major issues in 2015 Major issues during the 2015 legislative session included a potential income tax increase, a statewide minimum wage and federal healthcare funding.[58] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2. Major issues in 2014 Major issues during the 2014 legislative session included the pending expiration of a temporary income tax, corporate tax incentives, Chicago pension reform, and capital construction.[59] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 9 to May 31. Major issues in 2013 Major issues during the 2013 legislative session included regulation of horizontal hydraulic fracturing, concealed carry, same-sex marriage, and pension reform.[60][61][62][63] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the General Assembly was in regular session from January 11 to May 31. 2011 See also:Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions In 2011, the General Assembly was in session from January 12-June 1. A special session was called by GovernorPat Quinn (D) to settle disputes regarding Illinois construction projects on June 22, 2011.[64] 2010 See also:Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions In 2010, the General Assembly was in regular session from January 13th to May 7th.

About legislative sessions in Illinois

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[65] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution establishes when theIllinois General Assembly, of which the House 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 thegovernor 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.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget, andprocedures for filling membership vacancies.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Illinois are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Three-fifths of members in both chambers.

Are there other special rules?

Authority:Article IV, Section 9 of theIllinois Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:Illinois state budget and finances

Illinoison

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

Illinois operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is:^[66][67]

1. InSeptember andOctober of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year, thegovernor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
2. InOctober andNovember, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
3. Budget hearings with the public are held fromFebruary throughMay.
4. On the third Wednesday inFebruary, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to theIllinois General Assembly.
5. The General Assembly passes a budget inMay.

Illinois is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[67][68]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.^[67]

Committees

See also:List of committees in Illinois state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Illinois House of Representatives has 49 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Illinois Constitution can be amended:

See also:Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in Illinois

The Illinois Constitution provides four mechanisms for amending the state constitution—a constitutional convention, a legislative process, and a citizen-initiated process.

Initiative

See also:Initiated constitutional amendment

Aninitiated constitutional amendment is acitizen-initiated ballot measure that amends astate's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Illinois, thenumber of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8% of votes cast for governor in the previous gubernatorial election. Initiated measures in Illinois may only amendArticle IV of the Illinois Constitution, which addresses the structure of theIllinois State Legislature. All amendments must be approved by either a majority of those voting in the election or three-fifths of those voting on the amendment itself.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle XVI, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide.A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for theIllinois General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 71 votes in theIllinois House of Representatives and 36 votes in theIllinois State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle XIV of theIllinois Constitution, a question about whether to hold a constitutional convention is toautomatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years starting in 1918. Illinois is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question. A constitutional convention question can also be placed before the state's voters if 60% of the members of both houses of theIllinois General Assembly vote in the affirmative. If such a question does appear on the ballot, it must be affirmed by a supermajority vote of 60% of those voting on the question or a majority of those who cast a ballot for any office in that election.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

See also

Elections	Illinois State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2026 Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2024 Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2022 Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020 Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2018	Illinois General Assembly Illinois State Senate Governor of Illinois Illinois Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2026,2025,2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Illinois General Assembly

Footnotes

	v • e State ofIllinois Springfield (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy