All 118 members of the House, and 38 of the 59 members of the Senate,[1] were elected in the 2006 election. The apportionment of seats was based on the 2000 census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
The 95th General Assembly was succeeded by the 96th General Assembly in January 2009.
Legislation
The 95th General Assembly enacted a total of 1,056 bills into law.[5]
The General Assembly passed the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) unanimously in 2008.[6] BIPA imposes strict requirements on companies that do business in Illinois and also collect or store biometric information.[7] When it was enacted, BIPA was the first law in the United States regulating the use of biometric information.[8] BIPA provides a private right of action for people who have been harmed by violations of the law.[8] Governor Blagojevich signed BIPA into law on October 3, 2008.[9]
The General Assembly also passed the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act, which requires hospitals in Illinois to give most uninsured patients a discount on their medical bills. The Act also requires hospitals to include information on their bills about how to apply for the discount.[10]
The General Assembly also passed the Smoke Free Illinois Act (410 ILCS82), a comprehensive anti-smoking law. The Act bans smoking inside most buildings and vehicles used by the general public, used as a place of employment, or owned by the government or other public body. It also requires "no-smoking" signs, bans smoking within 15 feet (4.6m) of openings in the targeted buildings and requires at least 75% of rooms in each hotel to be non-smoking. The governor signed the Act into law on July 23, 2007.[11] The Act's passage was the product of a year-long campaign by the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco.[12] Illinois was the 19th state to adopt a smoking ban of this type.[11]
Mug shot of Governor Rod Blagojevich on December 9, 2008
Near the end of the 95th General Assembly, on December 9, 2008, Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested by federal agents and charged with conspiracy and soliciting bribes.[13] On December 15, six days after the scandal broke with no resignation by the Governor, the Illinois House voted unanimously 113–0 to begin impeachment proceedings.[14][15] This was the first impeachment inquiry against a governor in Illinois history.[16] On the same day, House Speaker Michael Madigan formed a bipartisan committee of inquiry within the House of Representatives.[17]
Madigan stated that the impeachment committee would consider the pending criminal charges as well as review other possible wrongdoing during Blagojevich's term such as abuse of power, taking action without legal authority, ignoring state laws, and defying lawful requests for information from the General Assembly.[19] Currie further stated that among the controversial actions under review by the committee would be the Blagojevich administration's purchase of a flu vaccine that was never distributed and his unilateral decision to send a $1 million grant to a private school that was damaged when the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church was destroyed by fire. She also warned that the panel's interest in investigating alleged criminal activities surrounding Blagojevich might be affected by how much cooperation was forthcoming from federal investigators, which was supported by a formal written request to Prosecutor Fitzgerald.[21] On December 30, Fitzgerald filed a motion to allow the impeachment committee to hear the conversations recorded by wiretap during his federal investigation.[22]
On January 8, 2009, the 21-member bipartisan committee on impeachment voted unanimously to recommend that the House impeach the Governor.[23] The following day, the full House voted 114–1 to impeach the governor. The lone dissenter was Chicago-area Representative Milton Patterson; three other representatives abstained.[24][25] After the Illinois House impeached Blagojevich, the Illinois Senate held a trial at which Illinois Supreme CourtChief JusticeThomas R. Fitzgerald presided. Under the Illinois Constitution, the Chief Justice presides over the impeachment trial of a governor.[26]
The article of impeachment alleged a pattern of conduct constituting abuse of power, including the events described in the criminal complaint and several instances of ignoring Illinois law in his use of executive power.[27] In particular, it accused Blagojevich of engaging in a conduct constituting a pattern of abuse of power.[28]
The impeachment proceedings continued in the 96th General Assembly. The Illinois Senate voted unanimously to remove Blagojevich from office on January 29, 2009.[29]
Senate
Under the 1970 Illinois Constitution, the Illinois Senate has 59 members, who serve overlapping two- and four-year terms. Thirty votes are required for a majority, and 36 votes (or 60%) are required to override a veto or approve a constitutional amendment.
Of the 38 members elected in the 2006 Illinois Senate election, 19 were elected to four-year terms, and 19 were elected to two-year terms.[1]
Chair: Judiciary Civil Law Member:Environment and Energy; Executive Appointments; Judiciary Criminal Law; Licensed Activities; Special Committee on Impeachment Procedure
Member:Environment and Energy; Financial Institutions; Housing and Community Affairs; Pensions and Investments; Special Committee on Impeachment Procedure
Member:Agriculture and Conservation; Commerce and Economic Development; Judiciary Criminal Law; Licensed Activities; State Government & Veterans Affairs
Chair: Environment and Energy Member:Executive; Executive Appointments; Insurance; Pensions and Investments; Special Committee on Impeachment Procedure
58
Clinton, Jackson, Monroe, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington
The Illinois House has 118 members, who all serve two-year terms. Sixty votes are required for a majority, and 71 votes are required to override a veto or approve a constitutional amendment.
The members of the 95th House were elected in the 2006 election.
Chair: Juvenile Justice Reform; Public Utilities Member:Adoption Reform; Appropriations-General Service; Human Services; Judiciary II - Criminal Law; State Government Administration
Chair: Judiciary I - Civil Law Member:Financial Institutions; Gaming; Registration & Regulation; Special Investigative Committee; Telecommunications; Transportation & Motor Vehicles
Chair: Judiciary II - Criminal Law Member:Appropriations-Public Safety; Executive; Gaming; Mass Transit; Tollway Oversight; Transportation & Motor Vehicles
Chair: Appropriations-General Service Member:Appropriations-Higher Education; Disparities in Educational Achievem; Elementary & Secondary Education; Financial Institutions; Gaming; Juvenile Justice Reform; Public Utilities; Special Investigative Committee; State Government Administration
Member:Aging; International Trade & Commerce; Judiciary I - Civil Law; Least Cost Power Procurement; Prison Reform; Public Utilities; Registration & Regulation
Member:Appropriations-Human Services; Disability Services; Environmental Health; Financial Institutions; Fire Protection; Human Services; Labor; Mass Transit; Special Investigative Committee
Chair: Disparities in Educational Achievem Member:DCFS Oversight; Elementary & Secondary Education; Environmental Health; Mass Transit; Prison Reform; State Government Administration
Member:Environment & Energy; Environmental Health; Health Care Availability & Accessibility; Least Cost Power Procurement; Local Government; Mass Transit; Smart Growth & Regional Planning
Member:Electric Utility Oversight; Environment & Energy; Health Care Availability & Accessibility; Mass Transit; State Government Administration; Telecommunications
Chair: Homeland Security & Emergency Preparation Member:Agriculture & Conservation; Elementary & Secondary Education; Health Care Availability & Accessibility; Least Cost Power Procurement; State Government Administration; Veterans Affairs
Member:DCFS Oversight; Elementary & Secondary Education; Housing and Urban Development; International Trade & Commerce; Least Cost Power Procurement; Registration & Regulation; Transportation & Motor Vehicles
Member:Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Education; Bio-Technology; Environment & Energy; Least Cost Power Procurement; Local Government; Mass Transit
Member:Elementary & Secondary Education; Financial Institutions; Gaming; Public Utilities; State Government Administration; Telecommunications; Veterans Affairs
Rod Blagojevich, often referred to by his nickname "Blago", is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. He was impeached, removed from office, convicted, and incarcerated for eight years on federal charges of public corruption. A member of the Democratic Party, Blagojevich previously worked in both the state and federal legislatures. He served as an Illinois state representative from 1993 to 1997, and the U.S. representative from Illinois's 5th district from 1997 to 2003.
Lisa Murray Madigan is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 to 2019, being the first woman to hold that position. She is the adopted daughter of Michael Madigan, who served as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2021.
Michael Joseph Madigan is an American politician who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He was the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United States, having held the position for all but two years from 1983 to 2021. He served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He represented the 27th District from 1971 to 1983, the 30th district from 1983 to 1993, and the 22nd district from 1993 to 2021. This made him the body's longest-serving member and the last legislator elected before the Cutback Amendment.
Barbara Flynn Currie is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 2019. She served as the Majority Leader from 1997 to 2019. Flynn Currie's forty years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly is the longest tenure of any woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly.
Emil Jones Jr. is an American politician who was the President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Jones served in the Illinois Senate from 1983 to 2009, where he served as President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to the end of his term. Previously, he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 until 1983.
John J. Cullerton is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 6th district from his appointment in 1991 to 2020. He served as President of the Illinois Senate from 2009 to 2020.
Gregory S. Harris is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives in the 13th district from 2007 to 2023. Harris announced that he would not seek reelection in November 2021.
Elga Lee Jefferies is an American politician who served as a Democratic Party member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 26th District during the 95th Illinois General Assembly. Jeffries' appointment came following the death of the former Representative, Lovana "Lou" Jones; she then proceeded to be elected to her position in November 2006, but was later defeated in the 2008 primary election, finishing third out of five candidates.
Mike Jacobs was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 36th District from when he was appointed in 2005 until 2015. The 36th district, located in Western Illinois, includes all or parts of East Moline, Moline, Rock Island, Rock Falls and Sterling.
Jack Darrow Franks is an Illinois attorney and politician who served as Chairman of the McHenry County Board from December 2016 to December 2020. Previously, Franks served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 63rd district from 1999 to 2017. His McHenry area district included all or parts of Harvard, Marengo, Woodstock, Bull Valley, Wonder Lake, Illinois, Greenwood, McHenry, Fox Lake, Spring Grove, Johnsburg and Lakemoor.
Tom Cross is an American lawyer and former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives where he served from 1993 to 2015. He served as House Minority Leader from January 2002 to August 2013, when he resigned to run for Illinois Treasurer.
Jay C. Hoffman is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 113th district. He previously served from 1991 to 2011, with a nine-month interruption in 1997.
In December 2008, then-Democratic Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. As a result, Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois General Assembly and removed from office by the Illinois Senate in January 2009. The federal investigation continued after his removal from office, and he was indicted on corruption charges in April of that year. The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one charge of making false statements with a mistrial being declared on the other 23 counts due to a hung jury after 14 days of jury deliberation. On June 27, 2011, after a retrial, Blagojevich was found guilty of 17 charges, not guilty on one charge and the jury deadlocked after 10 days of deliberation on the two remaining charges. On December 7, 2011, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
A number of controversies related to Rod Blagojevich, formerly the Governor of Illinois, were covered in the press during and after his administration. In addition to a reputation for secrecy that was noted by the Associated Press, Blagojevich was the subject of political, legal, and personal controversies similar to those of his predecessor, Republican Governor George Ryan. To the surprise of many, Blagojevich said in 2008 that he agreed with the idea of commuting Ryan's federal prison sentence.
The Biometric Information Privacy Act is a law set forth on October 3, 2008 in the U.S. state of Illinois, in an effort to regulate the collection, use, and handling of biometric identifiers and information by private entities. Notably, the Act does not apply to government entities. While Texas and Washington are the only other states that implemented similar biometric protections, BIPA is the most stringent. The Act prescribes $1,000 per violation, and $5,000 per violation if the violation is intentional or reckless. Because of this damages provision, the BIPA has spawned several class action lawsuits.
The 93rd Illinois General Assembly, consisting of the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives, existed from January 8, 2003 to January 11, 2005 during the first and second years of Rod Blagojevich's first term as governor of Illinois. The General Assembly met at the State Capitol.
The 94th Illinois General Assembly, consisting of the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives, existed from January 12, 2005 to January 9, 2007 during the first two years of Rod Blagojevich's second term as governor. The General Assembly met at the Illinois State Capitol.
The 96th Illinois General Assembly convened on January 14, 2009 and adjourned sine die on January 11, 2011. Over that period, the Illinois Senate was in session for 144 legislative days, and the Illinois House was in session for 165 legislative days.
The 97th Illinois General Assembly convened on January 12, 2011 and adjourned sine die on January 8, 2013. Over that period, the Illinois Senate was in session for 137 legislative days, and the Illinois House was in session for 166 legislative days.
The 100th Illinois General Assembly, consisting of the Illinois House and Illinois Senate, convened on January 11, 2017. It adjourned sine die on January 9, 2019.
↑ Diane S.W. Lee (2011-06-15). "Special session has risks for Quinn". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 2022-06-04. In 2007 and 2008, Blagojevich called a record 26 special sessions to consider issues ranging from comprehensive ethics reform to a temporary, one-month budget for the state chronic renal disease program.
↑ "House Resolution 1669". Illinois General Assembly. 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2022-06-04. WHEREAS, Representative Joe Dunn has served faithfully as a State Representative of the 96th District since 2003, representing DuPage and Will Counties for residents in Naperville, Aurora, and Warrenville
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