Northwestern Now
Emanuel “Chris” Welch is the first Black lawmaker to hold the office
Emanuel “Chris” Welch has been a state representative since 2013.
State Representative and Northwestern University alumnus Emanuel “Chris” Welch ’93 has been elected Illinois House speaker. He succeeds Michael Madigan, who has been speaker for almost four decades.
The first Black lawmaker to hold the office, Welch took the helm of the statehouse Wednesday, Jan. 13, the same day the House passed sweeping criminal justice reforms to eliminate cash bail and require all police officers to wear body cameras part of the agenda set forth by Welch and other members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to address systemic racism.
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus put police abuse into a choke hold this week and are squeezing hard. There was nothing gradual, incremental or temperate about their reforms.
One day after state House Speaker Michael Madigan announced a suspension but not a withdrawal of his campaign for another term as speaker, a state representative who has been accused of being a staunch Madigan protector has launched a bid for the post.
Education equity bill will head to governor State Rep. Sonya Harper, a Chicago Democrat, debates an economic equity bill with Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, on Tuesday at the Bank of Springfield Center. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register
Updated 1/12/2021 7:30 PM
SPRINGFIELD A bill aimed at improving racial equity throughout the state s K-12 and higher education system passed both houses of the General Assembly on Monday, while another bill addressing economic inequities was up for House approval Tuesday night.
Both bills were part of an agenda being pushed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which called for the rare lame duck session before members of the next General Assembly and possibly a new House speaker take office on Wednesday.
January 12, 2021 Chicago Tribune Don’t rush criminal justice reform in Springfield Criminal justice reform is both a pressing issue and a complex one. It involves the most basic function of government: public safety. It implicates the life, liberty and property of individual citizens. It affects government budgets for police, courts and corrections. Any change in one area can have repercussions in others. It’s not something to undertake in.