ELECTION OMNIBUS, MVP IN THE HOUSE, POLICE MEMORIAL & MORE
This past week we were in Session Tuesday through Friday. The week was filled with committee hearings to get legislation passed through and onto the House Floor. We are in the House Monday through Friday this week.
SESSION
The House of Representatives adjourned Friday, until Monday, May 6th.
To watch the House Floor live, visit the Illinois General Assembly website, and click “Audio/Video”, which is nested under “House”. The schedule for Session is also available under “Schedules”, nested under “House”.
In the House we went had lots of committee meetings to discuss the new legislation that had come over from the Senate. I serve on these committees:
ELECTION OMNIBUS
Democrats muscle through changes to Illinois election law; Republicans denounce political games. This week, Democrats passed brazen legislation to change Illinois election law to their own self-serving political advantages, stifle the ability of the Republican Party to fill office vacancies, and place meaningless non-binding questions on the ballot to drive Democrat voters to the polls.
The Democrats’ amendment to SB 2412 was filed and muscled through the House and Senate in 24 hours and favors self-serving political corruption over any semblance of transparency. In protest to the process and content of the measure, House Republican lawmakers stood united in voting “present” on the bill. Following that vote, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie and her caucus held a press conference to reiterate that House Republicans will not play the political games House Democrats are prioritizing this spring.
Senate Bill 2412, aka the “Katie Stuart Protection Act,” ends the longstanding practice of allowing local party organizations to appoint candidates to the ballot for the general election in uncontested legislative races. Rep. Stuart, a Metro East Democrat, faced no opposition coming out of the March primary until local Republicans slated a Republican candidate and filed the required petition signatures with the Illinois State Board of Elections hours before final passage of SB 2412.
Governor JB Pritzker signed the measure Thursday only hours after telling reporters he had not seen all the details of the measure. The Governor signed the bill into law almost immediately following Senate concurrence with the House amendments.
HOUSE V. SENATE SOFTBALL GAME MVP
The House v. Senate softball game took place last Wednesday to continue the annual tradition. This year the game took place at Robin Roberts Field in Springfield.
From the start, the House was down all the way until the final inning, but we prevailed and took home the gold!
And on another high note, I was named the MVP of the House! I’m told that is a rarity as a freshman member. It was a fun-filled and memorable evening with some of my colleagues!
POLICE MEMORIAL CEREMONY
On the first Thursday in May, a ceremony takes place at the State Capitol to memorialize the fallen officers from the year before. The ceremony includes hearing from friends and family of some of the fallen officers and speeches from state-wide elected officials like the Governor and Comptroller.
I was honored to attend this year’s ceremony with some of my colleagues.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM LAUNCH
I am proud to announce the launching of my first annual Summer Reading Program!
To Get in the Game this summer, I am inviting students from Kindergarten to 5th grade to read eight books during their summer break. Books recorded for other reading programs may be included here. Any books over 150 pages may count as two books.
Students who read eight books by July 1st will be invited back to celebrate with me for keeping their head in the game and their minds active.
To participate, a parent or guardian must verify that their student read eight books and submit the form (by mailing a printed brochure in or using the digital form) on or before July 1, 2024.
With questions, please contact my office at (217) 477-0104, or by visiting my website.
APPRECIATION WEEK: TEACHERS & NURSES
TEACHERS APPRECIATION WEEK:
This week marks Teachers Appreciation Week, May 6th- May 10th. This important week honors the often unrecognized work of those who are educating our next generation. Thank you to teachers across Illinois for the work you do!
NURSES WEEK:
This week also doubles as Nurses Week! Nurses Week honors the critical care that nurses across Illinois give to their patients. Nurses face challenging work and provide essential healthcare tasks. Make sure to thank a nurse in your life today for all the work they do!
STAY TUNED…
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For any questions or concerns, please contact one of my offices or visit RepSchweizer.com for more information.
Talk to you later!