Illinois General Assembly

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Illinois General Assembly

Seal of Illinois.png
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 10, 2024
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Don Harmon (D)
House Speaker:  Chris Welch (D)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Kimberly Lightford (D)
House: Robyn Gabel (D)
Minority Leader:   Senate: John Curran (R)
House: Tony McCombie (R)
Structure
Members:  59 (Senate), 118 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Art IV, Illinois Constitution
Salary:   $85,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Next election:  November 5, 2024
Redistricting:  Illinois General Assembly has control

The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of Illinois, created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. It works beside the executive branch led by the state governor and the judicial branch led by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Illinois General Assembly consists of the Illinois House of Representatives, the lower chamber, and the Illinois State Senate, the upper chamber.

The Illinois General Assembly convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Its first official working day is the second Wednesday in January each year. Its primary duties are to pass bills into law, approve the state budget, confirm appointments to state departments and agencies, act on federal constitutional amendments, and propose constitutional amendments for Illinois. It also has the power to override gubernatorial vetoes through a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber.

Illinois Ballot Question 1 in 1980 altered Section 1 of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution to reduce the number of members of the Illinois House of Representatives from 177 members to 118 members beginning with the elections in 1982.

Illinois has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

See also: Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois State Senate, Illinois Governor

Elections

2024

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2024 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2024

Elections for the Illinois State Senate will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. A primary is March 19, 2024. The filing deadline was December 4, 2023.

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. A primary is March 19, 2024. The filing deadline was December 4, 2023.

2022

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2022 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for the Illinois State Senate 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.

Elections for the Illinois 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.

2020

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2020 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate 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.

Elections for the office of Illinois 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.

2018

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2018 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for the Illinois State Senate 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 was December 4, 2017.[1]

Elections for the Illinois 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 was December 4, 2017.[2]

2016

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2016 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Illinois State Senate were held in 2016. 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.[3]

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives were held in 2016. 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.[4]

2014

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2014 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Illinois State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013.

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013.

2012

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on March 20, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 5, 2011.

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 on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 5, 2011.

2010

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2010 and Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on February 2, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was November 2, 2009.

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 on November 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was November 2, 2009.

Sessions

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution establishes when the General Assembly 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 the governor 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.

2024

See also: 2024 Illinois legislative session and Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions

In 2024, the legislature is scheduled to convene on January 10, 2024, and adjourn on May 24, 2024.

2023

See also: 2023 Illinois legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions

In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2023, and adjourn on May 27, 2023.


Role in state budget

See also: Illinois state budget and finances
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Illinois operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is:[45][46]

  1. In September and October of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year, the governor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
  2. In October and November, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
  3. Budget hearings with the public are held from February through May.
  4. On the third Wednesday in February, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to the Illinois General Assembly.
  5. The General Assembly passes a budget in May.

Illinois is one of 43 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[46]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.[46]


Legislators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2023
SalaryPer diem
$85,000/year$157/day

Swearing in dates

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

Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.[47]

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Illinois

The Illinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a redistricting plan. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[48]

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, the Illinois Supreme Court must select two individuals (from different political parties) as potential tiebreakers. The secretary of state must then appoint one of these individuals to the backup commission to break the tie.[48]

The Illinois Constitution requires that state legislative districts be "contiguous and reasonably compact." There are no such requirements in place for the state's congressional districts.[48]

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 federal Voting Rights Act."[48]

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.[49] 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 a federal lawsuit that was decided on December 30, 2021, with the court upholding the maps enacted on September 24, 2021.[50] Learn more here.

2010

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 the state legislature. On May 30, 2011, the Illinois House of Representatives approved a congressional redistricting plan. The Illinois State Senate approved the plan on May 31, 2011, and Governor Pat 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.[48][51][52]

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.[48]

Senate

The Illinois State Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly. It is made up of 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population.

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois state senators represented an average of 217,335 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 218,040 residents.

There have been efforts to modify senatorial districts on a geographic basis in order to more accurately reflect the cultural, racial, and political makeup of outstate and downstate. In order to avoid complete turnovers in Senate membership, under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, some senators are elected to two-year terms while others are elected to four-year terms. Senate districts are divided into three groups. One or two of these groups are elected every two years for either a two or four-year term. The placement of the two-year term in the decade varies from one district to another, with all districts’ terms defined as 2-4-4, 4-2-4, or 4-4-2.


Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 40
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 59

Click here for a list of members of this chamber.

Democrats won control of the Illinois State Senate in 2002. In 2022, they won a 40-19 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Illinois Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Illinois State Senate election results: 1992-2022

Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
Democrats 27 26 28 27 27 32 31 37 37 35 40 39 37 40 41 40
Republicans 32 33 31 32 32 27 27 22 22 23 19 20 22 19 18 19

Before 1992

From 1900 to 2022, the Illinois State Senate switched partisan control nine times.


House of Representatives

The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. It is made of 118 representatives elected from individual legislative districts for a two-year term with no term limits.

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois state representatives represented an average of 108,667 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 109,020 residents.

Before the Cutback Amendment to the state constitution in 1980, the state was divided into 59 "legislative districts," each of which elected three representatives, yielding a House of 177 members. This unusual system was even more distinctive in that the individual voter was given three legislative votes to cast, and could cast either one vote each for three candidates, all three votes for one candidate (known as a "bullet vote"), or even 1 1/2 votes each for two candidates. After the passage of the Cutback Amendment, this system was abolished and representatives were elected from 118 single-representative constituencies.

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 78
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 118

Click here for a list of members of this chamber.

Democrats won control of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996. In 2022, they won a 78-40 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Illinois House following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Illinois House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022

Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
Democrats 67 54 60 62 62 66 65 66 70 64 71 71 67 74 73 78
Republicans 51 64 58 56 56 52 53 52 48 54 47 47 51 44 45 40

Before 1992

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


District maps

State Senate


State House


Veto overrides

Veto Override Graphic-Democratic Party.png

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.

Three fifths of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 71 of the 118 members in the Illinois House of Representatives and 36 of the 59 members in the Illinois State Senate. Illinois is one of seven states that requires a three-fifths vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

Are there other special rules?

If the governor uses the line item veto to reduce an appropriation, that reduction can be overturned by a majority vote in both chambers.

Authority: Article IV, Section 9 of the Illinois Constitution.

"The house to which a bill is returned shall immediately enter the Governor's objections upon its journal. If within 15 calendar days after such entry that house by a record vote of three-fifths of the members elected passes the bill, it shall be delivered immediately to the second house. If within 15 calendar days after such delivery the second house by a record vote of three-fifths of the members elected passes the bill, it shall become law."

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

Who Runs the States Project
See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Illinois

Illinois State Senate: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Illinois State Senate for 12 years while the Republicans were the majority for 10 years. The final 11 years of the study depicted a shift in the Illinois senate with all 11 years being Democratic trifectas.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Illinois State House of Representatives: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Illinois State House of Representatives for 20 years while the Republicans were the majority for 2 years. The Illinois State House of Representatives is one of 18 state Houses that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. During the final 11 years of the study, Illinois was under Democratic trifectas.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Partisan composition of Illinois state government(1992-2013).PNG

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, click here.

Illinois was one of eight states to demonstrate a dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Illinois state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. For a period of two years (1995 and 1996), Illinois had a Republican trifecta between two periods of divided government (1992-1995 and 1997-2002). Between 2003 and 2013, Illinois has had a Democratic trifecta. For four straight years, Illinois was in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking between 1997 and 2000 under divided government. Illinois slipped into the bottom-10 in the ranking in the year 2012 (41st) under a Democratic trifecta. The state had its most precipitous drop in the SQLI ranking between 2006 and 2007, dropping nine spots. Illinois had its biggest leap in the SQLI ranking between 1996 and 1997, rising eight spots in the ranking.

  • SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 27.10
  • SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 11.50
  • SQLI average with divided government: 11.78
Chart displaying the partisanship of Illinois government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Roles and responsibilities

Amending the constitution

Main article: Amending state constitutions

The Illinois state legislature under Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution can begin the process of amending the state's constitution in two different ways:

  • The legislature can only propose to amend up to three articles of the constitution in any one election.
  • The legislature is not allowed to propose any amendments when a constitutional convention has been called up through the time that an election is held on any proposed amendments or revisions that arise from that convention.

Whether the question at hand is about holding a constitutional convention, ratifying an amendment proposed by the Illinois General Assembly, or adopting an initiated constitutional amendment, these ballot questions are only considered successful if voters say "yes" 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.

Joint Legislative Committees

See also: Public policy in Illinois

The Illinois General Assembly has four joint 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 for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Illinois Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution and Laws 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

An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. There are 18 states that allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Illinois, the number 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 amend Article IV of the Illinois Constitution, which addresses the structure of the Illinois 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 to Article 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 the Illinois General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 71 votes in the Illinois House of Representatives and 36 votes in the Illinois 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 to Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution, a question about whether to hold a constitutional convention is to automatically 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 the Illinois 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:

State Interval Last question on the ballot Next question on the ballot
Illinois 20 years 2008 2028



2025 measures:

See also: 2025 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

No measures to list


Potential:

The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2025.

No measures to list

2024 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2024 ballot by the legislature or that have made it approximately halfway through the process in the legislature for referral to the ballot in 2024.

See also: 2024 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

No measures to list


Potential:

The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2024.

No measures to list

See also

Elections Illinois State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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Illinois State Flag-Close Up.jpg
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and campaign finance calendar 2018," accessed August 16, 2017
  2. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and campaign finance calendar 2018," accessed August 16, 2017
  3. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
  4. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
  5. 5 Chicago, "Illinois Lawmakers Cancel Legislative Session Over Coronavirus," March 12, 2020
  6. MyWabashValley.com, "Illinois Legislature cancels second week of scheduled session," March 18, 2020
  7. Metropolis Planet, "Senate, House cancel session once again," March 30, 2020
  8. Illinois General Assembly, "Home page," accessed May 18, 2020
  9. NBC 5 Chicago, "Illinois Lawmakers Return to Springfield for Legislative Session," May 20, 2020
  10. Illinois General Assembly, "Home page," accessed May 26, 2020
  11. Reuters, "S&P cuts Illinois' credit rating to one notch above junk," June 1, 2017
  12. NBC Chicago, "What Happens If Illinois Lawmakers Don't Pass a Budget?" June 28, 2017
  13. U.S. News and World Report, "Illinois Senate Democrats Vote for $5.4 Billion Tax Increase," May 23, 2017
  14. Chicago Tribune, "Illinois Senate votes to override Rauner veto of income tax hike, budget," July 4, 2017
  15. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin's state budget takes $51 million hit — thanks to Illinois," July 11, 2017
  16. Politico, "Illinois lawmakers face budget rage," July 5, 2017
  17. Chicago Tribune, "Madigan sends Rauner message on tax hike vote as talks break down at Capitol," July 1, 2017
  18. 18.0 18.1 The Chicago Sun-Times, "Illinois has state budget, but no school funding plan," July 16, 2017
  19. NPR Illinois, "Education Desk: Evidence-Based School Funding Model Explained," September 26, 2016
  20. WTTW, "Education Funding in Illinois: How the Evidence-Based Model Works," September 21, 2016
  21. Chicago Tribune, "Rauner-CPS feud could hold up school money for rest of state," July 13, 2017
  22. U.S. News and World Report, "Rauner Aide: Democrats' School Funding Plan a CPS 'Bailout'," May 17, 2017
  23. U.S. News and World Report, "The Latest: Gov. Rauner Calls School-Funding Special Session," July 24, 2017
  24. Chicago Tribune, "Next move is Rauner's after Senate sends him school funding bill," July 31, 2017
  25. Chicago Tribune, "Rauner vetoes education funding plan, Emanuel accuses him of 'fuzzy math'," August 1, 2017
  26. Chicago Tribune, "Madigan: Attempt to override Rauner's education veto set for next week," August 16, 2017
  27. Chicago Tribune, "Senate overrides Rauner school funding veto, but House hurdle remains," August 13, 2017
  28. The Chicago Sun-Times, "Speaker Madigan calls legislators to work — on Governor’s Day," August 9, 2017
  29. wglt.org, "Illinois House To Vote Next Week On School Funding Override," August 16, 2017
  30. Chicago Tribune, "Madigan calls off Wednesday session in Springfield; no override vote of Rauner for now," August 23, 2017
  31. Politico, "SCHOOL funding WINNERS and LOSERS — RAUNER staffing TURMOIL — Saving ABE in CHICAGO," August 25, 2017
  32. capitolfax.com, "Education funding reform bill gets just 46 votes," August 28, 2017
  33. capitolfax.com, "On second try, education funding reform passes with 73 votes," August 28, 2017
  34. capitolfax.com, "React rolls in to passage of education funding reform," August 29, 2017
  35. NBC Chicago, "Rauner Signs Historic Education Funding Reform Bill," August 31, 2017
  36. NPR, "Why America's Schools Have A Money Problem," April 18, 2016
  37. Illinois General Assembly, "Main page," accessed February 4, 2021
  38. Chicago Tribune, "Rauner-Madigan showdown looms in 2015," December 4, 2014
  39. dailyjournal.net, "Illinois lawmakers focus on budget issues with election-year legislative session set to begin," January 19, 2014(Archived)
  40. The New York Times, "Illinois Legislature Approves Retiree Benefit Cuts in Troubled Pension System," December 3, 2013
  41. mymoinfo.com, "May 31, 2013 Illinois Legislators Pass Oil Fracking Bill," May 31, 2013(Archived)
  42. Foxnews.com, "Illinois passes bill to allow concealed firearms; last U.S. state to have such a ban," June 1, 2013
  43. npr.org, "Will Ill. Legalize Gay Marriage Before Legislature Adjourns?" May 30, 2013
  44. ABC.com, "General Assembly to hold special session next week," June 15, 2011
  45. National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Experiences with Annual and Biennial Budgeting," accessed February 4, 2021
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
  47. Illinois General Assembly, "Constitution of the State of Illinois," accessed February 4, 2021
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 48.4 48.5 All About Redistricting, "Illinois," accessed April 16, 2015
  49. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named septmapexplain
  50. Longview News-Journal, "Court upholds Illinois legislative redistricting plan," Jan. 4, 2021
  51. The Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting: Quinn Signs Plan To Add Democratic Seats," June 24, 2011
  52. The Huffington Post, "Illinois Redistricting: Democrat-Backed Maps Head To Quinn's Desk, Threaten Republican Gains," May 31, 2011