While the legislative process is clearly spelled out in the Illinois Constitution, the human component of legislating is always in flux, and always in play. State legislators come from all walks of life and bring with them their own priorities, agendas, alliances, personalities and biases. This group of independent-minded individuals may or may not vote for a particular measure on any given day. Moreover, like in any setting, group dynamics often take over. A bill that garners enough votes to pass on one day, may fail to pass on another day solely based on the mood of the room at that moment.
Legislative members, State Senators and State Representatives are elected to represent their constituencies. They fulfill this obligation through the legislation they introduce and with their votes. While legislative members appear equal on the surface, each being able to cast only one vote when a piece of legislation is up in a chamber or when voting for their leaders, some members are more equal than others. Those in the majority in each caucus have exponentially more power and that power increases if there is a supermajority.
There are times when certain bills require a three-fifths (supermajority) vote to pass out of the chamber or to override a veto by the Governor. The supermajority threshold was designed to maintain a balance of power and hold the majority accountable. Ultimately it requires bipartisan cooperation and allows the minority caucus to influence the outcome. It works well enough unless one caucus has the required number of members to meet the supermajority threshold, as is the case currently in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Democrats hold the supermajority status in both chambers as well as the Governor’s office – providing less incentive for bipartisanship and less accountability.
The old days of the four legislative leaders and the Governor hammering out an agreement are gone for now.
There are four caucuses in the Illinois General Assembly. Each is broken down by chamber (House and Senate) and partisan affiliation (Republican and Democrat). In the past, there have been a handful of legislators who considered themselves Independent, not of either major party. However, without joining one of the two caucuses in the chamber in which they serve, Independents are at a disadvantage because they would only receive a budget to run their district office and cannot be appointed to serve on committees. In order to get assignments and statehouse staffing, the rare Independent legislator would often affiliate with one of the caucuses.
The chambers are also divided into majority and minority parties. The majority party has the greatest number of legislators and therefore controls the chamber. Currently, in the Illinois General Assembly, the caucuses are comprised as follows:
- Senate Republicans, Minority (19 members)
- Senate Democrats, Majority (40 members)
- House Republicans, Minority (40 members)
- House Democrats, Majority (78 members)
Each caucus creates its own rules for selecting caucus leadership. Currently, all four caucuses allow the presiding officer of their caucus to appoint their own leadership teams. There have been times when caucus members could vote for a portion of the leadership team.
Additionally, each caucus is permitted to meet behind closed doors to confer on policy, legislative and caucus matters.
Leaders in the Illinois General Assembly have unique powers bestowed upon them by the Illinois Constitution. Here’s the breakdown:
Speaker of the House and Senate President
The presiding officers in each chamber are the most powerful members of the Illinois legislature and represent the majority party in their respective chambers. They are in charge and call the shots by controlling the agenda and the rules. If the Speaker or the Senate President strongly supports a specific bill, it has an excellent chance of being passed. If they are strongly opposed to a bill, it may never see the light of day. For example, term limits for legislative leaders and removing automatic legislator pay raise measures have been proposed for years, but the bills have never been called for a vote in a committee.
The presiding officers also craft the rules upon which their chambers are run. This is an extremely effective tool to keep themselves in power. One such House Rule allows the Speaker to rule a motion out of order based on the objection of one member. Currently, the Speaker of the House and Senate President are Democrats.
Minority Leader
The Minority Leader of each chamber is a member of the numerically strongest political party other than the party to which the Speaker or the President belongs.
The Minority Leader is nominated by the minority caucus and voted for by the entire chamber. The Minority Leader leads the activities of the minority caucus. The minority caucuses not only represent their constituents, but they also serve as the voice of the loyal opposition and often define their role as holding the majority accountable.
In the Illinois General Assembly, the Republican caucuses in both chambers are the minority. However, should the makeup of a chamber change, the minority leader could become the presiding officer.
Committee Chairs
Committee Chairs lead the various committees designated by the presiding officer of that chamber. They control the flow of legislation assigned to their respective committees and are appointed from among the members of the majority caucus by the presiding officer. Generally, committee chairs decide when bills will be voted on by the full committee. The committee chair has the power to determine whether a bill will be scheduled for committee action. Most often those decisions will be approved by the presiding officer.
Committee Spokespersons
Committee Spokespersons lead the minority caucus committee members. Spokespersons are assigned by the Minority Leader in each of minority caucuses and are responsible for conferring with the Committee Chair and becoming knowledgeable about committee subject matter.
While the Constitution sets forth a legislative process, the fact that humans are part of the equation ensures that things will not always run smoothly – good bills won’t get a hearing and bad bills won’t be vetted properly. In the end, it is up to those elected to do what’s best for their constituents and the State of Illinois.
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