lame-duck session

Black Caucus notches victories during Illinois lame-duck session; Welch wins speaker role from Madigan

Black Caucus notches victories during Illinois lame-duck session; Welch wins speaker role from Madigan

Jan 14, 2021

Illinois lawmakers returned to Springfield for a lame-duck session driven by a Black Caucus agenda focusing on social and economic justice efforts intended to root out systemic racism following a summer of nationwide unrest after the unjust deaths of Black individuals at the hands of police. The specter of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s losing quest to win another term as speaker only added to the drama of the intense, five-and-a-half-day session, culminating in Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Westchester, winning the top House post as the first Black individual to assume the powerful role.