Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha, received the call from Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, earlier this month that he was tapped to head the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Swanson said the appointment was a “total surprise.”

Thank God we live in Illinois because, we’re already Trump-proof,” Welch told the Sun-Times. “We did a lot of the hard work the first time. … We took him at his word the first time when he said he would overturn Roe v.

In many ways, Welch’s political career has been defined by his handling of critical moments. That was especially true in January 2021, when then-Speaker Michael J. Madigan, struggling under the weight of a burgeoning corruption scandal, began losing the grip on the power he had held for most of the previous 40 years.

State lawmakers who stood in the way of recent legislation that would've regulated hemp products have received significant campaign cash from the industry.

The change follows a Chicago Sun-Times report in 2024 that the former NFL player took on an "investor" role with a southwest suburban insurance brokerage firm.

Hemp business owners sent a flurry of campaign contributions to key Illinois lawmakers this fall to ward off a feared shutdown of their industry, though it paled in comparison to the money that licensed cannabis companies have given over the years,

Chicago civil rights leaders and Illinois politicians reaffirmed their dedication to protecting education and immigrants rights Monday morning amid reports that President Donald Trump could begin his crackdown on illegal immigration this week with raids in Chicago.

SPRINGFIELD — When Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch was sworn in for another term as speaker of the Illinois House this month, he called on his colleagues to “rise to the occasion” and ...

a Republican will chair an Illinois House committee. Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha, received the call from Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, earlier this month that he ...

Hemp business owners sent a flurry of campaign contributions to key Illinois lawmakers this fall to ward off a feared shutdown of their industry, though it paled in comparison to the money that licensed cannabis companies have given over the years,

Illinois House Republicans filed a lawsuit over the Democratic-drawn legislative map, arguing it violates the state Constitution.

A non-partisan think tank is out with its annual state education freedom rankings, and Illinois is near the bottom looking up.