Illinois 103rd General Assembly Inauguration

NORMAL, Ill. –  At the University of Illinois-Springfield and at the Old State Capitol, the new Illinois General Assembly was sworn in on Jan. 11th.

There were new faces and old, with new members being celebrated, including the newest representative of the 91st District, Sharon Chung (D), who is a Democrat from Bloomington-Normal.

Other notable things that happened were the swearing in of the Senate President and Speaker of the House, as well as elections of majority and minority leaders of both parties in their respective chambers.

Don Harmon (D) has been elected Senate President for a third term, the longest in the history of Illinois.

Kimberly A. Lightford (D) is the majority leader. Lightford has spent her time previously in the Illinois Senate fighting for education and women’s rights.

John Curran (D) is the Senate minority leader. Chris Welch (D) returned as House Speaker, with Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth.

Many speeches highlighted not only unity, but also the differing views in Springfield. John Curan touched on his goal of creating renewal for the state.

“Our agenda is focused on helping Illinois families and job creators rebuild and renew opportunity in Illinois,” said Curan.