Just about nothing happened in the first week of veto session in the House and the Senate. The Democratic legislative leaders are still trying to figure out what their members want to do in the wake of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and whether that can be done.
Whether that action starts in the second and final week of the veto session, or in the lame-duck January session or in the regular spring session is still up in the air as I write this.
“We’re going to have to do something,” House Speaker Chris Welch told me, but he couldn’t say what that “something” was just yet. “I think it’s important that we let the conversations happen. Those conversations have to happen so that we come to alignment on that.”
Asked about Trump’s economic message of consistently railing against inflation and promising no income taxes on overtime, tips and Social Security, Welch said, “I think the economic message worked. I think the economic message and what we’ve been through in this country was very important, and we’re going to have to listen and acknowledge that. And as Democrats in Illinois, I think we’ve already done a good job of doing that, but we’re going to have to continue to listen to the voters when it comes to that economic message. Listen, Trump won, and he won in a resounding way. We have to acknowledge that, and we have to be responsible.”
Welch continued: “If we don’t listen to voters here and make the necessary changes, particularly on the national level, quite frankly, I think nationally, they can do a lot more of what we’ve done here in Illinois. If we don’t listen to the voters, we’re not going to reverse what happened here on Tuesday (Nov. 5).”
When asked about the projected massive budget deficit, the House Speaker said, “The governor and I need to sit down and have some serious conversations about how we’re going to approach next year’s $3.1 billion budget deficit and come to an agreement. I think it’s important that we be in alignment and walk in the same direction on that, and we’re prepared to do that.”
Welch hires Madeline McCune
Welch recently hired a new appropriations staff director. While praising the outgoing director, Welch said his new director, Madeline McCune — a former House staffer who left to run the legislative shop for the Illinois Association of School Administrators — is drawing kudos from far and wide.
The House Democrats haven’t been able to draft a budget during the past two sessions.
“I think she’s going to take us to another level,” Welch said of McCune. “There’s a history there with the Senate team. There’s a history with the governor’s team. And one of the things that we’re going to have to do going into a very difficult budget year, we’ve got to work together. We have to all be clicking on the same page and on all cylinders, and with Madeline there, we’re not going to just not miss a beat, we’re going to elevate our game.”
Speaking of staff, Welch also acknowledged that he’s telling his members to expect some significant changes in his operations during the coming year. “I have to acknowledge that we have to do things a little bit different,” Welch said.
The House Democrats have had serious staffing shortages, under-qualified staff and major staff turnover problems. One of the reasons is a decades-old handshake agreement that the party caucus dollars are divided equally in both chambers, with the Senate getting more overall because their districts are twice as large as the House districts.
So, even though Welch has 78 members, his caucus is appropriated the same amount as the House Republicans, who have 40 members. And it receives less than the Senate Democrats, who have 40 members, and less than the Senate Republicans, who have a mere 19 members.
“We have to address that,” Welch said. “And I’m gonna fight like hell to address that, because that’s the way that I can address a number of my staffing issues.”
“Where’s the fairness and equity in that?” Welch rhetorically asked about the disparities. “And so, do know, as the leader of this chamber, that’s one of the things that I’m laser-focused on. And the voters have spoken. They’ve elected 78 Democrats twice now, possibly more, and we’re going to fight to make sure we have the proper resources to address the staff and the concerns.”
Welch also promised to make further “necessary tweaks to elevate our game,” in the coming spring session.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
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