The 102nd General Assembly began with the election of Rep. Chris Welch (D-Westchester) as the 70th Speaker of the House, ending the leadership of Rep. Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) who has served as Speaker nearly continuously since 1983.

Welch received 70 votes in support of his speakership while House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) received 44.

“I am honored to be called upon my colleagues from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to put my name in for consideration. This historic moment in Illinois and across the country calls for new representation and unity of democratic beliefs. I want to thank Speaker Madigan for his leadership - it has been a challenging year for us all but I am grateful for his commitment to serving the public,” Welch said in a statement.

“As I prepare to pass the Speaker’s gavel to a new generation of Democratic leadership, I want to thank the people of my district and the members of the House Democratic Caucus for the faith and trust they have placed in me over the years. I want to thank my staff for their hard work on behalf of every member of this caucus. It has been the honor of a lifetime to help bring people of different experiences and backgrounds together to serve our state,” Madigan said in a statement.

Welch entered contention for the speakership following Madigan’s announcement that he was suspending his campaign for the position, receiving the endorsement of both the Legislative Black Caucus and Latino Caucus.

Welch initially struggled to reach the requisite 60 votes, facing opposition from female legislative groups in the House after news reports from 2002 surfaced regarding welch and alleged domestic attack on a partner. Welch was not charged in that case and he said he has since reconciled with the individual in question.

House Republicans criticize Welch as a “Madigan lieutenant” who will continue what they’ve called a “corrupt machine” in the Illinois House.

The 101st General Assembly ended with a variety of bills passing both chambers, but with some priority legislation was left on the table. Notably, the Legislative Black Caucus’ reforms to criminal justice (HB3653-Tarver) and multiple education and economic issues passed both chambers. However, an important bill related to the federal CARES Act and taxation decoupling, a priority of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s, was notably postponed in the House (SB1199-Harmon).