Members of the 103rd General Assembly were sworn into office on Wednesday as Republicans fall into an even further minority.
State Senator Jason Plummer begins his new term as an Assistant Republican Leader tasked with helping to guide the caucus and develop legislative priorities.
Plummer says Illinois faces a lot of fiscal, employment, and family challenges heading into the next two year session.
“Seems to me that everyday the majority party in Illinois tries to remove families from important decisions. Whether those are health care, educational or economic decisions, we have to re-instill the importance of family and job creators as well as hard working job seekers in Illinois. We have to re-instill the importance of both our State and Federal Constitution that is under assault right now.”
Plummer says being elected to another term is really humbling and is an honor he takes seriously.
State Senator Terri Bryant who represents a small portion of Southern Marion County as well as Washington and Jefferson County will also serve as an Assistant Republican Leader.
In the State House, State Representative Blaine Wilhour was sworn in to represent the 110th District following redistricting.
“We have our backs up against the wall on a lot of things. We are going to have to get tougher and more intentional. There are a lot of things great about this state, but our politics isn’t right now.”
Wilhour is optimistic about school choice moving forward.
“The excellent opportunity to get some robust school choice stuff through here. There is a lot of support for that in the Chicago area so we will see if they put their votes where their rhetoric is on it. But that is something that is desperately needed in this state. Children shouldn’t be limited to their education options based on zip code or income.”
With the change in the area he represents, Wilhour has moved his district office from Effingham to Louisville. It will be located at 152 South Church Street. The new district phone number is 618-665-4109. You can still reach Wilhour at RepWilhour.com and at his Facebook page.
State Representative Charlie Meier was sworn in to represent the 109th District that includes parts of Clinton and Washington Counties. He says the people of Illinois deserve better than one-party rule and the lack of leadership that has led to a declining population and fleeing businesses. Meier is vowing to fight for real change and to put the needs of his constituents first.
There are about 40 new members of the legislature but Democrats have little in the way of moving their agenda. They control the House with a 78-40 majority and have 40 Senate seats to the GOP’s 19.
