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.

State lawmakers who stood in the way of recent legislation that would've regulated intoxicating hemp products have received significant campaign cash from the industry — while some backers of the proposal got money from the rival marijuana industry.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch has a warning for Mayor Brandon Johnson: getting help from Springfield this year could be an uphill battle.

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,

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s continued insistence on looking to Springfield as a magical pot of gold for additional city revenue is being greeted with a stern warning from one powerful voice — Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

We want to be very attentive to these issues. We want to hear from the stakeholders. We want to get this right," says Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch.

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,

To enact his progressive agenda, Mayor Brandon Johnson is looking to Springfield for an assist, but powerful Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel "Chris" Welch warns that money is tight.

Members of the new 104th Illinois General Assembly have been seated and the same leaders have been elected by both chambers. November’s elections for statehouse seats didn’t change up the makeup of which party is in power.

Gov. JB Pritzker waved off concerns that a fiery House Democratic caucus meeting that tanked one of his prized legislative priorities would throw off his party as it faces a budget crunch and a second Trump administration.

About November: Seven Illinois counties voted in favor of exploring secession. The rural counties of Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Green, Jersey, Madison and Perry all voted to examine “the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union as such.”

Bronzeville is on the rebound and could use infrastructure investment. Illinois as a whole needs to fix crumbling roads and bridges. But $466 million in public money to help along a $6.4 billion NFL franchise at the Michael Reese site?