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Good Morning! I'm thrilled to introduce myself as the new Vice President of Government Affairs at the Illinois Chamber. I'll be taking over as the Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber's Infrastructure Council.
Prior to working for the Chamber, I served as Floor Director and Legal Counsel for Senate Republican Leader Brady. I also previously served as Chief Administrative Officer at the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) and as the Administrative Services Manager for both Districts 8 and 9 at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). In my spare time, I like to golf, ski, run with my dog and watch Indiana University sports.
I plan on reaching out to each of you in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you want to discuss legislation, or just say hello, you can reach me at the office (217) 552-5512 ext 296 or on my cell phone at (618) 806-1051.
New Senate President
On Sunday the Senate convened to elect Senator Don Harmon as the new Senate President. Senator Harmon is from Oak Park. He has served in the Senate since 2003. Yesterday he announced that he would be stepping down from his law firm in order to concentrate full time on his new duties.
Senator Lightford, Senator Harmon's challenger for the Senate President position, will remain as the Senate Majority Leader.
My former boss, Senator Bill Brady remains the Senate Republican Leader. He is from Bloomington.
It is too early to know how the new Senate President will impact legislative prospects, but rest assured the Chamber will keep you informed.
Legislative Update
Since the start of 2020, 397 new pieces of legislation have been introduced in the General Assembly. The Chamber will monitor each piece of legislation and in next week's newsletter we will take a deeper dive into some interesting infrastructure proposals.
I did want to point out one piece of legislation this week, however.
SB 2294
(Hastings) removes the employer exemption under the Employee Sick Leave Act from employers subject to the federal Railway Labor Act. This bill has been posted to the Senate Labor Committee for a hearing at 9:30 on Wednesday.
2020 Council Meetings
We are working to develop 3-4 council meetings throughout the year to discuss infrastructure issues. We will get dates to you as soon as they are finalized. Please reach out if you have any topics you'd like discussed or to volunteer a venue.
Until next week,
Clark
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