GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Welcoming New Members on Inauguration Day for the 104th General Assembly. January 8th was an exciting day for Illinois as the state’s 104th General Assembly was sworn in. It was a celebration of public service and the beginning of new chapters in the lives of Illinoisans and their leaders. This year, two new Republican representatives, Regan Deering and Kyle Moore, join the ranks of lawmakers working to shape the future of the state. They will serve under my leadership. As they step into their new roles, they bring fresh energy, unique experiences, and a commitment to serve their communities.
During the official inauguration ceremony, I touched on the direction I will take this new term not just representing the 89th district, but the House Republicans.
I want to thank the people of the 89th District for putting their faith in me to be their voice in Springfield. Public service is an honor, and I am ready to hit the ground running to instill the commonsense solutions required to improve Illinois.
Our caucus is focused on three key priorities: fostering economic growth, cutting unnecessary spending, and opposing tax increases. These priorities are not just goals; they are essential steps toward making Illinois a place of opportunity and prosperity.
You can watch my full speech here.
Madigan’s House Rules renewed for two more years. The little-known Rules that control the legislative process in Illinois were voted on Thursday in the Illinois House of Representatives. Adopting a set of procedural rules to govern the House for the next two years is one of the most important votes a legislator will cast.
The Rules for the 104th General Assembly were drafted by the Democrat supermajority with no input from the Republican minority. These Rules will govern the House of Representatives for the next two years. House Republicans did propose reasonable changes that would increase accountability and transparency; however, the proposal was rejected by the supermajority.
Watch Deputy Leader Ryan Spain debate the House Rules and push for greater transparency.
More egregiously, the Rules are designed to give ultimate authority to the Speaker of the House instead of the legislative body. The new Rules, as in the past, give the Speaker powers to define the number of committees and their legislative makeup. Because committee chairpersons receive an increase in pay, often large numbers of committees are created to ensure the greater number of chairpersons can owe their allegiance to the Speaker who makes the appointments.
The Rules also dictate which bills see the light of day, specifically, whether the legislation will receive a public hearing in a standing committee or die in the Rules Committee without one. We’ve seen it with legislation dealing with gerrymandering and terms limits, among other initiatives.
We’ve also witnessed the Democrat majority breaking the Rules. Last year, in the final hours of the legislative session, the Speaker allowed lawmakers to vote three times on one piece of legislation to raise nearly one billion dollars in taxes. The bill passed on the third vote after failing twice before. The Rules only allowed for two votes.
What’s more, the Rule-making process is designed to prevent the minority from holding the supermajority accountable. At the same time, the Rules stop the supermajority caucus from being able to hold the Speaker accountable.
Yet this week, all members of the Democrat supermajority voted to implement the Rules that will cede their power to one man. After former Speaker Michael Madigan’s long reign of power was ended, Emanuel “Chris” Welch took over as Speaker. During his first inaugural address after taking the Speaker’s gavel, he said it was a “New Day” in Illinois.
Unfortunately, Speaker Welch went back on his promise to turn the page to a “New Day”, and the House Rules that Madigan put in place are the same Rules that the Illinois House is operating under today. It’s a classic case of, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
I released the following statement following the adoption of the ‘new’ set of House Rules:
“In less than 24 hours the Speaker of the House reignited division in our chamber, choosing to operate our chamber under the very same rules that his mentor and predecessor, Mike Madigan–who is currently sitting trial in federal court–created. This is not a new day. As the Speaker’s manufactured chaos continues, House Republicans remain steadfast in rooting out corruption, pushing for transparency, and calling for accountability.
“Yesterday during inauguration, I said: House Republicans can imagine a government that truly works for the people…where we know a political agenda does not. It is time to stop playing politics with Illinois families and businesses. We will expose harmful policies, state mismanagement, and oppose lunacy in all its forms.”
Lame duck session ends for the 103rd General Assembly. The 103rd General Assembly adjourned “sine die,” which means “without a day” to return, on Tuesday, January 7.
The 103rd General Assembly failed to take many actions sought by Illinois families in 2023 and 2024. Challenges not taken up by the former General Assembly include the soaring State budget deficit, the stagnating Illinois economy and high cost of living, rising crime rates, and a culture of corruption in government. The lame duck session continued this record of inaction, and I criticized Illinois’ Democratic leaders for making the taxpayers spend money on a January session that turned out to be largely empty of content. With a fiscal year 2026 budget deficit now estimated at $3.2 billion, urgent action will be needed to bring the State’s spending under control. Failure to do so created a significant missed opportunity in Springfield.
CANNABIS
Speaker Welch blocks action on intoxicating hemp ban. House Democrats refused to take action this week on a bill to strictly regulate hemp products. These products, which are packaged and sold as goods that are separate from strictly regulated cannabis, can be ‘salted’ or infused with chemicals that are said to produce psychoactive responses akin to cannabis. Licensed members of the legal Illinois cannabis industry, who are given through criminal background checks and who pay heavy taxes, are deeply concerned about what they see as unfair competition.
Hemp products such as these are sometimes called “cannabinoid hemp.” Sold under names such as “Delta-8,” they claim that they offer the same outcomes as doses of cannabis, without the necessity to go to a dispensary and show proof of age. Proponents of a crackdown on intoxicating hemp products continue to call for action to protect children and young adults from these products.
A bill was drafted in Springfield for the 103rd General Assembly to crack down on intoxicating hemp products. However, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch refused to call the bill for a vote during the final hours of the 2025 lame duck session, after a raucous House Democratic Caucus meeting during which Pritzker Administration staff were called liars and humiliated by some caucus members, leading to one agency staffer leaving in tears and a demand by Governor Pritzker that the members apologize to his staff. In response, I released the following statement:
“The Mayor of Chicago is now running the Illinois Democratic Caucus. Not a surprise given the chaos and disorganization on constant display. The Speaker scrambles to put out fires within his own party and continues to overlook meaningful bipartisan solutions to critical issues.
“Republicans are ready to ensure public safety, protect children, and support responsible business practices.”
The House Democrats’ failure to act on a ban means that proponents of the Delta-8 crackdown must now start over. The issue of intoxicating hemp product regulation will be part of the workload of the new 104th General Assembly.
FLAG OF ILLINOIS
Voting begins on ten potential new State of Illinois flag designs. The ten designs are the finalists from nearly 5,000 designs submitted by the public. From these submissions, the Illinois Flag Commission selected ten finalists. This week, the ten winning designs were posted for advisory public vote. Illinoisans can also look at, and vote for, three existing flag designs: the current flag of Illinois, the 1918 Centennial flag of Illinois, and the 1968 Sesquicentennial flag of Illinois.
The public vote for a new Illinois flag is purely advisory. Participants in this voting procedure can cast multiple votes on the website of the Flag Commission, but they must sign in and can cast only one vote per day. The public vote will continue until February 14, 2025.
After compiling and scrutinizing the vote, the Illinois Flag Commission will, on a date not later than April 1, 2025, submit a report to the General Assembly. The report will include the finalist flag designs and will include a recommendation (which will be advisory and will not have force of law) as to which design ought to be selected. The General Assembly will make the final decision on whether Illinois should enact a new flag design or should keep our existing flag design.
The existing Illinois flag is a white banner with a complex, patriotic motif that includes an eagle, a motto on a scroll, the Star-Spangled shield of the United States, a rising sun, and the state’s name, “Illinois.” The ten Illinois State Flag finalists were announced on Tuesday, December 10.
DISTRICT TOUR BEGINS
After being sworn into office for the 104th General Assembly in the Illinois House of Representatives, I am returning to the 89th District to meet with constituents across northwest Illinois. My district-wide tour will begin today, on January 13th, taking me on multiple stops throughout her district, which covers primarily Carroll and Jo Daviess Counties as well as portions of: Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago.
I can think of no better way to kick off the new year and new term than engaging with residents, businesses, and organizations at home in northwest Illinois. As the voice for thousands in Springfield this engagement is essential to best represent my district and your priorities in the statehouse.
The district-wide tour will include many visits to businesses, schools and the following stops:
Monday, January 13th :
Elizabeth Town Hall Event at Elizabeth Village Hall, 200 E Myrtle Street, from 4:00pm—5:00pm.
Wednesday, January 15th:
Pearl City Mobile Office Hours at Pearl City Library, 221 S Main St, from 10:00am—11:30am.
Lena Mobile Office Hours at Lena Library, 300 W Mason St, from 2:30pm—4:00pm.
Thursday, January 16th:
Apple River Office Hours at Apple Canyon Lake, The Clubhouse, 14A157 Canyon Club Drive, from 12:30–2:00pm.
Friday, January 17th:
Winnebago Mobile Office Hours at Winnebago Public Library, 210 N Elida St, from 2:00—3:30pm.
Residents in the 89th District are encouraged to attend any one of the above events to meet with me, ask questions, and hear legislative updates. With questions about the above events, residents can contact my office at 815-291-8989.
REPEAL THE TRUST ACT
The Illinois TRUST Act, enacted in 2017, made Illinois a “sanctuary state” for undocumented immigrants. The TRUST Act prohibits local law enforcement in Illinois from participating in immigration enforcement. Currently, the cost of providing services to undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers is costing taxpayers an estimated $2.84 billion from fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2025, which doesn’t even include education costs or other various state and local services. We must repeal the TRUST Act to end Illinois’ sanctuary state status and stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into Illinois.
Repealing the Illinois TRUST Act would allow our local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. This legislation is necessary to change the narrative away from Illinois as a land of bountiful government benefits for migrants. The time has come to end Illinois’ status as a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants. We must repeal the TRUST Act now!
Add your input by completing this survey: Repeal The Trust Act – Illinois House Republicans.
NOMINATE A LOCAL BUSINESS
Last year I visited a number of businesses around northwest Illinois, and I am continuing to recognize our great business community this year!
I am calling on constituents across the 89th District to suggest local businesses that deserve some extra recognition. You can utilize the below form to nominate a business of your choosing to be recognized.
Residents can access the form here: LOCAL BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT SUBMISSION FORM – Tony McCombie.