Inauguration Day: State lawmakers hopeful for bipartisanship during 104th General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The 104th General Assembly is officially underway as Illinois lawmakers were sworn in Wednesday afternoon. The House of Representatives filled the UIS Performing Arts Center while senators returned to their chamber for the first time in two years following an expensive renovation project.

2025 Inauguration Day — 2025 is a new year of opportunity and the start of a two-year period of hard work for legislators.

2025 is a new year of opportunity and the start of a two-year period of hard work for legislators. Democrats still hold a supermajority in both chambers, but Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said that shouldn't stop people from working together.

"Whether you've been here for 30 years or 30 minutes, you are an Illinois state senator," Harmon said. "We're all in this together. If you've read media clips or financial reports, it might be a tough year ahead."

The 2024 election season sent several lawmakers out the door and a few statehouse veterans decided to retire. Senate GOP Leader John Curran (D-Downers Grove) said his caucus and staff are ready to pass plans to help people in every corner of the state.

"We can, and we will, disagree on policy, on procedure, and just about everything else in this chamber," Curran said. "But there is no disagreement that we are all here because we share in the commitment to making our state a better place for future generations."

The Illinois House did not see significant turnover following the November election as Democrats and Republicans kept the same number of seats. Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch said lawmakers should be inspired to build a better state instead of tearing people down.

"Cruel and regressive policies that dehumanize our neighbors or strip away fundamental freedom, I'm going to tell you right now, we will have no home in Illinois for those policies," Welch said.

Meanwhile, House GOP Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said her caucus is focused on fostering economic growth, cutting unnecessary spending and opposing any tax increases this session.

"These priorities are not just goals," McCombie said. "They are essential steps towards making Illinois a place of opportunity and prosperity."

Representatives Adam Niemerg (R-Teutopolis), Blaine Wilhour (R-Louisville), Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), and Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) skipped the House inauguration ceremony at UIS. The Freedom Caucus members decided to take their oaths of office with a judge inside the state capitol out of protest.

"The lame duck session just ended and instead of taking time to address skyrocketing property taxes or the influx of illegal immigrants into our state, the Democrats in the House and Senate not only ignored these problems but pushed through legislation to make them even worse," Niemerg said. "Taking the oath of office at the state capitol is intended to highlight the need for better policies in Illinois."