Getting the House in order – POLITICO – POLITICO

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has rolled out a leadership team heavy on experience but with enough new faces to make it interesting.

State Rep. Robyn Gabel is now majority leader, and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth becomes speaker pro tempore and chief budgeteer. Their combined posts were held by retired leader and budgeteer Greg Harris. 

On the Republican side, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, the first woman to serve as Republican House leader, named state Reps. Norine Hammond and Ryan Spain as deputy minority leaders.

Interesting fact: Republican state Rep. Brad Stephens, who is among those named as assistant minority leader, is the only member of the House Republican Caucus who represents the City of Chicago. He’s also one of two members in the caucus representing Cook County. The other will be the representative who replaces outgoing state Rep. Jim Durkin.

Some newbies: State Rep. Brad Fritts made history this week as the youngest elected official sworn into the General Assembly. The Republican from Dixon is 23.

Not much older (She’s also 23,) is freshman Democratic state Rep. Nabeela Syed, who Welch named Democratic freshman caucus whip.

Rest of the D’s leadership team: State Rep. Mary E. Flowers (31st) is deputy majority leader and dean of the caucus, and state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez (2nd) is deputy majority leader. Assistant majority leaders — the folks who work closely with members — are state Reps. Jay Hoffman (113th), Natalie Manley (98th), Kam Buckner (26th), Aaron Ortiz (1st), Barbara Hernandez (50th), Marcus Evans (33rd), Robert “Bob” Rita (28th) and Kelly Burke (36th). State Rep. Theresa Mah (24th) is majority conference chair. And state Rep. Nick Smith (34th) is majority office and sergeant at arms.

Rest of the R’s leadership team: Assistant House Republican leaders are state Reps. John Cabello (90th), C.D. Davidsmeyer (100th), Jackie Haas (79th), Mike Marron (104th) and Charlie Meier (109th). Rep. Jeff Keicher (70th) will serve as conference chairman. Rep. Patrick Windhorst (117th) has been named House Republican floor leader.

RELATED

POLICY NEWS: A new law requires superintendents and school board members to undergo training on trauma-informed practices. Supporters hope it leads to school districts adopting less punitive policies and increasing funding for social workers.

“We’re in a bit of a mental health crisis,” state Sen. Laura Fine, who co-sponsored the legislation and chairs the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee, told Olivia. “This additional knowledge will help them look at it with a different lens, a lens that will sort of ease the burden of mental health for our kids.”

The Illinois Association of School Boards will include the content in its online course for members this year.

“Frankly, the budget reflects your values,” IASB Executive Director Tom Bertrand said. “The more that a board learns about these practices … they can make better decisions about how to allocate resources.”

Defining “trauma-informed”: It’s an approach that realizes the widespread impact of trauma, as well as its signs and symptoms, according to the state Department of Human Services.

The legislation was spearheaded by state Sen. Karina Villa, who has a master’s in social work and served on a local school board. She says she saw the impact that social workers can have on improving students’ mental health.

“I really hope that in the long term, our school districts and our students in our communities are better off as a result,” she said in an interview.

It will have an impact on educators, too: “There’s certain things that will affect and pull and trigger educators’ own trauma,” said state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, a former special education teacher and Joliet Township High School board member. “Rather than having punitive consequences [for a teacher experiencing trauma], maybe we can say … ‘Hey, you’re going to be disciplined for this. However, you need to seek additional help.’”

At the Marriott Marquis Chicago at 8 a.m. for the 37th Annual Interfaith Breakfast celebrating the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

No official public events.

There was a moment of hilarity at the annual Economic Outlook forum held by the Executives’ Club this week. Moderator Terry Savage’s asked panelists her annual question: “What would you do with $100,000?” Bob Froehlich, formerly of Deutsche Asset Management, quipped, “Give it to John.”

He was referring to John Rogers Jr., chairman of Ariel Investments, who accurately predicted last year that there would be a sharp rise in inflation and a dramatic drop in cryptocurrency. This year’s outlook by Rogers, Froehlich and KPMG economist Diane Swonk was optimistic, with Rogers and Froehlich predicting no recession and Swonk seeing a mild recession.

In the room: City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, PNC Bank Illinois Regional President Scott Swanson, Griffith Foods CEO TC Chatterjee, AAR Corp. Chair John Holmes, Molex CEO Joe Nelligan, Nicor Gas CEO Wendell Dallas, KPMG Chicago’s Travis Hunter and Linda Imonti, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Executive Chair Dean Harrison, businesswoman Christie Hefner, Global Philanthropy Partnership’s Adele Simmons, businesswoman Adela Cepeda, YMCA of Chicago CEO Dorri McWhorter and Executives’ Club CEO Margaret Mueller.

We asked about your reading goal for the year:

Robert Kartheiser: “I have set a goal of 50 books this year. A steep goal, but I got close last year. A mystery lover, with a few non-fiction historical novels for a change of pace.”

Michael Gascoigne of the Illinois Department of Revenue: “I want to read 36 books this year. I’m hoping that by announcing it here my brain will now hold me accountable.”

Rick Baert: “To read every article and essay in my Foreign Affairs subscription.”

Robert Christie: “To complete the Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant.”

William Hogan: “Revisit the classic Royko/Rakove books, been too long, and try to find ONE worthwhile dive into recent city politics.”

Michael Kreloff: “To re-read good books I read years ago. Starting with ‘The Last Hurrah.’”

Donovan Pepper: “To actually finish President Obama’s “A Promised Land.”

Chris White of Alliance of the SouthEast: “I’m reading about the labor activists who were shot by the Klan in Greensboro, N.C. (in 1979) and how survivors influenced the labor movement.”

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sadie Stockdale Jefferson has been named the new executive director of University of Chicago Education Lab. She had been executive director for the Children First Fund and was education director for then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and deputy chief of staff for former CEO of CPS Janice Jackson.

— Bernard Cherkasov will be the new CEO of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. He starts Feb. 8. He’s been national COO of Cradles to Crayons.

— Steve Luthman is CEO of the U.S. Midwest region at Hines real estate investment firm. He’s been with the firm 18 years.

— Theresa W. Reed has joined Hance Scarborough as counsel in the federal affairs practice. She was communications director for Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

— Kaitlyn Nagy is now VP at Autumn Communications, working primarily with cannabis and psychedelics clients. She had been a director at Mattio Communications.

Today: Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray, City of Chicago spokeswoman Melissa Stratton, APS & Associates President Alex Sims-Jones and businessman Ken Norgan.

Saturday: Former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, United Airlines State Government Affairs Director Kristopher Anderson and singer and nonprofit leader Maria Kotsinis.

Sunday: Retired Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans, Instacart Public Policy Manager Kelley Foxx and Illinois State University politics professor Erik Rankin.

Monday: State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, City of Chicago Clerk Anna Valencia, comms consultant Joanna Klonsky, Illinois Department of Labor Legislative Director Anna Koeppel, former congressional candidate Sameena Mustafa and game developer Max Temkin.

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