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, began losing the grip on the power he had held for most of the previous 40 years.

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.

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

The Land of Lincoln still isn't at the point where people can feel fully confident that lawmakers aren't making decisions based on who gave them political donations.

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.

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.

State lawmakers who stood in the way of recent legislation that would've regulated hemp products have received significant campaign cash from the industry.

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

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?

MIGRANT MOVES | The Biden administration says it will extend temporary deportation relief to nearly 1 million people from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela, via POLITICO’s Myah Ward. The move comes days before Donald Trump takes office with a promise to restrict the program.

The lame duck session may have signaled tough times ahead as Illinois lawmakers seek to navigate a multitude of issues this spring, including a projected $3.2 billion budget shortfall.

Chicago civil rights leaders and Illinois politicians reaffirmed their dedication to protecting education and immigrants rights Monday morning amid reports that President Donald Trump could begin his crackdown on illegal immigration this week with raids in Chicago.