The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the

legislative branch A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

of the government of the State of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, the Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population and redistricted every 10 years; based on the 2020 U.S. census each senator represents approximately 213,347 people. Senate districts are divided into three groups, each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms. For example, group one elects senators for terms of four years, four years and two years, group two elects senators for terms of four years, two years and four years, and group three elects senators for terms of two years, four years and four years. This ensures that the Senate reflects changes made when the General Assembly redistricts itself after each census. Usually, depending on the election year, roughly one-third or two-thirds of Senate seats are contested. On rare occasions (usually after a census), all Senate seats are up for election. In contrast, the Illinois House of Representatives is made up of 118 members with its entire membership elected to two-year terms. House districts are formed by dividing each Senate district in half, with each senator having two " associated" representatives. The Illinois Senate convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

. Its first official working day is the second Wednesday of January each year. Its primary duties are to pass bills into law, approve the state budget, confirm appointments to state departments and agencies, act on federal constitutional amendments and propose constitutional amendments for Illinois. It also has the power to override gubernatorial vetoes through a three-fifths majority vote. The Illinois Senate tries impeachments made by the House of Representatives, and can convict impeached officers by a two-thirds vote. Voting in the Illinois Senate is done by members pushing one of three buttons. Unlike most states, the Illinois Senate allows members to vote yes, no, or present. It takes 30 affirmative votes to pass legislation during final action. The number of negative votes does not matter. Therefore, voting present has the same effect on the tally as voting no.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

began his political career in the Illinois Senate before going on to become President of the United States.

Party summary

Leadership

, the 102nd General Assembly of the Illinois Senate consists of the following leadership:

Majority

* President of the Senate: Don Harmon *Majority Leader: Kimberly A. Lightford *Assistant Majority Leader/President Pro Tempore: Bill Cunningham *Deputy Majority Leaders: ** Laura Murphy ** Emil Jones III *Assistant Majority Leaders: ** Jacqueline Y. Collins ** Linda Holmes ** Dave Koehler ** Antonio Munoz *Majority Caucus Chair: Mattie Hunter *Majority Caucus Whips: ** Omar Aquino ** Michael Hastings ** Napoleon Harris III ** Julie Morrison

Minority

*Minority Leader: John Curran *Deputy Minority Leader: Sue Rezin *Assistant Minority Leaders: ** Terri Bryant ** Dale Fowler ** Steve McClure ** Jason Plummer *Minority Caucus Chair: Neil Anderson *Minority Caucus Whips: ** Sally Turner ** Jil Tracy

Officers

*Secretary of the Senate: Tim Anderson *Assistant Secretary of the Senate: Scott Kaiser *Sergeant-at-Arms: Joe Dominguez *Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Dirk R. Eilers

Members

In 1924, Florence Fifer Bohrer became the body's first female member and Adelbert H. Roberts became its first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

member. In 1977, Earlean Collins became the first African American woman to serve in the Illinois Senate.

, later the first African-American President of the United States, served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. , the 104th General Assembly of the Illinois Senate consists of the following members: * Ɨ Legislator was appointed to the Illinois Senate prior to initial election. * ƗƗ Legislator was appointed to the Illinois Senate after being elected, but prior to inauguration day of the General Assembly to which they were elected.

Past composition of the Senate

Future election terms by district

State senators will be elected in the legislative districts for terms of office as set forth below. First group (Districts 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59) 2026 -4 Years 2030 - 2 Years Second group (Districts 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51, 54, 57) 2026 - 2 Years 2028 - 4 Years Third group (Districts 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58) 2028-4 Years

Notes

References

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

State upper houses in the United States 1818 establishments in Illinois