Peoria Standard

Illinois State Representative Ryan Spain, a Republican from Peoria, has introduced legislation aimed at changing the quorum requirements in the Illinois General Assembly. The proposed measure, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 19, would require a two-thirds majority for a quorum instead of the current simple majority.

This legislative move comes as debates over congressional redistricting continue both in Illinois and other states. Recently, Governor J.B. Pritzker appeared on national television where he joked about how Illinois’ congressional maps were drawn. “We handed it over to a kindergarten class and let them decide,” Pritzker said during his appearance with Stephen Colbert on CBS. When Colbert asked if that was the nonpartisan group responsible for drawing the maps, Pritzker responded, “That’s our independent commission.”

Spain criticized these remarks and addressed concerns about partisan gerrymandering in Illinois. “The truth is Democrats gerrymandered the map at an ‘expert level’ and can’t be gerrymandered anymore,” Spain said.

He also commented on similar efforts underway in Texas: “I fully disagree with what they’re doing in Texas. I think it’s wrong,” Spain told The Center Square regarding Texas Republicans' attempts to redraw congressional maps for political advantage. “But if they do it, their map still will not be as lopsided as the current map that has been in place for the state of Illinois. For our congressional districts.”

Spain was elected to represent Illinois’ 73rd House District in 2017 after succeeding David R. Leitch.

To watch the video of Spain’s full comments and read more details about this story – Click Here.