Peoria Standard

Illinois residents have several ways to participate in the legislative process as the General Assembly prepares for its annual Fall Veto Session in October. Communication with legislators is encouraged, and state lawmakers provide various channels such as email addresses, office locations, phone numbers, and surveys for constituents to share their opinions on pending issues.

Legislators maintain both district and Springfield offices with staff available to respond to calls, emails, and meetings. This feedback is used by elected officials to understand constituent concerns.

A key resource for public engagement is the Illinois General Assembly (ILGA) website at https://ilga.gov/. The site offers information on bills, committees, legislators, and provides access to audio and video of legislative sessions. Residents can use the website to check bill status, submit witness slips for or against legislation, find contact details for elected officials, read current laws, and watch or listen to committee hearings. The ILGA website is free and updated regularly.

To file a witness slip online or learn more about this process, instructional videos and guides are available through links provided by the legislature.

Other resources help residents identify their local, state, and national representatives. By entering an address on the State Board of Elections’ “Find My Elected Officials” webpage or using maps from Illinois Policy at https://www.illinoispolicy.org/maps/, citizens can locate their representatives.

Current members of the Illinois General Assembly can be found at https://www.ilga.gov/senate/ or https://www.ilga.gov/house/, where users will find phone numbers, biographies, addresses, sponsored bills, and committee assignments.

For those seeking a general overview of how legislation works in Illinois, a Citizen Guide is available online. Additional information about filing witness slips can be found through resources like the Illinois State Bar Association’s guide at https://www.isba.org/newscenter/howtofileawitnessslip.

Live video and audio streams of legislative debates are accessible when the House or Senate is in session via the ILGA website. Recordings of past sessions can also be viewed by selecting specific dates for either chamber.

Voters interested in candidate information, mail-in voting procedures, registration details, election results and more may visit the State Board of Elections website at https://www.elections.il.gov/.

Residents are also encouraged to follow their legislators’ official social media accounts and websites for updates on legislation and district events throughout the year.

Spain was elected as a Republican representative to Illinois’ 73rd House District in 2017 after David R. Leitch stepped down.