Illinois Speaker Of The House Reflects On Political Journey

Emanuel “Chris” Welch has served as Illinois Speaker of the House for five years. Photo provided by Office of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
Emanuel “Chris” Welch has served as Illinois Speaker of the House for five years. Photo provided by Office of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

Illinois Speaker Of The House Reflects On Political Journey

By Tia Carol Jones

Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch has served as Speaker for five years. He is the first Black Speaker of the House. Welch represents Illinois’ 7th House of Representatives District. It encompasses Broadview, Bellwood, Berkeley, Elmhurst, Forest Park, Hillside, Hinsdale, Oak Park, La Grange Park, Maywood, Oak Brook, River Forest, Westchester and Western Springs.

Welch represents a community that he has lived in his whole life, Maywood and Bellwood. He graduated from Proviso High School and graduated from Northwestern University Law School. Welch, who said he has always been active in government, ran for the local school board because he wanted to be involved in the local schools.

“I didn’t think local school boards were political, I thought I was giving back, doing some public service. I didn’t realize, really truly, until running for the board, how political school boards can be,” he said.

Welch won the school board election, served for 12 years on that local school board, 10 years as the chair. He said the real learning happened on the school board. He was elected as an Illinois State Representative in 2013. He said whether it was his involvement in student government, playing sports and learning discipline and camaraderie, being a trial lawyer, God was preparing him for the role of Illinois Speaker of the House. He said those things really helped shape him.

Welch said that as Speaker of the House, he is a leader of the State. He represents his district and he runs the day-to-day operations of the chamber. He sets the agenda, he appoints people to committees, he determines what the committees are, what bills go into those committees. He said one of the biggest bills in the State of Illinois is the state budget. He said that he always remembers where he came from and is very intentional in ensuring that historically overlooked communities are not overlooked while he is Speaker of the House.

Welch said that he is proud of the fact that every year he has been Speaker of the House, the state has passed balanced budgets. He said those budgets have been responsible and compassionate and have really helped communities across the state of Illinois. He said that he is proud of the work that is being done at the state level.

One thing Welch is proud of is the transit reform package that was passed in October 2025. He said it will be transformative to improve CTA, PACE and the transit system. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act delivered around $1.5 billion in annual transit and infrastructure funding.

The energy relief package that was also passed in October 2025 is aimed at bringing down high utility bills and is projected to save Illinois households more than $13 billion over the next two decades.

As the Illinois legislature goes back to Springfield, the focus will be on affordability. Welch said the legislature will look at homeowners’ insurance reform and auto insurance reform, as well as looking to lower the cost on prescription drug prices.

 He said that as Speaker of the House he governs to ensure that the legislation that is passed benefits everyone in Illinois. He has also appointed a Republican to chair a committee. He did say that he would like to see Republicans put the MAGA partisanship aside and participate a little more, specifically in the budget process.

For more information about the Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch, visit emanuelchriswelch.com. You can also follow him at:@SpeakerWelchIL. People can also visit ilga.gov.

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