By CCDI Governmental Affairs Consultant Phil Milsk

On January 10, 2007, members of the 95th General Assembly officially took the oath of office. The first year of a legislative session is usually very active with major policy initiatives taking center stage. If history is any indicator, between 6,000-7,000 bills will be introduced between January 10 and February 27, 2007, which is the deadline in the House for bill introduction.

We expect health care access, school funding, and tax reform to be among those important issues getting a lot of attention this year. Disability services with a particular focus on community and home-based supports will be at the top of our list.

New House members this year include:

Dan Beiser (D-111th, Alton), appointed in 2004 to replace Rep. Steve Davis and elected in 2006. He holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from SIU-Edwardsville and has taught in public schools. He is also a former Alton City Treasurer.

Franco Coladipietro (R-45th, Bloomingdale), is a partner in a DuPage County law firm. He is a graduate of NIU and John Marshall Law School.

Sandy Cole (R-62nd, Grayslake), was a member of the Lake County Board and chair of its finance committee. She holds a BS from Rockford College.

Fred Crespo (D-44th, Hoffman Estates), is a Hoffman Estates trustee. He is a real estate agent. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University.

Jim Durkin (R-82nd, Western Springs), is a graduate of ISU and the John Marshall Law School. He served in the General Assembly from 1995-2002. He ran for US Senate in 2002. He was appointed to the General Assembly in 2006 to replace Rep. Eileen Lyons and was elected in 2006.

LaShawn Ford (D-8th, Chicago), holds a BS from Loyola University. He has taught and coached basketball in the Chicago Public Schools and is now owner of a real estate firm.

Mike Fortner (R-95th, West Chicago), is mayor of West Chicago. He holds an MS and PhD. in Physics from Brandeis University. He also teaches physics at NIU.

Esther Golar (D-6th, Chicago), was appointed in 2006 to replace Rep. Pam Bailey and was elected in 2006. She has been involved in numerous community activities concerning housing and has been on a local school council in Chicago. She has a strong interest in disability services and served on the Committee on Develop-mental Disabilities and Mental Illness in 2006.

Greg Harris (D-13th, Chicago) is chief of staff to Chicago alderman Mary Ann Smith. He is active with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the AIDS Legal Council and other community organizations.

Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24th, Cicero) is a former grants officer for the Cicero Public Schools and a policy advisor for Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.

Elga Jeffries (D-26th, Chicago) was appointed to the House in 2006 to replace the late Lovanna Jones. She was elected in 2006. She has worked for the Chicago Department of Revenue and the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Harry R. "Randy" Ramey (R-55th, Carol Stream) was appointed to the House in 2005 to finish the term of John Milner, who moved to the Senate. He holds a degree in restaurant management from the University of Illinois. In addition to managing restaurants, he is a Wayne Township trustee and worked for the Illinois Secretary of State.

Dennis Reboletti (R-46th, Elmhurst) is an assistant State's Attorney in Will County and has served as an alderman in Elmhurst and a trustee for Addison Township.

Jil Tracy (R-93rd, Mt. Sterling) was appointed in June 2006 to replace Rep. Art Tenhouse. She has a law degree and a B.A. in political science from SIU-Carbondale. She worked in the Attorney General's West Central regional office from 1997-2004.

New Senate members this year include:

Michael Bond (D-31st, Grayslake) holds an MBA from Roosevelt University and a B.A. from SIU-Carbondale. He is an insurance executive and a member of his local school board.

Willie Delgado (D-2nd, Chicago) moves over to the Senate from the House to replace Sen. Miguel del Valle, who was appointed Chicago City Clerk by Mayor Daley. Former chair of the House Human Services Committee, he holds a B.A. in criminal justice from Northeastern U. in Boston and a certificate in social work. He is a former probation and parole officer.

Michael Frerichs (D-52nd, Gifford) is Champaign Co. Auditor and a former Champaign Co. board member.

Linda Holmes (D-43rd, Aurora) is a member of the Kane Co. board and a Kane Co. Forest Commissioner. She owns a home remodeling company with her husband.

Randy Hultgren (R-48th, Winfield) moves over from the House to replace Peter Roskam, who was elected to the US House. He has a law degree from Chicago-Kent Law School and a bachelors from Bethel College. He is a member of the DuPage Co. Board.

Michael Jacobs (D-36th, Moline) was appointed to the Senate in 2005 to replace his father, Denny Jacobs, who retired. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from UIS and a master's from the University of West Florida. He has worked for the Secretary of State's office.

David Koehler (D-46th, Peoria) former member of the Peoria City Council and Peoria County Board, he also served as Executive Director of the Peoria Labor Management Council. He is vice-chair of the Adequate Health Care Task Force and will be a leader in developing legislation to provide health care coverage for the uninsured.

Dan Kotowski (D-33rd, Park Ridge) is former Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and former executive with a youth services agency. He holds a bachelor's from UIUC and a master's from DePaul.

John Milner (R-28th, St. Charles) is a former IL House member who was appointed in 2005 to replace Sen. Kay Wojcik, who retired. He holds a bachelor's from Lewis University and a master's in law enforcement from WIU. He was Chief of Police in Elmhurst for 16 years.

Matt Murphy (R-27th, Palatine) was elected in 2006. He replaces retired Sen. Wendell Jones. He is a graduate of U. of Iowa and John Marshall Law School and is in private law practice.

Michael Noland (D-22nd, Elgin) is in private law practice in Kane County and is a former Kane Co. Public Defender. He holds a bachelor's and MBA from UIC and a law degree from John Marshall Law School.

A.J. Wilhelmi (D-43rd, Joliet) was appointed to the Senate in 2005 to replace Sen. Larry Walsh, who was elected as chief executive for Will County. He holds a bachelor's from Loyola University and a law degree from Chicago-Kent. He is in private law practice where he concentrates on real estate and business law.

Congratulations to all of the new members of the 95th General Assembly. We look forward to working closely with them on matters affecting the lives of persons with disabilities.