House Majority Leader Greg Harris retiring

Posted on November 29, 2021
House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago). (Photo courtesy: Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – One of Illinois’ top lawmakers says one more year will be quite enough.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago) says by the end of 2022, he will have served sixteen years and will not seek another term. He said it’s time to move on and let other people rise to the top of House leadership.

Harris has the distinction of being the first member of the LGBTQ community to serve as majority leader, and he does not take that lightly.

“Illinois is 203 years old,” said Harris. “My predecessor in the majority leader job, Barbara Flynn Currie, was the first woman to hold this job. I’m the first gay person, and I think it says a lot about the Democratic caucus and about our state that the top person in the House of Representatives, Speaker Chris Welch is the first African-American  ever to hold the top spot.”

Harris says the announcement gives people in his Chicago district a chance to prepare to run to succeed him. He adds that the House has many strong young leaders who could move up.

Harris said the majority leader works to help weighty legislation move through the House to passage.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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