How will 2012 affect your government relations strategy?
How will 2012 affect your government relations strategy? Earlier this year, the Illinois General Assembly passed and the Governor signed legislation to re-draw the legislative district maps for all 118 House and 59 Senate districts in Illinois. As we head into the 2012 election cycle, the new map could have a significant impact on public policy in Illinois for years to come. Historically, the election held immediately after the legislative remap has seen much higher than average turnover in the membership of the General Assembly. There are a multitude of reasons for this turnover, but among them is the fact that with a new map comes new voters. Virtually all incumbents will have to stand for election before at least some voters that would be "new turf" for the legislator, and therefore that legislator loses some of the advantages of incumbency. Illinois seems to be on a record pace for incumbent turnover heading into 2012...
11 legislators have resigned since the 97th General Assembly took office in January, 2011.
Representative Mark Beaubien passed away this year.
15 legislators have announced that they are not running for re-election or are retiring at the end of their current terms.
2 legislators have announced they are running for county office.
The new legislative map was designed by Democrats (who controlled the House, Senate and the Governor's Office) to maximize the number of Democrats elected. The map was also designed to cause turmoil among Republicans. For instance the new districts find several GOP legislators drawn into the same district as a fellow GOP incumbent. It is expected that Senator John O. Jones (R) will face Senator Kyle McCarter (R) and Senator Christine Johnson (R) will face Senator Dave Syverson (R). Additionally, there are at least three senate districts in which a Republican House incumbent will run against an incumbent Republican Senator. Also, there is one matchup of incumbents of opposite parties. Representative Sid Mathias (R) will face Representative Carol Sente (D) in a district in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The filing period for the paperwork and petition signatures needed to run for office began Monday, November 28, 2011 and will end one week later on December 5. As of December 1st, at least 5 incumbent Senators and 14 incumbent Representatives have drawn a primary opponent. Even more incumbents will face tough races in the fall General Election. The bottom line is that the face of the Illinois General Assembly will look much different when legislators take office in January, 2013 than it did in January, 2011. It is likely that 1 out of 4 legislators sworn in that day will be new to the General Assembly. What does this mean? A number of legislative dynamics will change. For one, there will be a large number of legislators that are not very familiar with the processes and procedures of the General Assembly. More importantly, it means a loss of "institutional memory". Most of the new legislators will not know much of the legislative history of various issues. It also means a loss of expertise as legislators who have become experts in certain policy areas as they gain tenure in the legislature move on. Businesses, organizations, associations and other interests will need to revise their government relations strategies to establish relationships and begin the education process on their issues with the new legislators. It may also mean opportunity. New ideas may find a receptive new audience. Issues that may have been "dead" in previous General Assemblies may find new life. In any event, there will be some level of change
If you want to have a bigger voice in protecting your organization's interests in Illinois or if you need assistance in having your issues heard....
