Ryan Spain was sworn in as State Representative of the 73rd District in January 2017, following the retirement of State Representative David Leitch.

A lifelong Peorian, Spain attended District 150 schools and is a Richwoods High School alumnus.  He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a double degree in political science and speech communication.  Spain also holds an MBA from Bradley University.

In April 2007, Spain was elected to the City Council as the youngest at-large member in Peoria history.   He is currently employed at OSF Healthcare System as the Vice President of Economic Development.  Spain and his wife Ashley have a three-year old daughter named Vivienne. Read more.

State Representative Margo McDermed was sworn into her first term of office on January 8th 2014 in the last days of the 98th General Assembly. She servers the 37th District includes all or parts of New Lenox, Mokena, Tinley Park, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Joliet, Lockport, and Orland Park.

Raised in LaGrange, IL, Rep. McDermed graduated from DePaul University College of Law with highest honors. After completing law school, she enjoyed a career in corporate law that spanned 30 years, where she learned the value of hard work and gained the leadership skills necessary to tackle the issues in Springfield.

State Representative Margo McDermed and her husband Edward have lived in Mokena since 1978 where they raised their two children.  Learn about Rep. McDermed.

State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield) joined the Illinois House of Representatives on March 3, 2015 and serves the 87th District. Butler, a native of Peoria, is the fourth-great grandson of Lewis Barker, a State Senator from Pope County during the first four Illinois General Assemblies. Tim is the youngest of seven children and his parents owned a small manufacturing business.

Tim brings to the House more than 20 years of public service working for the people of Central Illinois. He has served as District Chief of Staff for both Congressman Rodney Davis and former Congressman Ray LaHood. He also served as the director of marketing for St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. Read more.

Rep. Grant Wehrli serves the 41st District and is a lifelong resident of Naperville where he currently resides with his family. Before his election to the Illinois General Assembly Rep. Wehrli served a Naperville City Councilman.

More about Rep. Wehrli.

Rep. Keith Wheeler is a sixth-generation resident of Kendall County and lives with his wife and children in Oswego.  For the last 23 years he has owned his own small business and served his communities as chairman of the National Federation of Independent Business, Fox Valley Area Action Council and chairman of the Board of Directors for the Kendall County Food Pantry.

Rep. Wheeler represents the 50th District.

Read more about Rep. Wheeler.

Randy Frese serves as the State Representative of the 94th District.

Rep. Frese was raised on his family’s farm in rural Illinois and earned his Bachelor of Sciences in Applied Sciences/Agriculture at Western Illinois University. After graduating from WIU, Randy learned about business traveling West Central Illinois. Based out of Macomb, he was first a sales and service representative for White Farm Equipment, and then he worked as an industrial minerals salesman. He soon returned to Adams County and began developing a series of entrepreneurial small businesses. Throughout his years as a small business owner Randy employed hundreds of individuals in the western Illinois region. He knows what it is to make the hard decisions of a small business owner, he knows how to maintain a budget and follow a plan, and he is able to relate and work with those who bring small business opportunities to western Illinois.

Randy has been married to his high school sweetheart for 31 years and has three daughters. Read more about Rep. Frese.

A small business owner and consultant, Rep. Mark Batinick serves the people of the 97th District.

Rep. Batinick understands how to save money and make organizations run more efficiently. As a private citizen, he has exposed waste and inefficiencies of local government bodies at the same time he provided alternative solutions that were cost-effective and improved government services. As a state legislator he will bring this experience to state government.

Rep. Batinick and his wife reside in Plainfield with their five children

Read more about Rep. Mark Batinick.

Rep. Bennett was raised on a small farm near Gibson City IL, today he works as an IT manager for a national insurance company.  Rep. Bennett has a BS in Education and in Applied Computer Science, He also earned  MBA, and a Doctorate of Business Administration. He and wife have two grown children and three wonderful grandchildren.

Rep. Bennett served on the House Committees for Elementary & Secondary Education & Higher Education Appropriations, Consumer Protection, Higher Education, Renewable Energy & Sustainability and State Government Administration.

Read more about Rep. Tom Bennett.

Rep. Reggie Phillips grew up in Arthur, Illinois and represents the 110th District.  Phillips, 60, has been married for 38 years.  He and his wife, Martha,  have four adult children and nine grandchildren.

In 1986, Rep. Phillips and his wife started a residential and commercial building business in Charleston, Illinois which now employs approximately 400 people

Learn more about Rep. Phillips.

Steve Andersson is the State Representative for Illinois’ 65th Legislative District which includes parts of Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Pingree Grove, Plato Center, Elgin, South Elgin, Hampshire, and Huntley. He and his wife, Nanette, have been residents of Geneva for 22 years. They have been married for 27 years and have two children.

Read more about Rep. Andersson.

Lincoln's Generals were instrumental in helping him win the Civil War. Eight of those leaders were Illinoisans. 

The Democrat majority promised they would pay the bills, reduce our debt and strengthen our economy with the temporary tax passed in 2011. They also said it would be rolled back. Now they want to make the tax permanent. If you agree we need to do something different, please sign the petition to Let the Temporary Tax Expire. 

Illinois Democrats only have one play in their playbook. Its time to do something different.
Sign the petition.

Latest infographic from Reboot Illinois showing the state of Illinois' budget.

It costs $21 for a lawmaker to take the train between Chicago and Springfield, or about $65 for them to drive.

But it costs taxpayers $4,060 when lawmakers choose to fly a six-seat executive airplane between the two cities.

Despite the enormous cost difference, the presiding officers of both the Illinois House and Senate are choosing to fly in the taxpayer-funded executive planes.

The practice has been going on for decades, but as the state struggles to pay its bills some are wondering if it is something Illinois can afford.

“Would getting rid of these planes solve the state’s budget problems? No. But it is of enormous symbolic value. The leaders seem unwilling to sacrifice,” said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, who has introduced legislation to eliminate most of the state’s fleet of executive aircraft.  Scott Reeder tells the story at the Illinois News Network. 

The $2 billion in additional spending and 7.5 billion in unpaid bills will make the formerly temporary tax increase on residents, permanent.

Tomorrow at Noon, Governor Quinn will give his 2013 'State of the State' address at the State Capitol in Springfield.  We're looking forward to hearing what the Governor includes in his address, but are mindful of the issues we're focused on as a Caucus and ways we can make Illinois great again.

Read Leader Tom Cross' statement on the 2013 'State of the State' address here.

We'll be live-blogging the 'State of the State' address right here on www.TheCaucusBlog.com.  Tune back in tomorrow to stay on top of any developments from the address and response from members of the Illinois House Republican Caucus.

As for the speech specifically, here's what we need to hear the Governor address:

• How we can grow the economy
• How we can protect hardworking taxpayers
• How we can safeguard services for most vulnerable

Head over to our Facebook page to join the discussion about the address.