IL Senate Dems Caucus

The Illinois State Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly. Together with the House of Representatives, the 59 members of the State Senate represent the legislative branch of Illinois government, passing legislation affecting the nearly 13 million residents of the state.

Each Senate district is composed of approximately 217,000 residents and is represented by two state representatives, each representing half of the Senate district. Terms of service are staggered and are either two or four-year based on district.

The General Assembly convenes each year on the second Wednesday in January. In odd-numbered years, the first order of business is the election of the Senate president and the appointment of committee chairs and members.

Each day’s session is called to order by the Senate president. A daily printed calendar outlines which bills will be considered and where the bills are in the legislative process. Before a vote is taken, each bill is debated by the members, whose opinions reflect their political viewpoints and the geographic regions they represent.