Senator Andy Manar has announced his resignation from the Illinois State Senate. Senator Manar who has been in office for 8 years with more than 22 in public service, announced that he will be resigning on January 17th.  

Senator Manar was first elected to the Bunker Hill City Council at the age of 21 in 1997. He was elected Mayor of Bunker Hill in 2001 and Chaired the Macoupin County Board until his election to the Senate in 2012. 

Senator Manar has passed numerous laws that have had an impact on Illinois families including Automatic Voter Registration, a statewide minimum wage for teachers, elimination of police ticket quotas, capping out of pocket insulin costs at $100 per month, and the first-ever regulation of pharmacy benefit managers. 

Senator Manar says that his most defining piece of legislation was school funding reform. For decades, Illinois was the worst-ranked state for its contributions to school funding, and over the course of four years, Senator Manar established the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act. 

During his time with the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manar secured funds for infrastructure investment for local communities not only in places like Macoupin and Bunker Hill but also for Decatur, Litchfield, and Carlinville. 

Recognized with multiple awards and recognitions, Senator Manar received the Dawn Clark Netsch “Straight Talk Award, The President’s Award, Vince Demuzio Legislator of the Year Award, 2019 Friend of Education award, and the 2016 Wall of Honor Inductee at Bunker Hill High School. 

This is a breaking news story. We will have more on this as it develops. A replacement to fill the vacancy in the 48th Legislative District will be chosen by the Democratic Party Chairs in Christian, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, and Sangamon Counties.