The nationwide redistricting battle is heating up as majority-party lawmakers in several states look to pass new congressional district maps ahead of next year’s midterms.  Illinois is one of those states, where Democrats control all but three of the state’s U.S. House seats.  This came about in the same election where their party’s presidential candidate Kamala Harris won Illinois, but with only 54% of the vote.  Speaking of Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker has been involved in the absence of Texas Democrats from its state legislature ahead of a vote on what they consider to be gerrymandered maps.  These elected officials have since returned to the Lone Star State.

Efforts in these states to pass new maps are drawing sharp criticism from officials whose parties stand to detriment from changes to the maps.  Among them is Illinois State Senator Steve McClure.  He calls out Governor Pritzker for backtracking on a promise from his first campaign to veto gerrymandered maps and push for an independent redistricting commission. 

Senator McClure also accuses the governor of breaking constitutional precedent in signing two separate maps already this decade after a delay in census reporting in 2020.  

Aside from redistricting, Governor Pritzker has signed two of Senator McClure’s bills into law.  One of them reduces the frequency at which permanently disabled drivers must prove their disability at the Secretary of State’s office.  A constituent of his with Multiple Sclerosis came to him with the proposal.

The Senator also helped craft a resolution last year which is coming back to light now.  That’s because it was meant to honor Jim Lovell, who commanded the Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions.  The former astronaut moved to Lake Forest after his missions.  He died on August 7.
 

More information on Senator Steve McClure is available at www.senatormcclure.com.

Senator Steve McClure appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.