House Speaker Michael Madigan is stressing the importance of bipartisanship as Illinois enters its first divided government in more than a decade.
Madigan was again selected House speaker by the 99th General Assembly in a vote along party lines Wednesday. The Chicago Democrat is the country's longest serving House speaker. He's served all but two years in the role since 1983.
Madigan pledged to ``work professionally and cooperatively'' with GOP Gov. Rauner in a speech following the vote. Madigan says the biggest issue ahead is the state's budget and that both sides must work together in dealing with an expected $5.7 billion deficit next year.
He also called for creating a bipartisan mental health task force to prevent tragedies like the Sandy Hook school shooting from happening in Illinois.
Senate President John Cullerton says he wants to work with Gov. Bruce Rauner to provide better funding for schools, raise the minimum wage and make it easier to open a new business in Illinois.
Cullerton is a Chicago Democrat who was elected Wednesday to a fourth term as
leader of the Illinois Senate.
Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Illinois Senate and House. Rauner
is a Republican who took office Monday, creating the first divided government in
Illinois since 2003.
Cullerton says opening a new business in Illinois is too cumbersome. He says he
wants to work with Rauner to create a ``one-stop shop'' for new companies.
Cullerton also says he looks forward to working with Rauner and lawmakers in
both parties to address Illinois' many ``tough challenges.''
