Illinois House

Same-sex marriage took a big step toward becoming law in Illinois today. The Illinois House of Representatives approved gay marriage in a narrow vote. 

Call him “House Minority Leader Durkin.” State Representative Jim Durkin was elected Thursday by his Republican colleagues as their new House leader.  

The new Republican leader is from the Cook County village of Western Springs. He’s an attorney and has served twice in the Illinois House: from 1994 to 2002, and from 2006 to today. In between, he ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.  

Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives will meet Thursday to try to select a replacement for GOP Leader Tom Cross, who announced last week that he will be stepping down. He's expected to run for State Treasurer instead.

Seventeen House Republicans who signed a letter officially scheduling the meeting say there's no time to waste in replacing him.

The letter says the House Republican's fundraising arm is in "dire financial straits" ... and that shoring up funds ahead of next year's election will be difficult until a new leader is in place.

Illinois House minority leader Tom Cross is telling his Republican colleagues today he plans to run for Illinois treasurer. 

Illinois House Republicans are pushing a proposal that aims to reduce higher education costs for middle-class students.

Republican lawmakers in the Illinois House say the state could save a lot of money by tightening welfare rules. They unveiled a package of reforms at Memorial Hall in Rockford Wednesday. 

A concealed carry measure supported by the National Rifle Association was defeated in the Illinois House Thursday. It was the latest attempt by lawmakers to comply with a court order that they pass a law permitting people to carry guns in public.

Consolidating school districts would become easier if a measure that made it through the Illinois House becomes law. It would allow school boards to dissolve districts with less than 750 students. Voters usually have to approve a referendum before a district can dissolve, which prepares it to combine with another district.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan predicts a rough road ahead for a same-sex marriage bill. He says passing the bill out of the lower-chamber would be ``very difficult.''