Illinois House Floor Debate — February 19, 2026

"The House will be in order. Members, will you please be in your chairs? We shall be led in prayer today by Representative Nicolle Grasse. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting your laptops, turn off your cellphones, and rise for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance."

"So, in this shared moment together, let us come together as one body and remember who we are called to serve. We are called to serve the families stretching every dollar. We are called to serve the children whose futures are shaped by the choices we make here in this room. We are called to serve the middle class, working hard people just stay… trying hard to stay rooted. We are called to serve our neighbors facing the steepest of challenges and counting on us to see them, to hear them, and to act for them. So, together, may we be guided by the common good, by the belief that affordability and fairness are not aspirations but responsibilities, that dignity belongs to everyone, and that our work must always uphold the constitutional rights that protect the freedom and equality of all of us. Call us to lead with compassion and courage, to lift up those who are too often overlooked, and to build a future where stability for all is not a privilege but a promise. So, with humility for the task before us and hope for what we can do together, let us begin. Amen."

"We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Syed."

Speaker Lilly: "Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Gabel is recognized to report any excused absences on the Democratic side of the aisle."

"Speaker, let the record show that Representatives Faver Dias, Ford, Jones, Olickal, and Ann Williams are excused today."

"Leader Windhorst is recognized to report any excused absences on the Republican side of the aisle."

"Leader Windhorst is recognized."

"Have all recorded themselves who wish? Mr.… Mr. Clerk, please take the record. There being 108 Members answering to the roll call, a quorum is present. Representative Mason, for what reasons do you seek to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday was a really special day on the House floor. But today is extra special for me because, as a proud mama, my son is visiting today, and I would love for everybody to welcome Grant to the House."

"Welcome. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports."

"Representative Ryan, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"Member of the chambers, one of my constituents, Abbey Murphy, is playing in about a half hour to be a gold medal winner for the U.S. hockey team. Abbey's been a part of my life since she was born 23 years ago. All right. Members of the Assembly, a constituent of mine, Abbey Murphy, is about to start the game for the gold medal for the USA women's 10400074.docx 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 hockey team. Abbey's been a… Abbey's parents, Ed and Lynne Murphy, are in Italy now to watch their son. They've been friends of my family and my wife for… for over 20 years. I've watched Abbey grow up to be the tremendous athlete that she is. She is considered the heart of the U.S. women's hockey team. She's their toughest player, her most resilient player, and the proudest member of our Evergreen Park community. I'd like to wish Abbey and the American team well. Go out and win the gold. Kick Canada's dot, dot, dot. And if we can have a USA chant: USA, USA, USA, USA, USA. All right, go America. Let's get it done."

"Representative… Leader Keicher, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Representative Mah, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Good afternoon. I would love to have the attention of the Members of this body. February 19… February 19 is a date of particular significance to Asian Americans. Every year, on this date, Japanese American communities across the country organize Day of Remembrance programs on the anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1946… 1942, with authorized… which authorized the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans, the majority of whom were U.S. citizens. The first Day of 10400074.docx 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 Remembrance was held in Seattle in 1978, initiated to support the Redress Movement and ultimately successful effort to call for reparations for Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during this shameful period in our country's history. Since the first gathering and re-enactment, which drew over a thousand people, these commemorations have grown to become a national tradition, with programming hosted each year by Japanese American communities across the country to remind us of the continuing threat to civil liberties and the ongoing need to protect our democracy. In Chicago this year, the Day of Remembrance will be fittingly marked with a gathering at the Broadview ICE facility today and a documentary film screening on Sunday sponsored by such venerable community organizations as the Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese American Service Committee, Chicago Japanese American Council, Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, and the Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago. It is important to recognize the Day of Remembrance each year, along with commemorations like Korematsu Day on Fred Korematsu's birthday, January 30, to remind ourselves of the fragility of our democracy; the fact that our own government trampled upon the rights, the civil rights, of its own people; the important role that everyday community members can play in raising the alarm about the threat to our rights and freedoms; the authoritarian decisions that our own government can make; and the need, especially today, to stand up to the distressing erosion of our civil liberties and the growth of what look alarmingly like internment camps across 10400074.docx 5  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 our nation's landscape. Let us heed the warning calls of the Japanese American community. Never again is now. Thank you."

"Leader McCombie, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Representative Swanson, for what reasons do you seek recognition?"

"Please proceed."

"Representative Davidsmeyer, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Please proceed."

"Representative du Buclet, for what reasons do you seek recognition?" du Buclet: "Point of personal preference, Madam Chair."

"Please proceed." du Buclet: "As most of you all know, this is… February is Heart Health Month, and I would like to ask my colleagues to join me and others here in the Capitol to wear red next Wednesday, February 25. We're doing this in order to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women across the country. Wearing red is a simple but powerful way to show our commitment to prevention, education, and healthier communities. Heart health impacts every district and every family. Let's stand together next Wednesday and wear red in… in support and solidarity of saving lives. Thank you."

"Thank you. Representative Weaver, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Please proceed."

"Representative Ammons, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege, Madam Speaker."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you, ma'am. You look amazing."

"So do you."

"Thank you. I would love to take a moment, if the chamber would allow low-noise vibration for a moment. I come to share a words from a Afro-Cuban in my community who wrote me a letter about the conditions of what is happening to Cuba. And I wanted to lift a few of the words so that we can understand and not be blindsided by the humanitarian crises that is developing in Cuba and other portions of South America. It says, 'To all humanity and to the mothers of the world, the doctors without borders, and to journalists with dignity, to the governments that still believe in justice, my name is not like others. I don't have a well-known surname or hold an important position. I am an ordinary Cuban woman, a daughter, a sister, a patriot. And I write with this broken heart and trembling hands because what is happening to the people of Cuba today is not a crises. It is a slow, calculated, and coldly executed murder orchestrated by Washington, D.C. while the world looks the other way. I denounce the fact in… that 10400074.docx 9  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 in Cuba elderly people are dying prematurely because the blockade prevents the arrival of medications for heart conditions, high blood pressure, and diabetes. This isn't a lack of resources. It's a deliberate prohibition. Companies that want to sell to Cuba are fined, persecuted, and threatened. Their governments remain silent. And meanwhile, a Cuban grandparent clutches their chest and waits. Death doesn't give us a warning. The blockade does. I denounce the fact that incubators in Cuba have to be shut down due to lack of fuel; that newborns are fighting for their lives while the United States government decides which countries can sell us oil and which cannot; that Cuban mothers have seen their children's lives endangered because of orders signed in Washington's offices is worth more than the cry of a baby 90 miles offshore. Where is the international community? Where is the outrage? We are watching the blockades being programmed hunger. It is not that there is a lack of food for no reason. It's that we are prevented from buying it. It's the ships carrying food are harassed. It's the bank transactions are blocked. It's the companies that sell us the grain, the chicken, and the milk that are sanctioned. Hunger in Cuba is not an accident. It is the state policy of the United States government, refined over 60 years, updated by each administration, and intensified by Donald Trump's administration and viciously implemented by Marco Rubio.' This is the call for economic pressure, a call for justice. And I call on this body to be really concerned about what is happening not just in Cuba but what has happened in Venezuela, what is happening in the cities across America, and what is 10400074.docx 10  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 happening to your own neighbors. We should care more than what is happening right now. Please contact your congressperson and ask them to intervene and don't allow another humanitarian crisis to grow. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Thank you. Representative Severin, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Please proceed."

"Thank you. Representative Johnson, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege, Madam Speaker."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you. Recently, Republican State Senator Neil Anderson, who, with me, represents the Quad Cities, 10400074.docx 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 introduced legislation that would effectively ban all abortions and continue the erosion of reproductive freedoms that we've seen across our nation. But he doesn't stop there. His plan would treat the procedure as a homicide, targeting women and medical professionals with murder charges. And he doesn't stop there either. He has another bill to reintroduce the death penalty. Paired together, we've got a dangerous effort that would target and punish women with execution for their personal reproductive health decisions. This is reckless, this is dangerous, and this is wrong. This position is so extreme that even Darren Bailey, the Republican standard bearer, asked that the bill be pulled. It's an extremist act that puts the lives of women at direct risk, and in Illinois, as we know, we're better than that. We're going to support women. We're going to trust women. We're not going to roll back those hard-earned rights. It's not what the Quad Cities wants, and it's not what Illinois wants. Because in Illinois, as I said earlier, we are better than that. We should never, ever be targeting women when they're receiving fundamental health care services. The people in our communities… and I'm not just talking about the 72nd District, I'm talking about protecting women in all 118 districts across the state of Illinois… they didn't ask for this. Senator Anderson went against his own constituents in the 72nd, in that part of it, in our district, in the Quad Cities, and his community when he introduced this. Illinois is supposed to be a state that anyone can call home. But Senator Anderson wants to target women during one of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. We're not going to roll back these rights. Women 10400074.docx 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 deserve to have the right to make their own decisions, and here in Illinois, they will. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Thank you. Representative Croke, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege, Madam Speaker."

"Please proceed."

"Being a mom is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life, and I would think that everyone who is a parent in this chamber would agree. I always get concerned… I'm always scared when Representative Johnson speaks that I'm going to start crying. So, I'm happy to have my stuff together right now 'cause I know as a… when I was pregnant after the fall of Roe, I didn't travel outside of the state of Illinois 'cause I was so scared that if something happened that I would not be able to get the health care that I desperately needed. In 2024, Alabama decided to criminalize IVF, stripping citizens of their… of their state the right to have children and forcing medical clinics to cease all in vitro services for the fear of prosecution. This week, as was mentioned, a Republican Senator from Illinois introduced legislation with the same intent: to punish women, punish medical professionals, and punish those unable to carry children. When Alabama passed that bill, Republicans across the country swore up and down that such laws would never be implemented in their states. And yet, a subset of the Republican Party continues to introduce legislation that's shockingly similar to the extremist bans in Alabama. So, we keep having this conversation, year after year. You say that you will protect IVF access, but you don't. You say that you will protect women 10400074.docx 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 and children, but you don't. You say that you are pro-life, but I don't see that a pro-life about sentencing young parents to death for trying to start their family. I know many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't agree with Senator Anderson, and that you reject Senate Bill 3572, but recognize that this is a Member of your party who has filed this bill, and I believe you have an obligation to speak out. Please don't be a party that thinks wanting a child is punishable by death. I don't see how that is pro-life. When we criminalize reproductive health care, it puts lives at risk: the lives of our sisters, our daughters, our family, and our friends. It puts the careers of hardworking medical professionals at risk. To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I'm outraged, and I hope you are too. Thank you."

"Thank you. Leader Avelar, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege, Madam Speaker."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you. Today I rise as a woman and as a member of the House Dobbs working group. I'm proud to live in a state that respects women's health decisions and reproductive freedoms. And I am proud to have helped pass laws that protect reproductive care and expand access to health services for women. But let me be clear that these are not privileges, these are rights. And this week's news is a stark reminder that there are elected officials who want to punish women for seeking care, care that saves lives, care that saves our mothers, our sisters, our daughters. It is shameful that 10400074.docx 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 legislation like this was allowed to be filed under this dome. And I am talking also about SB3572, a bill introduced by Republicans that would abolish abortion rights, eliminate IVF access, and criminalize reproductive care. This bill opens the door to first-degree murder charges for women and doctors, all by granting constitutional rights to a fertilized egg. There are no exceptions: not for rape, not for incest, not for IVF. Under this bill, a woman who survived sexual violence could be charged with murder for refusing to carry her rapist pregnancy. Imagine healing from trauma only to be met with handcuffs and a jail cell. And it doesn't stop there. As we heard before, there's another bill, SB3892, that would reinstate the death penalty in Illinois for first-degree murder and other crimes. Taken together, these proposals are not about public safety. They are about control, they are about punishment, and they are about targeting women and the health care providers who care for them. These bills threaten Illinois' role as a health care sanctuary, not just for our state but for women across the Midwest. Donald Trump has said women should be punished for abortion. He has made it clear that this is the belief of today's Republican Party. And despite promises that Illinois Republicans would never go this far, here we are. This is why we keep talking about reproductive freedom, and we will… we will not stop because legislation that criminalizes women, doctors, survivors of rape, and families seeking IVF will never belong in this state. Thank you."

"Thank you. Representative Schweizer, for what reason do you seek recognition?" 10400074.docx 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026

"Please proceed."

"Thank you. Representative McLaughlin."

"Thank you. Leader West, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Thank you so much, Madam Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you so much. To the body, this is going to be the third one for the day, for Black… celebrating Black History Month. And I'm really excited as a proud downstater, as a proud son of the city of Rockford and county of Winnebago to highlight the founder of our city, Lewis Lemon: once a slave, forever a founder. He was born a slave in North Carolina in the year 1812, and like most child slaves, he did not have much hope for his future. But after 17 years, his life was about to change and his whole destiny as well. Lewis' master, 10400074.docx 19  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 Orrin D. Lemon, moved him to Alabama, and there he was selling Lewis as a slave for life for about $450. This would equate in today's money of over $13,000. A businessman by the name of Germanicus Kent purchased young Lewis to most likely be a house servant. Lewis Lemon was then known as Lewis Kent, traditionally taking the last name of the master. Shortly after purchasing Lewis, Kent's brother, the Reverend Aratus Kent, told Germanicus that Galena, Illinois is a place of opportunity. Germanicus Kent had then decided to move to Illinois with his family and Lewis Lemon. Arriving in Galena, Kent and Lewis met a man by the name of Thatcher Blake. Blake and Kent grew into friends and decided to travel to the Rock River Valley together. And in June 1834, they had left Galena in a wagon and set off to Northern Wisconsin. They reached the Pecatonica River and bought a canoe and traveled the rest of the way on the river. Lewis was traveling with Kent and Blake and most likely was doing most of the heavy manual labor, like paddling the dugout canoe, and considering he was a slave for Kent at the time. The men stepped… stopped at a junction with the… with the Pecatonica and Rock Rivers, reaching a small stream that is now known as Kent Creek, named after Germanicus Kent, and decided this was the place to live and start his lumber mill. And in August 12, 1834, that's when the city of Rockford was born. Lewis Lemon and Germanicus Kent had an agreement that Lemon would work for Kent until he had paid $800 with a 10% interest for Lemon's freedom. It would take Lemon about six years and two months to earn enough money to pay for his life back. Lewis Lemon was a slave in Rockford, Illinois from May 1835 to September 1839, making 10400074.docx 20  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 him now a free man. Once again, born a slave, died a free man. Help me to honor the founder of Rockford, Lewis Lemon. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Thank you, leader. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."

Speaker Lilly: "Leader Gabel moves for adoption of Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And its Agreed Resolutions are adopted. Mr. Clerk, please read Adjournment Resolutions."

"Leader Gabel moves the adoption of the Adjournment Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Adjournment Resolution is adopted. And now, allow 10400074.docx 21  STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 74th Legislative Day 2/19/2026 perfunctoral time for the clerk, Leader Gabel move that the House stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 24. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And it is that the House stands adjourned."