Inside:

• Spring session convenes
• Department of Human Services announces data breach
• Resolution commends local lifesaving heroes
• Harrison Maly was House Page for a Day

Spring session convenes

The House returned to the Capitol on Tuesday to convene the 2026 spring session. It is going to be an interesting and important legislative session for the people of Illinois.

I expect that issues of affordability and accountability will take center stage. Rising costs of living for Illinoisans, and failures of accountability - whether it is mismanagement of state agencies or the need for ethics reform to clean up corruption - must be addressed this year.

I believe these issues, along with balancing our budget without raising taxes, supporting our veterans and farmers, and improving education and public safety, should be our top priorities this spring.

You can find the House floor schedule and committee schedule by clicking here.

If you would like to watch House sessions or committee hearings live, you can do so by clicking here.

Both links are regularly updated throughout the session as hearings are added and as floor sessions convene. Some committee hearings do not have video, only live audio.

Department of Human Services announces data breach

Another example of state agency mismanagement has been revealed to the public, this time coming in the form of a report from the Department of Human Services.

DHS reported that the names and addresses of thousands of patients were incorrectly made publicly viewable for the last several years. More than 32,000 customers with the DHS division of rehabilitation services had information publicly viewable from 2021 until 2025. Over 600,000 Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program recipients had some of their information viewable starting in 2022.

Those who had their information made public will be notified by DHS. They will receive a phone number which they can call for more information.

Resolution commends local lifesaving heroes

Last September the driver of a pickup truck lost control of his vehicle near an intersection in Knox County and went into a ditch, turning over before finally coming to a stop on its passenger side.

On the front porch of the farmhouse near the intersection, Connie Flack witnessed the entire accident and quickly took action. She called her neighbors Ken and Rhonda McCracken who rushed to the scene while calling 911. Arriving at the scene of the accident, Ken found a metal rod in the back of the truck which he used to try to break the windshield to free the trapped driver. Working together, Ken and the driver were able to break through enough of the windshield that Ken was able to pull the driver to safety. As they walked away from the smoking truck, the gas tank suddenly exploded, engulfing the entire vehicle in flames. Fortunately, they were far enough away from the vehicle and Rhonda and Connie helped provide first aid.

EMTs Kevin Devlin and Sid Carlson were the first emergency responders to reach the scene. They were followed by the Knox County Sheriff's Department, Tri-County Ambulance Service and the Rio Fire Department. The driver was taken to OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg for treatment.

If it had not been for Ken McCracken, the driver of the truck would not have survived the accident. Ken is 81 years old and has been the Rio Township Road Commissioner for 46 years.

This week the House adopted a resolution I sponsored which commends Ken McCracken for his heroic actions, as well as Connie Flack, Rhonda McCracken, Kevin Devlin, Sid Carlson and Knox County Sheriff Jack Harlan for their quick thinking and their aid in the rescue. They are true examples of the greatness of our community, and of the heroes amongst us each day.

Harrison Maly was House Page for a Day

Harrison Maly, a senior at Carthage College, was a Page for a Day in the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday.

It was nice to have Harrison join us at the Capitol as we got the spring session started. He got the chance to meet several state legislators and to see up close how the House of Representatives does its work.

Harrison worked as an intern in my district office in Woodhull over winter break. He is a political science major, minoring in business administration. He is on the Dean's List at Carthage and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. His parents are Tom Maly and Laura Nagel.

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