From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John J. Cullerton is a Democratic member of
the Illinois
Senate, representing the 6th district since his appointment in
1991. He was elected President of the Illinois
Senate in 2009.[1]
Early
life
Cullerton is a native of Chicago, he received his bachelor’s
degree in political science from Loyola
University of Chicago and continued there to earn his law
degree. After graduating, Cullerton served as a Chicago Assistant
Public Defender. He went on to work at the
law firm of Fagel and Haber.
Democratic Party Career
In 1976, Cullerton was elected to the Illinois Delegation at the Democratic National
Convention.
Illinois
House Career
In 1979, he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly where
he served for twelve years as a member of the House of
Representatives. He served as President Pro Tempore and Democratic
Floor Leader. According to Cullerton's campaign website, he
sponsored the most bills and had the most bills passed of all
legislators in the 93rd and 94th General Assemblies.[2]
Illinois
Senate career
After being appointed to fill Dawn Clark Netsch's seat in 1991,
Cullerton was elected to the state senate in 1992 where he was
appointed Senate Majority Caucus Whip. Cullerton has been
recognized for sponsoring more bills than any other legislator and
having more signed into law by the governor.
Cullerton is committed to traffic safety and has spearheaded the
state’s mandatory seat belt law and the Child Passenger Safety Act.
To honor his contribution, Cullerton was awarded the “Buckle Up
America Award” for the State and Local Government category.
Because so many Cook County homeowners were faced with rising
property taxes, Cullerton introduced the Neighborhood Homeowner
Exemption Plan. This bill caps increases in the assessed value of
property so that they can not increase by more than 7% in one
year.
Cullerton has sponsored several pieces of legislation increasing
gun control. He supported legislation that required gun owners to
keep their weapons stored or locked out of reach from children. He
also proposed a bill to close the loop hole that allows guns to be
purchased at gun shows without following other existing gun sale
regulations.
Cullerton is Democratic Co-Chairman on the Senate’s Judiciary
Committee. Additionally, he serves on the Committee on Rules;
Insurance and Pensions Committee; and Financial Institutions
Committee.
Cullerton was chosen as the next Senate President by the Senate
Democratic Caucus on November 19, 2008 to begin serving in 2009,
replacing the retiring Emil Jones.[3]
Cullerton defeated James Clayborne of Belleville in the battle for
the post.[4]
His first legislative priority as Senate President was to pass
the first Capital Bill in 10 years, which allocates roughly $31
Billion for public works projects and creates tens of thousands of
jobs in Illinois <Public Act 096-0036>[1]. The Senate
President lead the Senate during the impeachment trial, and
subsequent removal, of former Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Other
public service
Cullerton serves as a member of the Board of Directors at the
Center for Disability and Elder Law, an organization that provides
legal services for persons over 60 or with disabilities.
Professional
career
Cullerton serves part-time as an Illinois state senator. Fagel
Haber merged with Thompson Coburn
LLP in 2007, and Cullerton continues as a partner with practices in
the areas of government relations, zoning, licensing, real estate
tax assessment, and nonprofit law. Cullerton is a lobbyist registered with the
City of Chicago[5],
and has in the past registered as a lobbyist with Cook
County, Illinois[6].
Cullerton lobbyist clients include real estate developers,
restaurants, and the National Safety
Council.
Personal
life
Senator Cullerton and his wife, Pam, have five children
together: Maggie, John III, Garritt, Kyle, Josephine.
In 1979, he was elected "Mr. Wonderful", of the Illinois General
Assembly in a competition among 17 legislators in a competition for
charity sponsored by the Conference of Women Legislators.[7]
Cullerton co-owns a bar in Chicago, the Tavern on Rush, with
Illinois Senator James
DeLeo (D-Chicago) and others.[8]
References
- ^
Blagojevich oversees Senate
swearing-in as impeachment trial looms, Chicago
Tribune, Jan. 14, 2009.
- ^
"John Cullerton". http://www.senatorcullerton.com/Biography.htm. Retrieved
2008-12-16.
- ^
Rick Pearson and Ray Long Cullerton to lead Senate
Chicago
Tribune, November 20, 2008
- ^
Wills, Christopher (November 20, 2008).
"John Cullerton Picked As
Illinois Senate President". Associated Press. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/john-cullerton-picked-as_n_145138.html. Retrieved
2008-12-04.
- ^ Chicago Board of Ethics (2008-08-15). "List of Registered
Lobbyists". http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_EngineID=cccfadeemehdkfkcefecelldffhdfhm.0&contentOID=536944697&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Ethics%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Ethics. Retrieved
2008-08-19.
- ^ Cook County Clerk, Ethics
and Campaign Disclosure division (2007-12-03). "Active Cook Lobbyists and
Clients". http://www.voterinfonet.com/pdf/Active%20Lobbyists%2012-3-2007.pdf. Retrieved
2008-08-19.
- ^
Brodmann, Ron and John Kennedy. "In a sudden break with
routine on his nine-day vi". The Washington Post.
Newsbank. http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:WPIW&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB32960440EEB87&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0d0cb579a3bda420.
- ^ McKinney, Dave (2009-10-17). "State Sen. DeLeo shown
sponsoring widow of mob associate". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1830658,CST-NWS-blagodeleo18.article. Retrieved
2009-10-19.
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