A new session of the Illinois General Assembly is officially underway. A new class of state legislators were sworn into the Illinois House and Senate Wednesday in Springfield.
There are new faces in the General Assembly, but the makeup of the legislature remains pretty much the same.
The only difference? There's one additional Republican in the Senate. Not enough to make any real dent in the power dynamic.
Democrats still retain supermajorities in both chambers. That's not to say things won't be different these next couple of years.
As Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno put it, "we have change upon us. It has been twelve years since we've had a two party system in the state of Illinois."
Radogno's referring, of course, to the election of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who was sworn in on Monday.
Sen. Kimberly Lightford says under-funded pensions in Illinois has to be resolved this legislative session. The Maywood Democrat says she did not support the General Assembly's solution last session, which the state Supreme Court found unconstitutional.
Lightford says she would like to cut out unnecessary government expenses, but she doesn't know if Republican Governor Bruce Rauner will have the answer.
"I'm hoping that the governor doesn't think the only way to get this done is to just cut all of our state agencies by 10 percent or 20 percent. Because this is more of a significant challenge than just doing that. We still have to provide government services."
Lightford worked with Republican governors in the past. She says everyone wants to find solutions to move the state forward, no matter their party affiliation.
Sen. Andy Manar worked to overhaul school funding last session, but his proposal stalled in the House. The Democrat from Bunker Hill said he will try again this year.
"The work on the bill hasn't stopped, because the problems that we face are getting larger as time goes on. The fact that the senate president underscored the issue I think is further evidence that we have momentum to bring about what I hope is a bipartisan solution to what I think is the state's biggest problem."
Manar's previous bill would have given wealthier school districts less money, with more going to districts with lower property values. Manar says many of the other problems in Illinois could be helped by having more equity in education.
Rauner has promised to "shakeup" Springfield, but he'll have to work with, or around, Illinois' leading Democrats to do it.
Democrats have had a monopoly on state government the past twelve years. But the election of Republican Governor Bruce Rauner will bring the GOP back to the table. As lawmakers were sworn in, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin called on both parties to join together.
"If we work with Gov. Rauner and his administration, and I believe we will, the 99th Illinois General Assembly will be historic where we will accomplish great things."
Durkin laid blame for deficit budgets and a lagging state economy on Democrats. But House Speaker Michael Madigan defended his party and payments made for pensions and overdue bills. He also gave a jab to Republicans, who refused to support recent spending plans.
"I and the House Democrats wish to welcome you back to the active participation in state government."
Madigan also pledged bipartisanship and cautioned lawmakers that they need to be ready for tough votes.
Editor's Note: Amanda Vinicky, Sean Crawford and Lisa Ryan contributed to this story.