Illinois State Representative James Durkin, Republican leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, will speak on Monday, February 10, as part of Elmhurst College’s Fixing Illinois lecture series.
Durkin’s talk will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center on the Elmhurst campus. Admission is free, and the public is invited. For more information, call (630) 617-3390.
Durkin has served as House Republican leader since August of 2013, and has represented the 82nd District since 2006; he also served in the House from 1995 until 2002. He was the ranking Republican on the Illinois House of Representatives Special Investigation Committee for the impeachment of then-Governor Rod Blagojevich, and was the House manager for the removal of a sitting member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
In 2011, he led the charge to reform the College Illinois! prepaid tuition program after discovering the investment program was severely underfunded. His efforts as chairman of the College Illinois Recovery Task Force have helped bring stability to the program.
Before being elected minority leader, Durkin served as an assistant minority leader and was a member of the Illinois Task Force on Gang Violence. He is a founding member of the Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus.
He currently serves on the John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees, the Misericordia Board of Advisors, the Giant Steps of Illinois Board of Directors and the JDRF Illinois Board of Directors.
Last June, Elmhurst College launched Fixing Illinois: A Great State’s Problems and Promise with the goal of starting an ongoing discussion about the challenges that Illinois faces, and empowering citizens to help address those challenges and move the state forward. Previous Fixing Illinois speakers include gubernatorial candidates Bruce Rauner and Illinois state senators Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady, as well as Illinois State Representatives Dennis Reboletti and Jeanne Ives, Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul and DuPage County Board member Tonia Khouri.