Reply #72: Take it up with the Director of Public Affairs, University of Illinois. He says ...

[jefferson_dem]

...

The Illinois Legislature long ago crossed the bridge from part-time to full-time, says Charlie Wheeler, director of public-affairs reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

And until 1967, the Legislature met every other year, according to the state archives office. The move to annual sessions helped spell the end of a part-time legislature composed of citizens instead of true politicians, Wheeler says.

“I think we’re better off with a professional legislature,” he says. “It’s a complex state. It’s a diverse state. It has serious problems. It’s better than having amateurs every other year for a few months.”

http://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A5196