* WICS…

Three session dates for the Illinois House have been canceled.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch canceled the session dates scheduled for March 16, 17, and 19. […]

The Illinois House will reconvene at noon on Thursday, March 18.

* Politico…

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has called his chamber back to Springfield for one day next week to tackle at least two bills that need floor action. […]

State senators are already back in the state Capitol tending to legislation. There are fewer members in the Senate, making it easier to manage amid the pandemic.

Welch is monitoring virtual committee action and talking to chairs and ranking members about bill status, according to Sean Anderson, the speaker’s spokesman.

Except for a half-day meeting last month to vote on House Rules, this will be the first meeting in the state Capitol in more than a year. Representatives spent the abbreviated spring and veto sessions in the Bank of Springfield Center a mile away to allow for more social distancing, especially during the height of the pandemic in Illinois.

News flash: Michael J. Madigan is no longer in the House. The Senate is again a co-equal legislative branch. And they’re back in session, unlike the House.