New biennium, new leadership for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus

Illinois Sen. Laura Fine and Indiana Rep. David Abbott have formally taken the helm of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) for the 2025-2026 biennium.

Fine is in her first term as chair, having represented Illinois on the GLLC Executive Committee since 2019. She was elected as vice chair for 2023-2024. In the Illinois Senate, she serves as chair of the Behavioral and Mental Health Committee and is vice chair of the Insurance Committee.

Abbott has served on the Executive Committee since 2021 and was elected as vice chair for the current biennium. In 2019, he was part of the inaugural class of Birkholz Fellows. He also served on the GLLC’s Task Force on Nutrient Management. In the Indiana House, he serves as vice chair of the Government and Regulatory Reform Committee.

New to the GLLC Committee for the 2025-26 biennium are Michigan Sen. Sue Shink, New York Sen. Pamela Helming, Ohio Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson and Wisconsin Rep. Deb Andraca. Returning members are Illinois Sen. Laura Ellman, Minnesota Sen. Mary Kunesh (who also is 2025 first vice chair for The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference), Ontario MPP Jennifer French, Pennsylvania Sen. Daniel Laughlin and Québec MNA Marie-Belle Gendron.

Ex officio members of the Executive Committee include past chairs of the GLLC: Wisconsin Sen. André Jacque, Illinois Rep. Robyn Gabel, Indiana Sen. Ed Charbonneau, and Minnesota Sen. Ann Rest.  Other members include Illinois Rep. Sonya Harper and former Michigan Rep. Rachel Hood, co-chairs of the GLLC’s Indigenous Engagement Committee, and Wisconsin Rep. Lisa Subeck, who is chair of the Birkholz Institute Steering Committee.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus is a binational, nonpartisan organization of state and provincial legislators passionate about policies to protect and restore the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. Its mission is to strengthen the role of state and provincial legislators in the regional, national, and binational policymaking process by providing a forum to exchange good practices, ideas, and opportunities, and by advancing legislation to promote the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River for current residents and future generations.

Membership is free and open to all legislators representing the Great Lakes’ eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.

The GLLC meets in person once a year. It also holds the annual Birkholz Institute – a smaller, policy-focused gathering of legislators who take a deep dive into an issue on the Caucus’ policy agenda. The 2025 Birkholz Institute will focus on Emerging Contaminants: PFAS and Plastic, and will take place in Milwaukee, WI, on June 13-14. Applications are due by March 31.

CSG Midwest provides staff support to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus.