 frustration - they detail why.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, center, celebrates with fellow female lawmakers following the passage of recreational marijuana legislation in Springfield last week.
A decade ago, former state Rep. Elaine Nekritz's vote against powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan's rules was widely viewed, as she puts it, "as a big bold statement to make."
That is especially true for a woman in a place that's been likened to the Land of Oz, complete with a sign in the speaker’s chief of staff's office reading "Nobody gets to see the Wizard. Not nobody. Not no how."
Last year, that sign and the chief of staff were removed as the #MeToo movement rocked the Illinois State Capitol, a place where a rampant culture of sexism and misogyny has been allowed to fester for decades.
Yet, this spring, some of the legislature's most outspoken female members are shepherding through the biggest pieces of legislation this session. What's more, the bulk of the General Assembly's biggest bills this session have been sponsored by women, including a progressive income tax, recreational marijuana, legislation easing restrictions on abortion and improving access to contraception, a $15 per hour minimum wage and more.
It's a classic chicken-or-egg question: Has the atmosphere at the Capitol changed as a result of the #MeToo movement, or was the momentum for change inevitable?
In some cases, women are making their voices heard and seizing opportunities in a bolder way than ever before, leveraging the power that comes from publicly questioning the status quo in both subtle and overt ways. And more are banding together and reaching across the aisle to work in a more collaborative way than customary in the Capitol, even as frustration remains.
Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush, livid that her omnibus sexual harassment bill aimed at thwarting harassment in the private sector was stalled in the House without explanation, charged onto the chamber floor recently for a verbal confrontation with House Majority Leader Greg Harris and state Rep. Kathy Willis. And she cornered Madigan at his annual yacht club fundraiser.
"I said, 'I just want to say to you, you and I have always had good conversations, and I did not intend for it to blow up the way it did.' I really want to get this bill done, and see what it is I can do to move this forward,” Bush said.
She called her strategy "pressure with respect."
And state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who last year said she felt targeted by the speaker for criticizing his office's handling of sexual harassment claims, was the chief House sponsor of the recreational marijuana bill and reproductive health legislation in the notoriously tightly-controlled chamber.
Statehouse insiders say that's a calculated move by the speaker, who was shocked to learn of allegations made against key staff. In recent months, he has made a concerted effort to publicly demonstrate the change necessary for political survival, admitting that, in the past “I didn't do enough" to combat sexual harassment. Madigan, also the state's Democratic Party chair, fired several key governmental and political aides, named a new female chief of staff, formed a statewide harassment panel led by three women (including Bush), hired outside counsel to investigate harassment complaints and met with more than 100 women to hear about their experiences, rewrote policies for staff, among other changes.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 2,117 women are serving in state legislatures across the country, with women making up 29 percent of legislators nationwide.
And Illinois' percentage of female legislators - 36 percent - ranks near the top, largely due to the increases of Democratic female lawmakers elected in the House and Senate - a trend mirroring the "blue wave" that sent a diverse crop of female lawmakers to Congress in November. Yet, at the same time, Illinois is one of only a handful of states without a woman in a legislative leadership position, after longtime House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie retired in January.
Cristina Castro, who co-sponsors the Reproductive Health Act, which seeks to remove restrictions on late term and partial birth abortions, and expands insurance and contraceptive coverage, says much of the newly collaborative atmosphere is due to having female chiefs of staff in the speaker, Senate President and governor's offices.
Republican Sen. Sue Rezin - one of just two female GOP senators - says she draws strength from her chamber's recently formed bipartisan women's caucus, which meets once a month, as she puts it, "to work on policy and take the politics out of it," on issues it deems important to women.
Nekritz, who after leaving the legislature spent time leading the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership Training Academy, said women don't come into the training program for elected office with naive assumptions these days.
"Most of those women have experienced (sexism in their worlds) and so they bring that background and knowledge to the next phase of their life,” she said. “People are talking about it so much, I feel like they have each others' backs."
Note: Lester's husband does occasional legal political work for the state Democratic party.Question about Winter Tales rewards.

I've used my christmas break and collected enough christmas candy for some rewards I find interesting. The thing is though, I'm a low level character. I kinda just had time to play the game for the first time. 

 Or can I buy them now at level 5 and reclaim/collect them after I reached max level? I mean is that possible? I'd love to have them at max level.Hello,
Since upgrade to Moodle 3.9.1, it looks like there is a problem with course enrollment expiration emails.
I have courses where the settings for "Manual Enrollments" are set to "Enroller Only" for enrollment expiration notifications, and yet students of these courses do receive the course enrollment expiration notifications.
Has anyone else seen this? Does anyone have an idea on how to fix this?
Thank you,
JulienFacts:   - prizes: lenin prize -lrb- 1970 -rrb-    - known for: development of plasma physics, vlasov equation    - death date: 22 december 1975    - ethnicity: russian    - field: physicist    - doctoral advisor: igor tamm    - work institution: moscow state university      - birth date: 20 august 1908 7 august    - name: anatoly vlasov    - citizenship: russia ussr    - nationality: russia    - death place: moscow, russian sfsr    - birth place: balashov, russian empire    - alma mater: moscow state university   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of anatoly vlasov.
anatoly alexandrovich vlasov -lrb- ; -- 22 december 1975 -rrb- was a russian theoretical physicist prominent in the fields of statistical mechanics, kinetics, and especially in plasma physics.16 records in 28 cities for Virginia Fitzgerald in Virginia. The top city of residence is Waynesboro, followed by Verona. The average Virginia Fitzgerald is around 82 years of age with around 69% falling in to the age group of 81+. Our public records names directory may include possible previous addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives and more. See more...
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In case you’re not familiar with TED Talks, they’re online non-profit videos from people who have something to share with the world. If you’re looking for inspiration, the below talks are for you.
Mel Robbins talks about how people tend to have big dreams and aspirations, but never really do anything about them. Her approach in life is basically JUST DO IT. Stop waiting for your dreams to happen on their own because they won’t.
In this hilarious talk, Tabatha Coffey explains the importance of being your unapologetic authentic self. She also talks about why women are catty to each other, and what we should be doing instead. Great talk, and bound to keep you entertained as well as get you inspired.
Luvvie Ajayi talks about saying yes to things that scare us, things that we are afraid to pursue, and the strength we receive from doing these things. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” is about to become your daily mantra.
In this powerful speech, Mina Shah talks about how to confidently say “no” to what women do not want to do and shares the 3 types of lies that hold women back and what happens when they embrace the truth. Watch her amazing speech here.
Best-selling author Sarah Knight demonstrates her “Not sorry method” to help get people out of things they don’t want to do but are pressured