Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch has called for State Rep. Harry Benton to resign from the Illinois House of Representatives. Welch also initiated steps to remove Benton from his committee assignments following the completion of an investigation by the Legislative Inspector General.

"If he does not resign, we will initiate the process of expelling him from the House," Welch said. Welch also stated, "The Legislative Inspector General's findings reveal clear patterns of conduct by Representative Benton that are outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming of a member of the Illinois House of Representatives."

Welch removed Benton from the House Democratic Caucus and stripped him of all support from the Speaker's Office. Welch stated that Benton's removal from the caucus and loss of support would remain in place permanently, effective immediately. On February 25, Welch sent a memo to House Clerk John Hollman requesting Benton's removal from eight House committees: Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education, Insurance, Labor & Commerce, Police & Fire, Prescription Drug Affordability & Accessibility, Public Utilities, Transportation: Vehicles & Safety, and Veterans' Affairs. Welch also directed Hollman to remove Benton from two subcommittees dealing with domestic and international commerce and utilities.

Harry Benton, a Democrat from Plainfield, represents the 97th district. He was elected to the Illinois House in 2023. In the 2024 election, Benton won against Republican Gabby Shanahan by fewer than 2,400 votes out of more than 52,700 ballots cast. He faces Shanahan again in the November election for his seat. The House Republican Organization issued a statement calling Benton a "disgrace" and stated, "He can leave through the front door, or the voters can throw him out in November."

Welch spokeswoman Delores Walton stated she was unaware of any plans for the speaker's office to publicly release Michael McCuskey's report on the investigation. McCuskey, the Legislative Inspector General, said he was unaware that Welch issued a statement announcing the completion of the investigation and calling for Benton's resignation. Governor JB Pritzker called on McCuskey to work faster on the Benton case. Welch has served as Illinois House Speaker since 2021.

In late April, Welch stated that the rights of victims were involved in the decision to strip Benton of his caucus duties. "We also have to talk about victims, and what they're entitled to," Welch said. He also stated, "Coming out and talking to reporters about a process that's ongoing is not the proper thing to do."