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Sara Feigenholtz
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 21, 2020
Preceded by	John Cullerton
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 12th district
In office January 11, 1995 – January 21, 2020
Preceded by	Ellis B. Levin
Succeeded by	Yoni Pizer
Personal details
Born	(1956-12-11) December 11, 1956 (age 68) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Northeastern Illinois University (BA) University of Illinois, Chicago (MPH)

Sara Feigenholtz (born December 11, 1956) is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate who has represented the 6th District since 2020. The District includes the lakefront neighborhoods of Lake View, Lincoln Park, Buena Park and the Near North Side in the city of Chicago.

Previously, she served thirteen terms in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Background

Sara Feigenholtz's political interests and activity, notably in the areas of adoption, women's issues and health care, reflect her personal experience and family background. Her adoptive mother, Florence Buky, an immigrant from Białystok, Poland, worked her way through medical school to become an obstetrician. Many of Dr. Buky's patients were unable to care for their children and this was how she came to adopt Sara and her brother. Feigenholz attributes the origin of her political commitment to health care as a basic right to the childhood experience of patients calling to see Dr. Buky at the family home in Lake View, Chicago, and her mother never turning anyone away, even those unable to pay.

Feigenholtz earned her bachelor's degree in political science and speech and performing arts from Northeastern Illinois University. and went on to earn a fellowship degree from the University of Illinois School Of Public Health. In 2011, she completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

She worked as Chief of Staff to State Representative John Cullerton before becoming a fund-raiser for progressive causes.

Illinois House of Representatives

Feigenholtz was elected to her first term as state representative of Illinois’ 12th District in 1994, defeating long-standing incumbent Ellis B. Levin. She chose to focus her attention on health care and human services reform. She was a lead sponsor of the Family Health Care Bill. She also campaigned for the introduction of the All Kids program.

In 2010, she sponsored the Original Birth Certificate Access Bill. This law provides for the release of the original birth certificate to an adopted person upon written request, provided he or she is over the age of 21.

As part of the Affordable Care Act implementation, Feigenholtz sponsored the 2013 expansion of Medicaid in Illinois. This legislation extended coverage to thousands of Illinoisans who were shut out of the health care system.

In 2017, Feigenholtz sponsored House Bill 40 in the 100th General Assembly, which will keep abortion legal in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. It also extends insurance coverage of abortion to state employees and women insured through Medicaid.

Sara Feigenholtz served as Assistant Majority Leader from 2013 through 2019. She currently chairs the Adoption & Child Welfare Committee, and most recently served on the Appropriations-Human Services, Tourism, Hospitality and Craft, Mental Health, Environment, and Energy Committees.

In 2018, Democrat J. B. Pritzker appointed Feigenholtz a member of the gubernatorial transition's Healthy Children and Families Committee.

Special congressional election

Feigenholtz came in third place to Mike Quigley in the Illinois's 5th congressional district special election, 2009 to fill the district seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel, who resigned to serve as President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff.

Illinois Senate

Feigenholtz assumed the office of State Senator for Illinois' 6th District on January 21, 2020.

Feigenholtz was a guest of U.S. Representative Mike Quigley at Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union Address.

Committees

In the 102nd General Assembly, Feigenholtz was the Chair of the Appropriations - Human Services Committee; the Tourism and Hospitality Committee; and the Redistricting - Chicago North Committee. She also served on the Senate Appropriations - Business Regulations and Labor Committee; Behavioral and Mental Health Committee; Health Committee; Insurance Committee; Licensed Activities Committee; Pensions Committee; Subcommittee on Children & Family; and the Subcommittee on Medicaid.

In the 103rd General Assembly, she is the Chair of the Financial Institutions Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations Committee; Appropriations - Health and Human Services Committee; Behavioral and Mental Health Committee; Licensed Activities Committee; and Revenue Committee.

Other

In 2001 Feigenholtz was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.

Controversy

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Electoral history

References

1. ^ Representative Sara Feigenholtz page, Illinois General Assembly website, accessed 12 April 2011
2. "Illinois General Assembly - Senator Biography". www.ilga.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
3. ^ Sara Feigenholtz website, Biography page, accessed 12 April 2011
4. COSDem (September 2, 2009). "Levin, Ellis B." Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
5. NBC Chicago (September 27, 2018). "Illinois Abortion Law Anniversary Falls on Day of Kavanaugh Vote". NBC Chicago. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
6. Illinois General Assembly (November 13, 2018). "Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D), 12th District Committees". State of Illinois. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
7. Miller, Rich (November 15, 2018). "Pritzker announces new health-related transition committee". Capitol Fax. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
8. "Who's going to the State of the Union? Illinois lawmakers reveal their guests". Shaw Local. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
9. ^ "Illinois General Assembly - Senator Committees". ilga.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
10. "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". www.glhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
11. Illinois blue book, 1995-1996. Office of Illinois Secretary of State. 1996. p. 410. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
12. Illinois blue book, 1997-1998. Office of Illinois Secretary of State. 1998. p. 412. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
13. "Election Results 1998 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
14. "Election Results 2000 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
15. "Election Results 2002 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
16. "Election Results 2004 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
17. "Election Results 2006 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
18. "Election Results 2008 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
19. "Election Results 2010 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
20. "Election Results 2012 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
21. "Election Results 2014 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
22. "Election Results 2016 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
23. "Election Results 2018 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved September 9, 2019.

External links

• Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D) 12th District at the Illinois General Assembly
  • By session: 100th, 99th, 98th, 97th, 96th, 95th, 94th, 93rd
• Representative Sara Feigenholtz constituency website
• Sara Feigenholtz for House Representative
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Sara Feigenholtz at Illinois House Democrats

• 1956 births
• 21st-century American Jews
• 21st-century American women politicians
• American adoptees
• Democratic Party Illinois state senators
• Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Jewish American state legislators in Illinois
• Jewish American women in politics
• Living people
• Northeastern Illinois University alumni
• Politicians from Chicago
• University of Illinois alumni
• Women state legislators in Illinois
• 21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly