East Central Reporter

Illinois state Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) cheered the passage of a resolution that rescinded Illinois' acceptance of a constitutional amendment known as "the Corwin Amendment." 

The amendment was put in place to prevent constitutional amendments that would authorize Congress to interfere in the "domestic institutions" of any state, including "persons held to service or labor," according to Encyclopedia.com. It was written by Ohio Representative Thomas Corwin; only Ohio and Maryland ratified the amendment in 1863.

"I was humbled to see the Illinois Senate pass my resolution, SJR22, last night with a vote of 57-0," Plummer wrote in an early April Facebook post. "While an unusual piece of legislative activity in Springfield (it rescinds Illinois' June 2, 1863, adoption of the Corwin Amendment to the United States Constitution), I have been passionate about this effort and feel strongly that it rights a historical wrong that has long tarnished our state's reputation." 

Plummer continued his speech on Facebook. 

"I previously passed a very similar joint resolution 55-0 in 2019, but it died in the House due to some political shenanigans," he said. "This year, my friend, state Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford), agreed to sponsor it in the House, and several other representatives are working hard to get it over the finish line. I want to thank them for their hard work, thank my many Senate colleagues who signed onto the legislation, and thank Bob Grogan for helping get the ball rolling back in 2019."

Senate Joint Resolution 22 was filed on March 5. It arrived in the House of Representatives on April 6, with West as the chief sponsor, and was adopted in the Senate on the same day. It was adopted in both houses on April 8, according to TrackBill.