Erica Harriss
Republican · IL · Illinois State Senator, District 56; Minority Spokesperson, Senate Local Government Committee
Erica Harriss is the Republican Illinois state senator for District 56 and the Senate Local Government Committee's minority spokesperson. Before entering the Senate in 2023, she served six years on the Madison County Board. She is a small-business owner with a communications background and is active in local charitable and church service.
Campaign Finance Information — Illinois State Senator, 56th Legislative District
Campaign Finance Information · Illinois State Senator, 56th Legislative District · November 3, 2026
Data last updated July 27, 2026
- Raised
- $120,340
- Spent
- $30,265
- Cash on hand
- $173,941
- Debts
- $0
Top disclosed occupations of direct donors
- CEO$5,000
- Attorney$1,000
- Retired$1,000
- Veterinarian$1,000
Show 1 more
- Occupational Therapy$750
Direct contributions by size
- $1,000-$4,999$30,500
- $500-$999$10,500
- $250-$499$8,925
- $100-$249$3,010
- $1-$99$200
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections · 2026 cycle · elections.il.gov
Track record
Environment and Public Health
· 3 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3953 to require commercial solar developers to post surety bonds covering decommissioning and environmental-restoration costs.
March 19, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2463, enacted as Public Act 104-0150, strengthening oil-and-gas operator surety bonds for well plugging and site restoration.
August 1, 2025For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss was chief sponsor of Senate Bill 3566, an environmental vehicle-washing measure enacted as Public Act 103-1017.
August 9, 2024For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Reduce Wealth Gap
· 1 record
After U.S. Steel announced the idling of a Granite City blast furnace, Harriss said she supported workers' rights to protect their jobs and warned of the regional impact of layoffs.
September 22, 2023For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Government Efficiency
· 3 records
Harriss serves as minority spokesperson on the Senate Local Government Committee and on the Appropriations-Health and Human Services, Energy and Public Utilities, Higher Education, Licensed Activities, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs committees.
July 17, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2102 concerning property-tax budget filing; the bill passed both houses and was sent to the governor on June 18, 2026.
June 18, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2094 to require preparation of a requested fiscal note so lawmakers can review a proposal's estimated revenue or spending effects before voting.
March 12, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Healthcare Affordability
· 5 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3954 to create an Illinois Pediatric Cancer Fund supporting research, prevention, and treatment grants.
March 11, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss opposed Senate Bill 3572, calling its abortion-related approach punitive, while endorsing prenatal care, maternal health, adoption services, and continued IVF access.
February 17, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3949 concerning health-insurance coverage for local first responders.
February 6, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3950 addressing assisted-living facility requirements.
February 6, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss voted against legislation legalizing assisted suicide and advocated expanded palliative, mental-health, and hospice care instead.
October 31, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Government Spending Reduction
· 3 records
Harriss voted against Illinois's fiscal-year 2027 budget, arguing that spending growth and the absence of meaningful tax relief made it unaffordable for families and small businesses.
June 1, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3958 to restore Illinois authority to seek incarceration-cost reimbursement from inmates with the financial means to contribute.
March 13, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss voted against a 2025 transit proposal that redirected most motor-fuel sales-tax revenue toward a northern Illinois transit authority.
October 31, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Public Safety and Crime Control
· 5 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3951 concerning blue reflective road markers; the bill passed both houses and was sent to the governor on June 18, 2026.
June 18, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss served as a chief Senate co-sponsor of enacted House Bill 3140, creating a license-plate-funded grant program for veterinary care for retired police dogs.
August 27, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored enacted House Bill 4255 allowing tow trucks and designated emergency vehicles to use green lighting with amber and white lights to improve roadside visibility.
July 24, 2024For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss carried enacted House Bill 5394 requiring Illinois schools to maintain cardiac emergency response plans and provide hands-on CPR and AED training.
July 1, 2024For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored enacted 2023 legislation requiring fingerprint-based state and federal background checks for drivers transporting children under DCFS contracts.
June 14, 2023For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Housing Affordability
· 1 record
Harriss was chief sponsor of Senate Bill 3567, a property-tax notice measure enacted as Public Act 103-1018.
August 9, 2024For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Social Programs and Welfare
· 3 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2097 to create an Illinois income-tax credit of up to $1,000 per foster child for qualifying foster-family expenses.
April 2, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3947 to provide an expedited DCFS appeals process.
February 6, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2911 proposing Department of Human Services Dignity in Pay grants.
January 28, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Education Quality
· 3 records
Harriss carried enacted House Bill 5394 requiring Illinois schools to maintain cardiac emergency response plans and provide hands-on CPR and AED training.
July 1, 2024For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored enacted 2023 legislation establishing Constitution Day as a commemorative holiday in Illinois school calendars.
June 14, 2023For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored enacted 2023 legislation allowing qualifying private-school educators who move into public schools to purchase up to two years of service credit.
June 14, 2023For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Women's Reproductive Rights
· 1 record
Harriss opposed Senate Bill 3572, calling its abortion-related approach punitive, while endorsing prenatal care, maternal health, adoption services, and continued IVF access.
February 17, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Election Integrity
· 1 record
Harriss opposed a 2024 election-law rewrite that changed candidate-slating rules, arguing that it was advanced without adequate public vetting.
May 2, 2024For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Personal Income Tax Reduction
· 2 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2097 to create an Illinois income-tax credit of up to $1,000 per foster child for qualifying foster-family expenses.
April 2, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3959 to create an income-tax Welcome Home credit.
February 6, 2026For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Civil Rights
· 2 records
Harriss carried enacted House Bill 5465, creating an easier record-sealing or expungement path for child trafficking victims forced into criminal acts.
July 22, 2024For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss carried enacted House Bill 2418, allowing human-trafficking survivors to seek vacation, expungement, or sealing of convictions for acts their traffickers forced them to commit.
June 9, 2023For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Corporate Accountability
· 3 records
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 3953 to require commercial solar developers to post surety bonds covering decommissioning and environmental-restoration costs.
March 19, 2026For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss voted against a 2025 energy omnibus measure, arguing that it would raise electricity costs, weaken consumer protections, and restrict local control over battery-storage siting.
October 31, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored Senate Bill 2463, enacted as Public Act 104-0150, strengthening oil-and-gas operator surety bonds for well plugging and site restoration.
August 1, 2025For
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Infrastructure
· 3 records
Harriss voted against a 2025 transit proposal that redirected most motor-fuel sales-tax revenue toward a northern Illinois transit authority.
October 31, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss voted against a 2025 energy omnibus measure, arguing that it would raise electricity costs, weaken consumer protections, and restrict local control over battery-storage siting.
October 31, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss sponsored enacted House Bill 2139 modernizing America’s Central Port District financing, audit, investment, and operational rules.
August 18, 2025For
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
General
· 7 records
Harriss volunteers with local charities and has served as a youth-group leader at Metro Community Church.
July 17, 2026
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss's official biography reports recognition as Illinois Chamber Freshman of the Year, an NFIB 100-percent pro-small-business voting record, an Illinois Farm Bureau Friend of Agriculture, and an Americans for Prosperity-Illinois Prairie State Policy Champion.
July 17, 2026
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss won the 2026 Republican primary for Illinois Senate District 56 with 9,237 votes and no listed opponent.
March 17, 2026
Source: elections.il.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Before entering the Senate in 2023, Harriss served six years on the Madison County Board, where she chaired the Personnel Committee and served on Finance, Government Operations, and Grants.
January 11, 2023
Source: ilga.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Erica Harriss won election to Illinois Senate District 56 in 2022 with 37,459 votes, or 51.1 percent.
November 8, 2022
Source: elections.il.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Harriss opened a small business in 2014 and continues to operate it from Glen Carbon.
January 1, 2014
Source: senatorericaharriss.com · researched July 18, 2026
Before founding her business, Harriss worked in marketing and communications, including television-station work and service as communications director for the National Children's Cancer Society.
January 1, 2013
Source: ericaforillinois.com · researched July 18, 2026
Elections
- Illinois State Senator, 56th Legislative District · November 3, 2026 · State Senate District 56; Illinois · incumbent
Profile last researched July 18, 2026.