Members of the Illinois General Assembly will hear from a special guest Wednesday--President Barack Obama. Obama's returning to Springfield nine years to the day he was in the capital city to announce he was running for the nation's highest office.
It will be the first time a sitting President has addressed a joint session of the Illinois legislature since 1978. Then, President Jimmy Carter said that as a former Georgia state senator he realized the "extreme importance" of state government.
"The difficulties of public service. The courage required to make decisions on controversial issues, because almost every issue that comes here is difficult to resolve," Carter said. Carter then spent about 20 minutes answering questions from legislators.
Presidents Herbert Hoover and William Howard Taft are also recorded as having addressed the Illinois General Assembly.
