Mary E. Flowers (born July 31, 1951) is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Representative Flowers is the longest serving African-American legislator in Illinois history. She represented the 31st district from January 9, 1985 to January 13, 1993, represented the 21st district from January 13, 1993 to January 8, 2003, and represents the 31st district again since January 8, 2003.
Early life and education
Flowers was born on July 31, 1951, in Inverness, Mississippi. Her family moved to Chicago when she was a child. She attended local schools in Chicago, Kennedy King Community College and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Political career
Mary Flowers was first elected to the 84th General Assembly as a Democrat from the 31st district in 1985. She is currently serving her 20th term as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and served as a House Deputy Majority Leader for the 103rd General Assembly.
In May 2023, Flowers was removed from her leadership position in the General Assembly by Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, allegedly for using a slur and saying that a House staffer resembled Adolf Hitler. Flowers replied that the Speaker had taken her remarks out of context. In 2024, Welch directed more than $1.6 million in campaign contributions to Flowers' challenger in the 2024 Democratic primary. Crawford ultimately defeated Flowers in the primary.
At the conclusion of the current legislative session in January 2025, Flowers will have served forty years in the Illinois House of Representatives—the longest tenure of any woman to serve in the history of the Illinois General Assembly.
Illinois State Representative
Committees
During her tenure in the Illinois House of Representatives, Flowers has served on several different committees covering a range of topics and issues in the House of Representatives. Below is a list of her current and historical committee assignments.
As of 2024, Flowers has no committee assignments.
| Representative Flowers' Previous Committee Assignments |
| Committee Name |
General Assembly |
| Health Care Availability & Accessibility (Chair) |
101st, 100th, 99th, 98th, and 97th |
| Health Care Availability & Access (Chair) |
90th through 96th |
| Health & Healthcare Disparities |
99th, 98th, 97th and 96th |
| Health Care & Human Services |
89th |
| Healthy Illinois Plan |
93rd |
| Prescription Drug Affordability |
101st |
| Youth & Young Adults |
99th |
| Economic Justice & Equity |
100th |
| Economic Opportunity |
100th |
| Medicaid Reform |
96th |
| Medicaid Reform, Family & Children |
96th |
| Human Services |
90th through 101st, and 84th |
| The Disabled Community |
92nd |
| Restorative Justice |
100th, 99th, and 98th |
| Economic Development & Housing |
99th |
| Higher Education |
100th, 99th, 98th, 97th, 96th, 95th, and 84th |
| Juvenile Justice & System-Involved Youth |
99th |
| Small Business Empowerment & Workforce Development |
99th and 97th |
| Accountability & Administrative Review |
98th |
| Environmental Health |
97th |
| Special Investigative Committee |
96th and 95th |
| Agriculture & Conservation |
97th and 96th |
| Smart Growth & Regional Planning (Vice Chair) |
95th |
| Department of Children & Family Services Oversight |
95th |
| Drivers Education & Safety |
95th |
| International Trade & Commerce |
94th |
| Fee For Services Initiatives |
94th and 93rd |
| Special Committee and Tobacco Settlement Proceeds |
92nd |
| Special Committee on Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Distribution |
91st |
| Children & Youth |
92nd and 91st |
| Labor and Commerce |
87th, 86th, 85th, and 84th |
| Commerce & Business Development (Vice Chair) |
93rd and 92nd |
| Financial Institutions |
89th, 86th and 85th |
| Consumer Protection |
89th |
| Insurance (Minority Spokesperson) |
89th |
| Executive |
88th, 87th and 86th |
| Public Utilities (Vice Chair) |
88th, 87th, 86th, and 85th |
| Real Estate Law (Chair) |
87th |
| Registration & Regulation |
87th, 86th, and 85th |
| Museums, Arts& Cultural Enhancement |
100th and 98th |
| Implementation of Chicago School Reform |
86th |
| Appropriations – Elementary & Secondary Education (Vice Chair) |
94th and 93rd |
| Appropriations – Human Services |
90th and 87th |
| Appropriations Higher Education |
97th and 96th |
| Appropriations II |
86th, 85th, and 84th |
| Appropriations – General Services |
88th |
| Public Utilities |
Minority Spokesperson for 88th, Vice Chair for 87th, 86th, and 85th |
| Small Business |
85th and 84th |
| Housing |
85th |
| World's Fair 1992 |
84th |
Legislation
Flowers' primary legislative focus has been on health and child welfare matters. She has been the principal sponsor of legislation related to medical patients rights, medical managed care reform, health insurance reforms, hospital and nursing home staffing standards, licensure of direct-entry midwives, adverse health event reporting, health facility regulatory reform, medical and dental practice reforms, and public health/communicable disease control.
Flowers has been the primary sponsor of several bills that became law, including the following list:
| Representative Flowers' Passed Legislation |
| Bill Number; Public Act Number |
Description |
| HB 68; PA 102-0256 |
Requires each hospital to report the number of female patients who died during a given reporting period on a quarterly basis under the Hospital Report Card Act. |
| HB 728; PA 102-0414 |
Increases the number of birth center facilities that may be licensed under the Alternative Health Care Delivery Act |
| HB 1779; PA 102-0203 |
Requires Medicaid and private health insurance companies to provide coverage for medically-indicated biomarker testing. |
| HB 2914; PA 102-0451 |
Requires DCFS to submit an annual report to the General Assembly detailing racial disparities in DCFS involvement during the previous fiscal year. |
| HB 3267; PA 102-0470 |
Creates the Advisory Commission on Reducing the Disproportionate Representation of African-American Children in Foster Care |
| HB 3914; PA 102-0617 |
Requires each State agency to establish the goal of increasing diversity on interview panels in order to increase State employment opportunities provided to women, minority persons, and specified other persons. |
| HB 5013; PA 102-0964 |
A law to increase access to choices during pregnancy, birth, and the 12 months postpartum; requires Medicaid health plans to reimburse out-of-network providers for any pregnancy-related health care service covered by the Illinois Medicaid program. Permits licensed Certified Professional Midwives to provide services at any facility licensed under Illinois’ Birth Center Licensing Act. |
| HB 1; PA 101-38 |
A task force to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates for African Americans |
| HB 2433; PA 101-0091 |
A law requiring every hospital to maintain on-site the proper instruments for taking a pregnant patient's blood pressure. |
| HB 3129; PA 101-0103 |
A law that narrows criteria under which Illinois Department of Human Services may discontinue a family's TANF benefits; excludes 75% of TANF grants from becoming subject to penalty reductions. |
| HB 2438; PA 101-386 |
A law requiring health insurance companies to cover mental health services for postpartum depression |
| HB 2895; PA 101-390 |
A law requiring all birthing facilities to comply with mandatory continuing education about the management of severe maternal hypertension and obstetric hemorrhage. Mandates IDPH to develop an initiative to reduce peripartum racial and ethnic disparities, in collaboration with the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative. |
| HB 2; PA 101-445 |
A law affirming that all pregnant women have certain health care rights during labor and delivery |
| HB 3; PA 101-0446 |
A law requiring each hospital to report to IDPH facility-level racial disparities in maternal child health outcomes, including: preterm birth, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. |
| HB 3511; PA 101-512 |
Maternal Mental Health Conditions Education, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment Act |
| HB 2896; PA 101-273 |
Diversity in Health Care Professions Task Force |
| HB 2800; PA 100-265 |
The Perinatal HIV Prevention Act |
| HB 736; PA 100-347 |
Establishment of a small business grant program for low-income individuals who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs |
| SB 1696; PA 100-459 |
Illinois Muslim American Advisory Council Act |
| HB 163; PA 99-84 |
A law prohibiting the Illinois State Board of Education from having separate performance standards for students based on race or ethnicity |
| SB 1775; PA 99-351 |
Safeguard Our Children Act |
| HB 3284; PA 99-416 |
Opportunities for At Risk Women Act |
| HB 105; PA 97-280 |
Patients' Right to Know Act |
| HB286; PA 97-245 |
Administration of Psychotropic Medications to Children Act |
| SB 1157; PA 94-242 |
Public Health Program Beneficiary Employer Disclosure Law |
| SB 1157; PA 94-242 |
Illinois Adverse Health Care Events Reporting Law of 2005 |
| SB251; PA 91-617 |
Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act |
| HB4999; PA 94-885 |
Fair Patient Billing Act |
| SB 59; PA 93-563 |
Hospital Report Card Act |
| HB612; PA 94-407 |
Illinois Family Case Management Act |
| HB 8; PA 98-1050 |
A law assuring pregnant women job security through "reasonable accommodation" |
| HB 81; PA 93-540 |
Re-branding free-standing "Emergent" Care Centers |
| HB 486; PA 93-981 |
A law that prohibits hospitals from promulgating policies or implementing practices that determine differing standards of obstetrical care based on patient's source of payment or ability to pay |
| HB 192; PA 95-0282 |
A law requiring the Illinois Department of Public Health to effect policies and procedures to monitor and control infections from MDRO's (Multi-drug resistant organisms), MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium, especially as these impact health care facilities |
| HB 890; PA 84-462 |
A law requiring the Illinois Department of Public Health to develop hospital standards of perinatal care which assure that families are provided information to assist in obtaining special education for children with disabilities |
| HB 3999; PA 96-411 |
A law that rebranded existing programs into the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois |
| HB 2942; PA 85-1313 |
A law that established March 4 as a commemorative holiday for Chicago School District 299 to be known as Mayors' Day, when past chief executive officers of Chicago are honored, particularly Richard J. Daley and Harold Washington |
Representative Flowers supports universal health care, and has repeatedly filed related legislation and conducted public hearings to promote such reforms throughout her legislative career – House Bill 311, The Illinois Universal Health Care Act – of the 97th General Assembly is the primary model.
Flowers has emphasized the safety of children in substitute care within the child welfare system regulated and administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, an agency and system that has experienced repeated tragedies and the subject of continuous judicial oversight.
Flowers has received awards during her tenure, including 1993 "Legislator of the Year" award from what is now called the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health Care.
Personal life
Flowers was married to Daniel Coutee; the couple have one daughter, Makeda. Coutee died in September 2019. Flowers also has two grandchildren.
Electoral history
