Mary E. Flowers (born July 31, 1951) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Representative Flowers was 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 represented the 31st district again from January 8, 2003 to January 8, 2025.
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 served 20 terms 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 legislative session in January 2025, Flowers had served forty years in the Illinois House of Representatives—the longest tenure of any woman in the history of the Illinois General Assembly.
Illinois State Representative Committees During her tenure in the Illinois House of Representatives, Flowers served on several different committees covering a range of topics and issues in the House of Representatives. Below is a list of her historical committee assignments.Illinois Legislative Research Unit - provided a printed Committee List - not available online.
As of 2024, Flowers had 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 was on health and child welfare matters. She was 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 was the primary sponsor of several laws, including:Illinois Legislative Synopsis and Digest, University Library, University of Illinois http://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/ILHarvest/ILLegislative/ Representative Flowers' Passed Legislation Bill Number; Public Act Number DescriptionHB 68; PA 102-0256Requires 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 88; PA 102-0178Requires that an otherwise eligible person shall be eligible to receive TANF cash assistance regardless of whether they have been convicted of a drug-related offenses. HB 728; PA 102-0414Increases the number of birth center facilities that may be licensed under the Alternative Health Care Delivery ActHB 1779; PA 102-0203Requires Medicaid and private health insurance companies to provide coverage for medically-indicated biomarker testing. HB 2914; PA 102-0451Requires DCFS to submit an annual report to the General Assembly detailing racial disparities in DCFS involvement during the previous fiscal year. HB 3267; PA 102-0470Creates the Advisory Commission on Reducing the Disproportionate Representation of African-American Children in Foster CareHB 3914; PA 102-0617Requires 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 102-0964A 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 101-0091A law requiring every hospital to maintain on-site the proper instruments for taking a pregnant patient's blood pressure.HB 3129; PA 101-0103A 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 347; PA 101-182 A law to make it more difficult for individuals convicted of elder abuse to recover from their victims’ estates HB 2438; PA 101-386 A law requiring health insurance companies to cover mental health services for postpartum depressionHB 2895; PA 101-390A 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 deliveryHB 3; PA 101-0446A 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 5; PA 101-447 A law to ensure access to substance use services for pregnant and postpartum women 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 supported universal health care, and 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 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."Illinois lawmakers seek DCFS data about the caseloads of child welfare investigators", By Gary Marx and David Jackson, Chicago Tribune, September 25, 2017 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-dcfs-lawmakers-caseloads-met-20170926-story.html "Troubled DCFS outlines major overhaul, but budget crisis could hurt plans", By Duaa Eldeib, Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2016 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/rtc/ct-dcfs-reform-plan-met-20160403-story.html
Flowers received several awards during her tenure, including 1993 "Legislator of the Year" award from Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association, which became 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.