Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Thomas Demmer
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project
Interview # T20-A-L-2021-069
Tom Demmer, an Illinois State Representative, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: December 30, 2021 Location: Dixon, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Philip Pogue
Total Time: 1:16 / 1.27 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on March 1, 2022.
The interview(s) is/are archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2021 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Thomas Demmer, Tumultuous 2020, T20-A-L-2021-069
Biographical Information Overview of Interview: Tom Demmer was born in Dixon, Illinois, in 1986. He grew up in Dixon and attended St. Anne Elementary School before attending Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling, Illinois. At Newman, Tom participated in football and basketball. Demmer attended Dayton University where he majored in communications with a minor in political science. He graduated in 2005 and returned to Dixon shortly after. He began working for Katherine Shaw Bethea (KSB) Hospital as the Director of Strategic Planning. He later served on the Lee County Board. In January 2013, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives to serve the 90th District, which at the time of the interview, includes parts of DeKalb, LaSalle, Lee, Winnebago, and Ogle counties. At the time of the interview, Demmer was serving on a variety of committees, such as the Appropriations-Human Services, Prescription Drug Affordability, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), Human Services, Ethics & Elections, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and Medicaid Committees. He was a 2016 Henry W. Toll Fellow with the Council of State Governments and has served on the Board of Directors of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation.
Demmer details the challenges presented by COVID-19 to residents, businesses, local governments, medical centers, schools, and essential services in the 90th district through the lens of a State Representative. Demmer describes the impact of the virus to KSB Hospital and the functions of state government. This includes the way the general assembly had to operate to adhere to COVID-19 precautions, such as meeting at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center, limiting the number of bills discussed, and more. Demmer covers later sessions that were held between March of 2020 and December of 2021. Demmer details his perspective on the various legislative issues that COVID-19 brought about, including use of federal aid, unemployment claims, and the determination of who is essential.
Subject Headings/Key Words: COVID-19 pandemic; impact of COVID-19 pandemic; Illinois State Representative; 90th House district; DeKalb, Lee, LaSalle; Ogle, and Winnebago counties
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955