Josh Harms

Josh Harms is a former member of the Illinois House of Representatives as a representative for the 106th district from January 2013 to January 2015. This district includes all of Iroquois County and Ford County as well as parts of Vermillion, Livingston and Woodford counties in Central Illinois.

Early life and teaching career Josh grew up on his family's farm near Watseka, Illinois. After graduating from Watseka Community High School, he attended Illinois State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in music education. While working as a teacher at the Iroquois Special Education Association, he earned a Master of Arts from Governors State University. During the primary election he was endorsed by Illinois State Representative Roger Eddy and retired Illinois State Representative William Black On election day, Harms won 33% of ballots cast in a five way primary that included the Chairman of the Parkland College Board of Trustees, Tom Bennett and former Mayor of Pontiac Scott McCoy After winning the election unopposed, Harms resigned from his teaching position to become a full-time legislator.

During the spring session of the 98th General Assembly, four of the ten bills he sponsored were signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn.

His first bill, sponsored with his associated Senator Jason Barickman, amended the Illinois Finance Authority Act to require the next two appointees to the Illinois Finance Authority have agribusiness experience and that the Authority must have at least two members with such experience.

The second, which was signed into law four days after the first, mandates that if a mobile home park owner knows from law enforcement that a mobile home has been used for the manufacture of methamphetamine then the information must be disclosed to the potential home buyer.

In late June, Harms decided to retire and remove himself from the ballot for the 2014 general election citing a desire to return to teaching and spend more time with his family. He has announced that he will serve out the remainder of his term. A committee of party officials from Iroquois, Ford, Vermillion, Livingston and Woodford counties will select his replacement on the ballot by a weighted vote based on the number of Republican primary ballots pulled in each county during the 2014 Republican primary. Individuals speculated to replace Harms on the ballot include former State Senator Shane Cultra, Parkland College trustee and Ford County Republican Party chairman Tom Bennett and Susan Wynn Bence, an Iroquois County Board member who also is an aide to Harms. He was replaced on the ballot by Parkland College Trustee Tom Bennett. Bennett defeated Democratic candidate and Watseka City Council member William Nutter.

Election results