Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), left, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw, middle, and House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) participate in a discussion at the Union League Club in Chicago on Sept. 29. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

By Illinois’ standards, Senate President Don Harmon’s (D-Oak Park) nearly four years as a chamber leader and House Speaker Chris Welch’s (D-Hillside) nearly three years as a chamber leader are short. But despite their relatively brief time as leaders, both Harmon and Welch have deep perspectives of Illinois’ current health and the challenges that face the state in the future.