With the Illinois Senate scheduled to convene May 20-22, State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) says that the body needs to use part of that time to hold public hearings over the state’s reopening plan.
“The legislature has a duty here to provide oversight on the state’s reopening plan, which is the most pressing matter facing Illinois right now,” said Senator McClure. “Public hearings will give us an opportunity to hear from the experts that have been advising Governor Pritzker, as well as to hear the effects that both the pandemic itself and the state’s stay-at-home order have had on the people of Illinois.”
McClure noted that there are widespread concerns about some parts of the Governor Pritzker’s proposed “Restore Illinois” plan, including the switch from requiring 14-day declines to demanding 28-day declines before regions can move to the next phase. The change in requirements goes far beyond the standards set in other states, including the COVID-19 hotspot of New York. There are also questions about the reasoning behind the decision to divide the state into just 4 large regions, instead of using the widely accepted and smaller 11 emergency medical service regions. The Senator noted he has received serious questions and concerns from constituents about a number of other aspects of the plan as well.
“The legislature and the executive branch are co-equal branches of state government, and both need to be working together to figure out the best way to move forward,” said McClure. “How we reopen Illinois is the biggest issue facing the state right now and we have to get it right.”
