|
 Illinois lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are
objecting to emergency rulemaking after Gov. J.B Pritzker’s 35th disaster
proclamation for COVID-19.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules issued an official objection to
ongoing emergency rulemaking from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The
committee oversees regulatory procedures for all public agencies, including IDPH.
One of the committee’s 11 members, state Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, said
IDPH can’t continue emergency rulemaking based on COVID-19.
“The pandemic is over. It is time for us to get back to the normal way of doing
business,” Reick said during a hearing. “And the normal rulemaking process
should be the one that is used instead of emergency rulemaking when the time is
available to do that.”
Both Reick and President Biden said the pandemic is over, but that hasn’t
stopped Pritzker from extending his emergency executive powers to nearly 70% of
his time in office.
[to top of second column] |
Pritzker latest COVID-19 executive order lifted testing requirements for
unvaccinated employees working in health care settings and long-term care
facilities. Reick doesn’t take issue with the rules, but rather with leaving
JCAR out of the decision-making.
“The issue was one not of the legitimacy of the rule,” Reick told The Center
Square. “The problem was one of IDPH has got very broad emergency rulemaking
power.”
Pritzker in the spring discussed lifting his executive orders and ending the
disaster proclamation.
“I’m hopeful that we will be able to remove all of them eventually, and the
disaster declaration,” Pritzker said April 27.
That has not happened.
JCAR’s objection doesn’t block any emergency rules, but IDPH must respond within
90 days. Unless Pritzker issues a 36th proclamation, Illinois’ current COVID-19
disaster declaration ends Nov. 17.
|
