Lake County Gazette

Republican state Rep. Tom Weber is co-sponsoring a bill aimed at preventing individuals from being forced to comply with any state or private COVID-19 vaccine mandate when that person can demonstrate an antibody presence.

“I've spoken with a number of concerned residents about their natural immunity to COVID and what it could mean for their jobs/livelihoods,” Weber posted on Facebook. “I've joined with fellow Rep. (Joe) Sosnowski in filing this legislation in response.”

House Bill 4204 also stipulates that “any requirement for a person to demonstrate proof of COVID-19 vaccination shall be deemed to be met if proof of the presence of COVID-19 antibodies is provided by that person.”

Weber argues that it seems the only sensible thing to do.

“Scientific studies have proven antibodies are equal if not a more desirable form of protecting someone against COVID-19," he said in a press release. "Any mandate to vaccinate every person appears to be more about power than protecting others from becoming ill. This bill will allow people to have a choice in their own medical decisions.”

With the House scheduled to reconvene early next year, Weber said both he and Sosnowski plan to continue pushing to have a committee hearing scheduled on their bill.

Weber is also among a growing band of GOP lawmakers demanding that Gov. J.B. Pritzker change directions following the recent resignation of Legislative Inspection General (LIG) Carol Pope on the grounds that he doesn't believe she finds ethics reforms to be a priority in Springfield.

“My colleagues and I sent a letter to the governor asking him to veto provisions of the ethics 'reform' bill that weaken the authority of the LIG,” Weber said in a post to Facebook. “Illinois needs real ethics reform that will help clean up Illinois politics. We can't settle for window dressing. Yesterday, the Legislative Inspector General resigned, saying: 'This last legislative session has demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority.'"

Pope added much of what she sees happening in Springfield makes it clear to her that now is the time to go.

“The LIG has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations; the position is essentially a paper tiger,” she said in her resignation letter.

Pope said that she finds an ethics reform bill now awaiting the governor’s signature to actually be counterproductive to what needs to happen “by requiring the filing of a complaint before the LIG can undertake an investigation.”

Senate Bill 539 would also prohibit the LIG from launching an investigation based solely on public allegations raised in the news media.

Weber also recently voiced support for a bill that would limit the number of years ranking majority and minority leaders can hold in the Illinois Legislature.

"Illinois is in desperate need of ethics reform," Weber (R-Lake Villa) wrote in a recent post to Facebook that is no longer available. "We have a lot to do, but putting term limits on legislative leadership positions to prevent the rise of another Mike Madigan is a start."

House Bill 642 would put a 10-year term limit on majority and minority leadership positions in both the House and Senate