Lake County Gazette

Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) isn’t thrilled about Gov. J.B. Pritzker using executive orders to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For two years, Gov. Pritzker has exercised emergency powers by issuing more than 100 executive orders to control nearly every aspect of the state’s response to the (coronavirus) pandemic,” Wilcox wrote on his website. “It is long past time for the governor to allow the legislature to be a part of the decision-making process.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health (DPH) reported 3,065,321 positive coronavirus cases as of Tuesday.

Senate Bill 103 would amend the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act to provide that “after an initial proclamation declaring that a disaster exists, the Governor may only extend that declaration or make further proclamations regarding the same disaster if the General Assembly passes a resolution within five calendar days that approves the extension or further proclamation.” 

The Illinois DPH reported the state administered 21,339,425 coronavirus vaccines.

Other states are lifting their emergency protocols.

“After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said to Illinois Policy. “The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly.”

Pritzker has used executive orders to limit the size of gatherings, force schools and businesses to close, and issue mask mandates.

The pandemic also impacted testing in Illinois schools.

“Illinois high school juniors saw greater declines in their standardized test scores from 2019 to 2021 compared to other school years, with math scores dropping nearly 15% and reading scores dropping 9%,” Hannah Max, policy research assistant, wrote on Illinois Policy.

Pew reported that in 2021, state lawmakers in 47 states proposed more than 300 bills aimed at curbing governors’ emergency powers. At least 12 states so far have enacted such laws.

“Some of the new laws give legislators more control over the duration of an official emergency declaration,” Pew wrote. “Others give them oversight of federal emergency aid spending or allow them to call the legislature into session in an emergency.”