In the wake of strong opposition by the Illinois Senate and House Republican Caucuses on behalf of their constituents, Governor J. B. Pritzker is withdrawing a rule he submitted May 15 that would have made criminals of business owners.

Republican legislative leaders Senator Bill Brady and Representative Jim Durkin sent a strongly-worded statement Wednesday morning (seen below) before a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which was to take action on the rule. The two leaders called the Governor’s Emergency Order “… a vast government overreach at a time when business owners are doing everything they can to stay afloat.”

Senator Jil Tracy credits a groundswell of opposition throughout Illinois as a driving force to stop Pritzker’s rule.

“For more than two months, our communities have been willing to change their lives in the interest of public safety. It is becoming increasingly clear however that the decisions made by our Governor in Chicago need much more legislative input from suburban and downstate lawmakers and the residents they represent,” Senator Tracy said. “Many thanks to the people who let us know that they are tired of strict one-size-fits-all orders that are crippling our local economies.”

Senator Tracy says Illinois’ Legislative Branch must also be allowed as much input as the state’s Executive Branch in a re-opening plan for the state that aims to balance public safety concerns with the economic well-being of Illinois.

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