McHenry Times

Gov. J.B. Pritzker made efforts to curve COVID-19 cases within his state at the start of the 2-year-old pandemic.

He made these actions with executive orders. Now, he’s surpassed over 100 orders.

“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,” Sen. Craig 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.”

Some of these orders were “official emergency declaration.” A governor can use them when a state experiences natural disasters, to name a few reasons.

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

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.

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

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 5 calendar days that approves the extension or further proclamation.”