St. Sen. Sue Rezin says the coronavirus outbreak at the veterans home is one big reason why the state legislature needs to have hearings. The legislature hasn’t met since earlier this year and few committees are meeting. The Morris Republican says it’s hard to get to the bottom of anything when you have to send letters back and forth with department heads.
Rezin says other things the legislature can talk about include why Illinois is the only state closing restaurants instead of letting them operate at reduced capacity. She says the way the state will distribute a coronavirus vaccine would be a good topic for the public to hear about too. And there’s funding so local health departments can keep up with all the work they’re expected to do during the pandemic.
Rezin says the legislature has given Gov. Pritzker’s administration a lot of latitude in dealing with the pandemic because it was an emergency unlike any other the state faced before. But she says when COVID-19 cases waned over the summer, the General Assembly should have gotten back into it. She says the lawmakers need to pressure their leaders to have hearings.
Rezin says the California legislature is holding hearings. Illinois can do it too. And some committees have.
Rezin says it takes a long time to get information from department heads when nobody can meet with them in person.
Rezin says it’s of great public interest how the state will distribute the new coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available.
Back to the veterans home, Rezin says it’s a great example of why the state’s lawmakers need to be involved in managing the response to COVID-19.