Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois state Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to consider the will of the people in the state’s ongoing battle against COVID-19 and his plan to reopen the economy.

“More people are talking to me about being able to open up their business then they are about being tested for the virus,” Grant told the DuPage Policy Journal. “The longer we continue on this path the more small businesses there are that won’t be able to survive.”

Grant said she isn’t a fan of the governor’s newly unveiled five-phase “Restore Illinois” plan that calls for restarting the economy on a region-by-region basis. The plan factors in some parts of the state may be ready to move to the next level faster than others. She notes even as the governor talks about the state already being in the plan's Phase 2, which allows nonessential stores to open on a limited basis, he doesn’t anticipate the state reaching Phase 5 of the plan, or the point of being ready to fully reopen for business, until a vaccine or effective treatment for the virus becomes available.

“Who knows when Phase 5 may come because we may never see a vaccine?” Grant said. “What are people supposed to do about their jobs and businesses and being able to provide for their families?”

Grant also finds fault with the way the governor has acted unilaterally in terms of making decisions for the state.  

“He needs to call all of us (the legislature) back into session,” she said.  “He shouldn’t be making all these decisions on his own. The Illinois Department of Health has given us guidelines on how we, as legislators, can safely go back to Springfield. We should be there and we should be a part of this process.”

To that end, Grant has launched a petition to get lawmakers back to work.

“Government by executive order is not what the authors of our Constitution had in mind when they created Illinois’ three co-equal branches of government,” she said. “As a co-equal branch of government, the legislature needs to be involved in the COVID-19 response process. We cannot pass any legislation, adopt a budget, or address any other issues until we return to Springfield.”