Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) spoke with WCKG General Manager Matt Dubiel on May 20 about penalties that Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to impose on those defying his executive order during the COVID-19 shut down. 

Pritzker ultimately removed the penalty from the executive order and announced there would be no threats of misdemeanor charges for violators.

Wehrli represents the 41st District, which includes Naperville and Warrenville, and was in Springfield on May 20 for a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) to vote on the executive order issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health on behalf of the Governor.

The executive order placed a penalty of $2,500 in fines and possible jail time. The Illinois State Police said they would not arrest citizens for disobeying the executive order, and Illinois residents flooded the phone lines and inboxes of JCAR members, Wehrli said, which made a difference.

“This was a direct response to people letting their voices be heard,” Werhli said.

When asked if he would speculate on Pritzker’s reasons for the executive order, Wehrli declined.

“I’m trying to get people back to work, to a new normal,” he said. “I want things to be better.“

Wehrli also said that even if there were no consequences for defying the governor’s order, there may still be other repercussions for business owners who reopen. Using a hairstylist as a hypothetical, he said that he wouldn’t run out and crack open the doors immediately, particularly because there could be legal issues for those who were required to have a license from the state to operate.

If a business owner or their employees were cited, Wehrli said that the citation would have zero legal standing. 

“The courts would have thrown this out rather quickly,” he said. 

But, he added, it would still be another headache during an already stressful time because people would have to go to court, hire an attorney and still have to deal with it.