State Sen. Sue Rezin calls again for a joint hearing of General Assembly to talk about COVID-19 measures

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) joined together to call on Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Michael Madigan to convene a joint hearing of the General Assembly to discuss the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are now eight months into this pandemic. It is well past time for the General Assembly who is a co-equal branch to take a more active role in the management of this pandemic," Rezin said. “Legislative hearings will allow the public to hear directly from the governor's office, state and local public health officials, small businesses, and other impacted stakeholders about what exactly goes into the decision-making process for our state's response.

"In addition to providing the public with much needed transparency, these hearings will finally give legislators the opportunity to directly ask the administration about the data and assumptions they choose to use," the senator added. "For too long, we have been left in the dark with more questions than answers. This has been particularly true when it comes to the administration's mitigation rules.”

The increase in COVID-19 cases caused the cancellation of the fall veto session.

“The General Assembly can’t leave the weight of this virus on the back of the executive branch," Ford said. "In order to protect the well-being of Illinoisans, we need a bipartisan and bicameral plan working with the executive branch.”

Additionally, the two legislators are encouraging Gov. JB Pritzker to join with the General Assembly as an equal partner by supporting public legislative hearings and agreeing to make state officials and consultants available.

Rezin and Ford sent the three legislative leaders a letter urging them to act upon their request to establish a joint Senate-House public hearing on the management related to COVID-19.