Governor Pritzker Flip Flops on Fair Maps
In 2018, then governor candidate J.B. Pritzker was asked, “Will you pledge as governor to veto and state legislative map proposal that is in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies?” He responded, “Yes, I will pledge to veto. We should amend the constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps, but…I would urge Democrats and Republicans to agree to an independent commission to handle creating a new legislative map.”
This past week saw now Governor Pritzker completely flip-flop on his campaign promise. Instead of pushing for a bipartisan commission, he is allowing Democrats to move forward with drawing an unfair gerrymandered map. We want nothing more than to encourage the Governor to hold on to his promise, to support a bipartisan commission, but instead, the Governor is allowing one party to dictate how the legislative maps will look for the next decade. Combined with Democrats choosing to use incomplete, non-Census Bureau, data, they once again proved they only care about themselves and not the will of their citizens.
I will continue to update the progress of the legislative re-map as we move toward the soft deadline of June 30th.
Southern Illinois Judge Rules on FOID Cards
This week we saw major news in regards to FOID cards and the ongoing fight to see them eliminated, or at the least, reduced. In 2017, Vivian Brown, an elderly resident of White County, was charged with violating the FOID card law for owning a rifle without possessing a FOID card. In February 2018, the White County Circuit Court found the FOID card unconstitutional in the case against Brown. The state appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court who did not rule after questions concerning the process arose.
Fast forward to this week, Judge T. Scott Webb dismissed the charges against Brown and ruled the FOID card unconstitutional stating it made the 2nd Amendment a “façade” and that there cannot be a burden placed on citizens to enjoy their rights. This is a major step towards securing your 2nd Amendment freedoms in Illinois. Illinois is only one of four states that still have a FOID program. Each year, my Republican colleagues and I file and support legislation to repeal the FOID program, but are struck down by the Democrat majority. This ruling opens an opportunity to strike down this bad law for good.
Expect in the coming weeks for the Illinois Attorney General to appeal the ruling and once again take this case to the Illinois Supreme Court. I will keep you updated as news comes along.
HJR17 is On the Move
Due to the rampant dysfunction and continued delays at the Illinois Department of Employment Security stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, I filed HJR17 which directs the Illinois Auditor General to conduct a performance review of IDES’s administration of the Unemployment Insurance Act. Due to the continued shutdowns and crippling of our economy by Governor Pritzker, people are struggling and needing help. This resolution, which recently passed out of committee, will seek to remedy this and provide citizens the assistance they need.
Democrat’s Bad Bills Continue
This week began the flow of Senate bills over to the House. This of course means more bad bills will be working their way through the legislative process. Here are a couple of them:
- SB1730 – This bill forces public corporations to report the self-identified sexual orientation and self-identified gender identity of their directors. This is an evasion of privacy for the hard-working men and women in business. These characteristics have no bearing on whether they are qualified for their position or not.
- HB3195 – This bill begins the process of converting standard restrooms into all-gender restrooms thereby endangering women and children by limiting their privacy. This bill is currently in the Senate.
To keep up to date on my current legislation, click here.
If you would like to contact my office with questions and concerns or would like me to speak at events, please reach out by visiting my website, Facebook, or by calling 618-546-0044.
Get the Week in Review emailed directly to your inbox! Sign up today to get a first-hand look at the continuing legislative and fiscal challenges facing policymakers in Springfield.