Today is Good Friday and the start of Easter Weekend. Last year at this time, most churches were closed and there were no in-person Easter services.

Thankfully, churches are able to have in-person Easter services this year. I know I am looking forward to the services at my church. I hope everyone has a great Easter and given the events of last year, I also hope everyone has a greater appreciation for the freedoms we have to freely assemble. I know I do. 

This week’s newsletter highlights court cases challenging the Governor’s prolonged emergency powers; Senate hearings on the legislative remapping process; and the economic impact of the lockdown of the Illinois economy. 

As always if you have any questions, feel free to email me or call my office at 217-774-1306.

Sincerely,

Brad Halbrook                                                                                                                                                                                    

Pritzker’s emergency powers challenge

The leaders in the House and the Senate have been nothing but bystanders during the last year as Gov. JB Pritzker has issued one emergency order after another during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Sangamon County judge, though, could interrupt the Governor’s honeymoon. FoxFire restaurant in Geneva sued the Governor over his prohibition in October. The restaurant won in Kane County Circuit Court, but the case was reversed on appeal and remanded to the lower court. The Geneva case has been rolled into other similar cases currently being considered in the Sangamon County Court, which could soon rule on whether or not these cases will be dismissed. 

The Governor has had virtually unchecked power for an entire year to tell businesses when they can and can’t open and there is no end in sight for these Executive Orders. A ruling on the merits of these cases is expected in the next couple of weeks. 

To learn more click here.                    

Illinois Senate holds hearings on the remap process

The Illinois Senate has launched a series of hearings on the legislative the remap process. Residents are being given an opportunity to weigh in on the remap process at these hearings. 

On April 7 at 10 am, Decatur residents will have an opportunity to participate. 

I, along with many of my Republican colleagues, support Fair maps. We want to see an independent commission draw the maps and take the politics out of it but even then, the map will still favor urban districts to rural districts. The 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Reynolds vs. Sims case ruled that the electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. In a state like Illinois, this all but assures complete Democrat domination in both legislative chambers. 

It is encouraging to me that these hearings are taking place, and I urge anyone in the 102^nd interested in this topic to tune into the April 7^th hearing and to let your voice be heard. I will keep everyone up to date on these hearings as they happen.

Pandemic lockdowns have shuttered 35 percent of Illinois businesses

Nearly 500,000 Illinois residents are out of work thanks to Governor Pritzker’s lockdown of the state’s economy during the last year, and about 35 percent of small businesses have closed.

The economic toll of the pandemic lockdowns will reverberate in Illinois for many years to come. The State of Michigan is the only Midwest state with a higher percentage of small business closures than Illinois. We need to reopen Illinois and we need to do it now.  

For more information, log in here. 

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