SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Tuesday afternoon, a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) met to vote on the latest version of COVID-19 mitigation rules for K-12 schools. The committee voted 9-0 to suspend the rules and prevent them from going into effect.
In response, State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) offered the following statement:
“Yesterday’s ruling was an unprecedented win for families and children in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health tried to keep our children masked despite the lack of evidence that masks do anything to prevent the spread of covid. House Republican members asked the hard questions of IDPH and demanded they produce evidence to support its position, and they had no answers. Here’s the thing, IDPH will never have any answers. The Governor has long overstepped his bounds and has ruled as a dictator. He abandoned science for politics. This emergency rule filed by IDPH was a desperate attempt to hold on to the control the Governor gained over your lives. It’s beginning to unravel. This ruling, and last week’s court ruling, are victories for the citizens of Illinois. Desperation is setting in for Governor Pritzker. We must keep up the fight.”