In March of 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker issued a series of emergency orders. Executive Order 2020-04, issued on March 13, 2020, was the governor’s first time seizing emergency power. Under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, the governor can issue a state of emergency declaring a disaster within the state, giving himself 30 days of emergency power. The governor, in a state of emergency, has complete control over all state institutions and public health. Although the measure intends to streamline governmental response in times of disaster, Governor Pritzker exploited a loophole in the law and reissued the executive order 22 times.

The governor reissued the executive order on October 15th extending his emergency powers until November 13th. At the time of the most recent order, the state had been in a continuous state of emergency for 581 days. As of October 20th, Pritzker has issued 91 executive orders, many of which have no connection to COVID. The legislature is not meeting to address this issue, and our representatives are prevented from fulfilling their duty to their constituency. 

As a result of the restrictions on the Illinois General Assembly, a great deal of state business has been left undone, and the voices of Illinois citizens have gone unheard. State Representatives Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva), Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), and Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) held a press conference on Wednesday, October 20th, to discuss the problem and how Republican members of the Illinois House intend to respond. Several representatives have joined together to try to end the governor’s unilateral rule. Rep. Ugaste has authored HB 843, a bill allowing the governor to extend a 30-day declaration of emergency – but only with the written approval of the Illinois General Assembly obtained within five days of the extension. This bill would also allow the General Assembly to adopt a joint resolution declaring the extension void.

Watch the video of their press conference here below:

Currently, the bill is stalled in the Rules Committee, unable to be brought to a vote in the House. The Rules Committee consists of State Representatives Greg Harris (D-13th District), Dan Brady (R-105th District), Tom Demmer (R-90th District), Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-92nd District), and Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24th District). Unless the Rules Committee meets to discuss the bill, it will not go forward. In the previous General Assembly, Rep. Ugaste authored HB 5790, a bill requiring the same approval for extending emergency rule. As the bill never went forward, Rep. Ugaste is resubmitting it to the current 102nd General Assembly as HB 843.

Unilateral rule by Governor Pritzker has created a tyrannical government in our state. The U.S. Constitution and the Illinois Constitution ensure a system of checks and balances intended to prevent dictatorships from forming and allow for the people’s representation. By utilizing a continuous state of emergency, Governor Pritzker has set himself up as a de facto king.

Pritzker has issued numerous orders without a single public debate or hearing. The impact of this tyrannical rule is devastating. Rep. Batinick noted that the broad-spectrum rules of school closures and masking are not always beneficial and may have lasting effects on income gaps and education. He also stated that, although the removal of mandates might not occur even if the legislature were meeting, nevertheless, all rules and orders should be open to a public debate in which experts could testify. Without public debate and complete transparency, the people of Illinois will continue to suffer from governmental overreach.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to let your state lawmakers know that you oppose the continued unilateral rule of Governor Pritzker and the lack of checks and balances in our state government. Please ask them to co-sponsor HB 843. Also, demand that this bill get a hearing in committee so that it can advance to the Illinois House for a vote. 

Please support the work and ministry of IFI.  

Your tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated!

State Representative Scott Drury (D-Highwood) wrote this to a constituent who opposes HB 4013*, the bill that would remove all restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions:

Thank you for your email.  As a devoted husband and father of two children, I have a deep understanding of how rewarding parenting can be.  However, not every pregnancy is planned or desired.  It is, therefore, vital that all women have access to safe reproductive health care without government interference.  Should the legislation you reference be called for a vote, I will support it.

Very truly yours,

Scott R. Drury

As indicated by the adverb “however,” it appears Rep. Drury believes that only planned, desired children will provide adults with rewarding experiences, and, to “progressives,”  personal pleasure and subjective desire are First Principles—the ultimate arbiters of morality. Not only do empowered Leftist women and other “progressives” want the absolute, unfettered right to act in accordance with their autonomous desires, but they demand that others pay for their actions—including even the killing of their children.

I would challenge the notion that someone who believes subjective desire and good planning trump the rights of the pre-born constitutes a “devoted father.” A devoted father sacrifices his desires and his plans for the good of his children—all of his children. Same goes for devoted mothers.

While Drury waxes noble about safe, reproductive healthcare, maybe he could address how safe abortion is for the other party involved—you know, the tiny, helpless, undesired, unplanned baby. Perhaps not every pregnancy is planned or desired, but every pregnancy necessarily means a second human life is present who deserves at minimum “government interference” to prevent its slaughter. If our government can’t be counted on to “interfere” when stronger humans seek to destroy the lives of the weakest among us, then the government has lost all moral authority and deserves to cease to exist.

What a sickening rationalization of selfish, regressive barbarism.

Remember, Rep. Drury, the babies you want to compel taxpayers to pay to kill didn’t plan to come into existence, and devoted mothers who don’t desire them, don’t have to raise them. No babies are truly unwanted even if their biological mothers don’t want them.

Take ACTION: First, please click HERE to send a message to your state representative to ask him/her to vote AGAINST this pro-abortion bill.

Please also email or call Rep. Durry’s office to politely let him know what you think about the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of pre-born human life.  His district phone number is (847) 681-8580 and his email is:  repdrury@gmail.com

Lastly, please forward this information to your pastors and/or church leaders and urge them to include this information in all church bulletins, newsletters, etc., as soon as possible.  Our state lawmakers return from Easter break next week, and HB 4013 may come up for a vote in the Illinois House anytime before the end of May.

* HB 4013 is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Carol Sente (D-Lincolnshire), Ann Williams (D-Chicago), and Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero).

SAVE the DATE:
“Islam in America: A Christian Perspective”
with Dr. Erwin Lutzer
May 7th

CLICK HERE for Details