Kane County Reporter

Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) criticized Gov. Pritzker on the Senate floor after the Democratic governor signed off on a bill that allows employers to enforce COVID-19 vaccination and testing policies.

"I think it's fair to say that we all have constituents who believe that this legislation is wrong," McConchie said on the Senate floor. "(They have) deeply seated beliefs and they’re very concerned. We're not talking about a loud vocal minority, we're talking about tens of thousands of people who believe so strongly that this legislation is a mistake that they took the time out of their lives to come and officially tell us so.

SB 1169 amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act and provides that it is not a violation of the act for any person or public official, or for any public or private association, agency, corporation, entity, institution, or employer to take any measures or impose any requirements intended to prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19 or any pathogens that result in COVID-19 or any of its subsequent iterations.

"These people believe and hope that they can change our minds, they believe that we will listen, they believe that their voice matters. But it seems that the only voice that matters here today to the proponents is that of the governor – who again as one of my colleagues just stated – you had the only issue other than spending of money that we've done in relation to COVID-19 has been to reinforce his single-handed authority.

McConchie accused the lawmakers who approved the bill of selling out their constituents.

"I do not believe that that authority should override the sincerely held beliefs and freedoms of the 12 million Illinoisans he was elected to serve. If we continue to ignore the wants, needs, and beliefs, of the people who asked for our help, we are not serving those who elected us. We are selling them out."

McConchie said the law is chipping away at people's rights.

"This is one place in the world, a priceless place that so many people are trying to get to, where you are allowed not only to hold your own beliefs but exercise them under protection from your own government," McConchie said on the Senate floor. "The beauty of a representative government such as ours is that we can elect people who either share support or will defend the beliefs. and based upon the tens of thousands of people who went to the effort — seemingly extraordinary effort it can be at times — to fill out witness slips at a relatively last minute to fill out in opposition to this."

Pritzker signed the bill into law on Nov. 8.

" ... To all the people out there who still believe that they have a voice we need to keep that faith," McConchie said on the Senate floor. "Even if not everyone here or even most of the legislators in this chamber appreciated we recognized over here on this side of the aisle that the government’s primary function is to protect and enhance citizens liberties and freedoms, not take them away and we will continue to vote to protect those rights."