Kane County Reporter

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an emergency declaration on Aug. 1 as monkeypox cases increase in Illinois.

But his effort to get a handle on the virus is being criticized again by Republicans who criticized Pritzker for using executive orders at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It appears the governor intends to rule his entire term via executive orders and disaster declarations,” Sen. Don DeWitte wrote on Facebook. “These ongoing designations provide him with much greater authority and allow him to rule unilaterally in many ways. It’s clear he has no intention of ruling as one of three co-equal branches of government and prefers to shut out the legislative branch.”

Pritzker issued his latest executive order on July 22, asserting that every county in Illinois is a "disaster area" due to COVID-19 and authorizing himself to continue to use emergency powers. Pritzker issued the first executive order related to the pandemic on March 9, 2020. He then continued to declare that Illinois is a "disaster area" every 30 days for the next two and a half years.

In a newsletter, DeWitte called Pritzker's ongoing emergency declarations an abuse of executive power and noted that the legislative, executive and judicial branches are supposed to govern equally, as stipulated in the Illinois State Constitution.

DeWitte is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 103, which would require the approval of the legislature before the governor could reissue emergency declarations. Lawmakers filed SB 103 more than a year ago, but it has not been given a hearing.

"Majority Party leaders must take a stand, or the governor will continue to issue disaster proclamations for the foreseeable future and shut duly elected lawmakers out of the decision-making process," DeWitte wrote.

None of Illinois’ neighboring states are still under emergency orders, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. Michigan ended its state of emergency in October 2020; Wisconsin ended its state of emergency in March 2021; Missouri ended its state of emergency in December 2021; Iowa ended its state of emergency in February 2022; and Indiana ended its state of emergency in March 2022.