101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly remains adjourned until further notice. The House Republican Caucus continues to call for the Illinois General Assembly to return to session to help manage the state’s response to the pandemic. The caucus, who is critical of the Governor’s Restore Illinois plan, argues that the Legislature must work together with the Governor on plans to reopen Illinois. Speaker Mike Madigan responded by saying “While I am eager to see a return to normalcy, we are talking about people’s lives, and any plan for a return to Springfield must have the health and safety of all those involved as a top priority.”
The Department of Public Health prepared draft guidelines to offer suggestions on how the General Assembly can safely reconvene for essential business. IDPH guidance suggests that legislators in vulnerable populations and those over the age of 65 not attend in-person session. The guidance also suggests no public involvement or testimony at the committee level and common areas such as the galleries and rotunda closed during session. The guidance also suggests that to the extent possible, legislation should be agreed upon in advance of any committee hearings. The full guidelines are here .
This week, Rep. Thapedi filed a constitutional amendment, HJRCA47, which proposes to amend the Bill of Rights Article of the Illinois Constitution. The amendment would prohibit passage of any law which prohibits the ability of workers to join together and collectively bargain over wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment through a representative of their own choosing, including any law that prohibits the right of private sector employers and employees to enter into and administer union-security agreements. Allows the General Assembly to establish reasonable amendments to existing law and establish reasonable exemptions relating to collective bargaining rights.COVID-19 UPDATE:On Thursday, Illinois reported 2,641 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total cases to 70,873. Illinois reported 138 lives lost in the past 24 hours, bringing the state’s total deaths to 3,111. Illinois’ positivity rate is 15% over the past 24 hours. As of Thursday, 4,862 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19; of those 1,253 are in the ICU with 766 people on ventilators.
Restore Illinois: Governor Pritzker released his 5-phase plan to restore Illinois through a regional reopening. The full plan is here and an abbreviated chart is here. The plan divides Illinois into four regions: Northeast Illinois; North-Central Illinois; Central Illinois and Southern Illinois. The plan sets benchmarks each region must meet in order to transition into the next phase. Regions can move forward or backward through the phases depending on virus activity and hospital capacity within the region. There are no concrete dates or deadlines for transitioning. At this time, all Illinois regions are in Phase 2 through the end of May. Face coverings will be utilized through Phase 4. Governor Pritzker warned that until we have a vaccine, or an effective treatment or enough widespread immunity, the option of returning to normalcy does not exist.
- Phase 1 – Rapid Spread: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital is high or rapidly increasing. Strict stay at home and social distancing guidelines are put in place and only essential businesses remain open. Every region has experienced this phase once already and could return to it if mitigation efforts are unsuccessful.
- Phase 2 – Flattening: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital beds and ICU beds increases at an ever-slower rate, moving toward a flat and even a downward trajectory. Non-essential retail stores reopen for curb-side pickup and delivery. Illinoisans are directed to wear a face covering when outside the home, and can begin enjoying additional outdoor activities like golf, boating and fishing while practicing social distancing. To varying degrees, every region is experiencing flattening as of early May. Contact tracing begins during this phase.
In order to move to phase 3, a region must be at or under a 20% test positivity rate and increasing by no more than 10 percentage points over a 14 day period, and a region must have either not had an overall increase or must have maintained overall stability in hospital admissions for COVID like illness in the last 28 days, and a region must maintain the availability of a surge threshold of 14% availability of ICU beds of medical and surgery beds and ventilators.
- Phase 3 – Recovery: The rate of infection among those tested, the number of patients admitted to the hospital, and the number of patients needing ICU beds is stable or declining. Manufacturing, offices, retail, barbershops and salons can reopen to the public with capacity and other limits and safety precautions. All gatherings limited to 10 or fewer people are allowed. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm. Contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of diagnosis for than 90% of cases in the region must be in place to move to the next phase.
In order to move to phase 3, a region must be at or under a 20% test positivity rate and increasing by no more than 10 percentage points over a 14 day period, and a region must have either not had an overall increase or must have maintained overall stability in hospital admissions for COVID like illness in the last 28 days, and a region must maintain the availability of a surge threshold of 14% availability of ICU beds of medical and surgery beds and ventilators.
- Phase 4 – Revitalization: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital continues to decline. All gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, child care and schools (P- 12 and higher education) reopen under guidance from the IDPH. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm. While more of Illinois reopens during Phase 4, Pritzker warned that “things will look different than normal” during this phase.
In order to move to the next phase, there must be a vaccine, an effective and widely available treatment of the elimination of new cases over a sustained period of time through herd immunity.
- Phase 5 – Illinois Restored: With a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period, the economy fully reopens with safety precautions continuing. Conventions, festivals and large events are permitted, and all businesses, schools, and places of recreation can open with new safety guidance and procedures in place reflecting the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity released new guidance for Illinois businesses.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded more than $8 million in federal funds for the Illinois Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Conservation Partnership to protect working farmland, improve water quality, and increase and enhance wildlife habitat in rural Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has joined an alliance of partnering organizations including The Conservation Fund in planning and coordinating the projects that will be funded through the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Illinois partners have pledged more than $11.2 million in matching funds to support the initiative, including more than $1.7 million in financial and technical assistance from the IDNR.