I am urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to immediately call the Illinois General Assembly back to work for the purpose of extending emergency paid sick leave to all public and private sector workers forced into precautionary or mandatory quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic and to suspend mortgage payments. Time is of the essence.
The Illinois Constitution gives to the governor the constitutional power to call the legislature back into special legislative session anytime he or she sees fit. In this time of a worldwide pandemic, Gov. Pritzker should wait no longer and immediately exercise that power by calling the Illinois General Assembly back to work. Tens of thousands of working people who have suddenly found themselves without a paycheck due to the economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus need help now.
On March 11, the Illinois General Assembly canceled session for fears of the spread of the coronavirus. Since that time, Gov. Pritzker has ordered the closing of dine-in restaurants and bars in the state of Illinois, thereby causing thousands of people to be unable to work. It is time for the governor and the lawmakers to help those workers.
Summoning the General Assembly into special legislative session is not unusual. During the six years I was governor, I exercised that constitutional power to call the General Assembly into special session 36 times. And during none of those special sessions was there any emergency even remotely comparable to the one Gov. Pritzker and our elected representatives are facing now.
Recognizing the dangerous new reality posed by the gathering of people in close contact with one another, and in the wake of the likely spread of the coronavirus due to the long line of voters gathered together to vote in Tuesday's election, Gov. Pritzker should call the General Assembly into a virtual emergency special legislative session.
Gov. Pritzker is no stranger to virtual gatherings. Well before being elected governor, he had, to his credit, been a leader in the development of high-tech in Illinois. The governor should now draw on his tech background to fulfill his duty to the people and provide for their welfare. A virtual emergency legislative session would protect the members of the General Assembly from exposure to the coronavirus while getting the job done to help the thousands of workers who are unable to do their jobs and pay their bills.
The New York State Legislature, meeting in Albany, has already seized the initiative and passed emergency legislation for workers impacted by the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo immediately signed the bill into law.
We are living in extraordinary times that call for extraordinary measures. There's no time to lose. What are Gov. Pritzker and the lawmakers waiting for? The working people of Illinois need help now.
