SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) released the following statement after Tuesday’s action by a legislative rulemaking committee to block emergency rules proposed by the Illinois Department of Public Health regarding school district mask mandates.
“As it stands today, there is no legal authority or emergency rule that allows Governor Pritzker to try to force schoolchildren to continue to wear masks. This is one more decision that unravels Governor Pritzker’s seemingly never ending quest to rule the state without the input of the legislature. I have been by mandate a strong advocate that students in our schools should not be subject to wearing a mask through the Executive Order of the Governor or by the edict of a group of unelected bureaucrats in Springfield and Chicago. It is my hope that this is the beginning of the long road ahead to helping our children recover from the social-emotional and educational roadblocks they face as we emerge from the pandemic and return to normal life. Today is a good day for our children.”
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