Chambana Sun

Illinois State House District 106 issued the following announcement on April 30.

Second lawsuit filed to re-open state, would apply to all Illinoisans

Two Representatives have recently filed lawsuits to halt the Governor’s latest Stay-at-Home Executive Order. State Representative Darren Bailey raised questions about whether or not the Governor has the authority to continue issuing such orders. Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) which applies only to Representative Bailey, as an individual, and not to any other Illinois resident. The Governor appealed to the Supreme Court whether the TRO was granted lawfully. The Supreme Court agreed to this appeal.

On Wednesday State Representative John Cabello filed a second lawsuit in Winnebago County to halt the Governor’s order and allow businesses to reopen. Representative Cabello said that his suit was filed on behalf of all of Illinois. This is not just for one single individual, but for every resident of the state.

I will have more information for you as this case makes its way through the courts.

Still looking for answers on prisoner releases

Earlier this week I told you about the effort I am making along with more than 20 other representatives to get answers from the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) regarding the early release of hundreds of inmates during the coronavirus outbreak. DOC released or furloughed some inmates to prevent the spread of the illness in the close quarters found in many state prisons. We were first told that there would be a few inmates released because they were elderly or at high-risk for contracting the illness, and that the releases would be non-violent offenders.

But over the next few weeks, more than a thousand inmates were released, including some who did not fit the profile we were initially given. Early this month we wrote to the director of DOC to ask for an explanation and for answers to questions many Illinoisans were asking. The agency did not respond. On Monday I joined with three of my colleagues in hosting a Zoom press conference to put more pressure on the administration to provide the answers which the public is entitled to. After going public, we finally got a response from DOC, but it is still short of the kinds of answers Illinoisans deserve.

DOC shared a list of approximately 3900 inmates who have been released, but gave us no indication which of these had reached the end of their sentences and which of them were released due to coronavirus. Critical questions about how these inmates were chosen, how or if they are being monitored and whether victims and law enforcement were given proper notice about the inmates’ release have not been answered despite repeated requests for information. Public safety is our paramount concern, and we are going to continue to call for transparency from DOC about these releases. This issue is not going to go away.

Health insurance assistance for those who have lost their jobs

The number of Illinoisans who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic shutdown has been devastating. The Illinois Department of Insurance is making information available about health insurance options for those who have lost their jobs recently. If you lost your health insurance due to job loss and need to enroll in a new health plan, there are options available to you. Visit getcovered.illinois.gov to find out about the health insurance plans which might be able to assist. You can also find enrollment information and assistance, as well as details about Medicaid and other federal programs you might be eligible for. You can call toll-free (800) 318-2596 for more information.

Click here for more information about unemployment benefits.

More news from around the state

The latest news from the Department of Public Health

Restrictions will ease tomorrow, but it won’t be business as usual

Help for small business

Illinois Humanities awarding more than $600,000 in grants for cultural non-profits statewide

For additional helpful resources, click here.

For continually updated news from state agencies, visit: coronavirus.illinois.gov or my website at repbennett.com and click on COVID-19 Info. Persons with coronavirus questions or concerns should call the statewide toll-free coronavirus hotline at 1-800-889-3931. You can also submit questions via e-mail at dph.sick@illinois.gov. The call volume on these lines has been high recently, so please be patient as the Department of Public Health works to answer your call.

My district offices remain closed to in-person visits, but are still accessible by phone at (815) 432-0106 (Watseka) and (815) 844-9179 (Pontiac).

Original source can be found here.