Legislators back to Springfield next week — with faces covered, COVID-19 tests taken and temperatures checked

The surprise call comes just a day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he wants legislators back to both approve a budget and try to work on a state plan to help businesses and unemployed people.

SHARE Legislators back to Springfield next week — with faces covered, COVID-19 tests taken and temperatures checked
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, left, announces an extension of the stay at home order for Illinois last month; House Speaker Mike Madigan, right, looks out over the floor the Illinois House in 2017.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, left, announces an extension of the stay at home order for Illinois last month; House Speaker Mike Madigan, right, looks out over the floor the Illinois House in 2017.

Tyler LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times; Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

Speaker Mike Madigan on Wednesday called for a special session of the Illinois House to take up the state budget and other pressing issues next week in Springfield – but not at the state Capitol because “these are not normal times.”

“A pandemic is not swayed by our speeches, by our desire for normalcy, or by political expediency,” Madigan wrote in a letter to Republican House Leader Jim Durkin. “But as we all acknowledge, social distancing and medically guided precautions have saved lives.”

The Illinois House will reconvene next week at the Bank of Springfield Center under strict public health guidelines including requiring legislators to wear face coverings, undergo testing for COVID-19 and submit to temperature checks.

The surprise call comes just a day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he wants legislators back to both approve a budget and try to work on a state plan to help businesses and unemployed people. Madigan’s spokesman responded Tuesday by saying he didn’t know when legislators would return, calling the safety plan to do so a “work in progress.”

But during a virtual caucus Wednesday morning, House Democrats were told many of the details.

And Madigan wrote to Durkin that he’s ready to convene a special session, in consultation with Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“We are all looking forward to a return to some semblance of normalcy — and certainly, as legislators, we are particularly interested in resuming normal operation of the House — but we must also recognize that these are not normal times,” Madigan wrote.

Legislators will return May 20. Madigan’s chief of staff Jessica Basham outlined some rules attached to the unusual call to session during the virtual caucus, including that legislators must travel individually and also stay in separate hotel rooms.

The special session plan given to legislators says “those who are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 should consider not traveling to Springfield for session.”

Madigan wants Democratic legislators to sign a pledge that they will abide by the health regulations, and he implored Durkin to encourage his members to sign a similar pledge. State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, is one of two of Durkin’s members who have sued Pritzker over his stay-at-home order extension.

Health precautions include getting tested for COVID-19 before the House resumes, and undergoing a temperature check on session days before entering the Capitol or any area being used for session. If a legislator has an elevated temperature, they will be asked to undergo a new test prior to entering, Madigan wrote in the letter.

A face covering will be required “at all times” and whenever in the company of colleagues or staffers. Madigan said cloth face coverings will be provided for those who need them.

No companions are allowed, and there will be minimum number of staffers allowed on the floor of the convention center. The public will be allowed in the mezzanine only, and there will be a separate entrance for staffers. Illinois State Police will serve as security for the session.

The health precautions also require that legislators avoid “refraining from extracurricular activities like non-essential meetings, gatherings, shared meals or drinks with colleagues, lobbyists, or others while in session,” the letter says.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, in 2019.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, in Springfield last year.

Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register file

Upon their return home, “we will seek another test for COVID-19 and/or self-quarantine for at least seven days,” Madigan wrote in the letter.

The Illinois Senate will also return to Springfield on May 20 and will hold session in the Illinois State Capitol, House Democrats were told in the caucus.

The public health precautions will likely make the session unlike any other. But it won’t be the first time that state legislators have convened outside the state Capitol.

During statehouse renovations in 2006, the House met in the Old State Capitol — where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech in 1858 — and the Senate in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. During a 1970s rehab, both chambers met in the Howlett Building auditorium, which was also the site for a special session in 2000.

Durkin, who has been pushing for House Democrats to “get your head out of the sand and let’s go back to work,” issued a short statement in response to Madigan’s announcement.

“After two months of inaction, it is about time we get back to the job we were elected to do,” the Western Springs Republican said.

Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, who has also pushed for the General Assembly to come back into session during the pandemic, said he was “pleased the Governor and Democratic leaders have heeded our calls.”

“It is vital the legislature be a part of the decision-making process when it comes to maintaining the public’s health, reopening our state, moving our economy forward and overcoming a graduated income tax that would negatively impact Illinois families,” Brady said.

Contributing: Neal Earley

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