Metro East Sun

Mike Babcock (R-Bethalto) worries what will come if lawmakers aren’t committed to doing everything they can to minimize the impact of the coronavirus.

“If we don’t get the economy rolling soon, we’re going to have bigger problems to deal with when it comes to people losing their homes, not being able to take care of their families or medical bills,” Babcock told the Metro East Sun. “It’s a complicated process, but we’ve got to get it done to give ourselves the best chance of rebounding from all this.”

Babcock, who lost his 2018 election against Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Godfrey) in the 111th District by less than 400 votes, said residents of the state desperately need answers that go beyond Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with the problem. He has no problem with GOP lawmakers Brad Halbrook and Chris Miller now calling on the governor to present a plan for bringing businesses back online.

“We absolutely need to reopen our economy,” he said. “It’s not at all fair that we have so many workers that they can’t go out there and make an income for themselves and their families. The government’s stimulus package won’t benefit everyone, some people won’t get a check at all and for others the $1,000 being given won’t begin to cover everything.”

While Babcock concedes there are still some unknowns when it comes to wiping out the virus, he said government officials now know a lot more about mitigating it then they did when stay-at-home orders were instituted across much of the country.  

“We know where the hot spots are and we know what precautions work in helping to slow it,” he said. “It’s hard to know everything, but we can’t allow our whole economy to suffer for too much longer.”