Metro East Sun

Outgoing Republican state Sen. Paul Schimpf plans on taking at least one more public stance against Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“I will be there for the next Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) meeting and I anticipate voting against the governor’s mask rule,” Schimpf told Metro East Sun. “I did so last time and see no reason to change now. His controversial administrative rules are under review and we need all republicans to be in attendance.”

Back in December, Schimpf announced he was resigning from JCAR and his term as senator is nearly over, fueling speculation that republican members might be at least one voice short for their Jan. 12 showdown with the governor because now resigned Illinois State Leader Bill Brady did not name a replacement to the 12 member panel of lawmakers for him before walking away.

On the strength of yet another executive order, Pritzker recently moved to extend his COVID-19 mask and social distance order by another 150 days. As of Jan. 5, Illinois had an 8.5% 7-day COVID-19 positivity rate compared to a national rate of 13.6%.

“JCAR is a process committee and we all know the governor is not following standard processes,” Schimpf added. “We all know that the legislature makes the law and the executive branch enforces them/ Gov. Pritzker has been using administrative rule to do everything. He’s usurping the function of the Illinois General Assembly. JCAR is intended to serve as check and balances.”

Since the pandemic hit last March, Pritzker has declared a statewide disaster 11 times. The proclamations allow him to issue executive orders, such as the indoor dining ban and mask mandates, for 30 days.

Schimpf has had enough, to the point there are growing rumblings he may be preparing to take on the governor when he is up for reelection in 2022.

“I’ll just say the people of Illinois need a governor who understands the challenges they face, is going to listen to their problems and is going to stand up to special interest groups and entrenched power brokers,” he said. “Pritzker has shown he’s incapable of those things and I plan to work to make sure he serves just one term.”