Lawmaker to IDPH at administrative committee: ‘The pandemic is over’

Lawmaker to IDPH at administrative committee: ‘The pandemic is over’

 

By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com

SPRINGFIELD – A legislative panel on Tuesday objected to an emergency rule put forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health, with one member declaring, “The pandemic is over.”

The action came during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which has oversight authority over state agency regulatory rulemaking. It’s an action that does not block the rule from remaining in effect, but it does require the agency to respond to the objection within 90 days.

It also came four days after Gov. JB Pritzker renewed his disaster proclamation – his 35th since the pandemic began – spelling out various mandates for mitigating the spread of the virus. In recent months, however, he has gradually rolled back many of those mandates.

The most recent executive order removes the weekly testing requirements for unvaccinated health care and long-term care workers, removes the face covering requirement for health care facilities – although they are still recommended in facilities in areas of high community transmission – and removes the state-issued vaccine mandate for long-term care and health care employees.

At issue before JCAR Tuesday was a program aimed at relieving a shortage of forensic pathologists – physicians who specialize in and investigate deaths that occur under unusual circumstances, perform autopsies and initiate inquests.

The proposed rule expanded an existing program in which the state of Illinois sponsors international medical students for a waiver of normal visa requirements so they can remain in the country after they graduate if they agree to practice at a medical facility in designated Health Professional Shortage Area for a minimum of three years.

Without the waiver, those doctors would have to return to their home country and could not reenter the United States to practice medicine for at least two years.

The program in Illinois currently only applies to primary care physicians, psychiatrists and certain specialty areas, but it does not apply to forensic pathologists who typically work in a medical examiner’s office rather than a clinic or hospital.

Last year, state lawmakers passed House Bill 3592 to expand the program to include medical examiners’ offices as “medical facilities” so that forensic pathologists could take part in the program. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill on Aug. 20 and it went into effect Jan.1.

Normally, agency rules go through a lengthy process that involves public notice and comment, as well as a review by JCAR. But state law allows them to enact “emergency rules” if they determine a threat to the public interest, safety or welfare requires rules to be adopted in less time than would be needed to go through the regular process.

Emergency rules can take effect immediately after being filed with the secretary of state’s office, but they can only remain in effect for 150 days, after which they either expire or are replaced with permanent rules. They also are subject to review by JCAR, which meets monthly throughout the year.

IDPH published the emergency rule on Sept. 19 and said in its explanation that it was needed so it could be in effect in time for the U.S. State Department’s waiver review period that began in October.

But at JCAR’s meeting in Chicago on Tuesday, state Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, objected, arguing that “the department has been issuing an awful lot of emergency rules lately.”

IDPH has, in fact, issued numerous emergency rules since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. But Reick argued that the agency has used the emergency process even when there was ample time to go through the regular rulemaking procedure, including public comment.

“The pandemic is over,” he said. “It is time for us to get back to normal way of doing business, and the normal rulemaking process should be the one that is used instead of emergency rulemaking when the time is available to do that.”

Reick then offered a motion for JCAR to formally object to the emergency rule, noting that IDPH had ample time since the law went into effect on Jan. 1 to go through the regular rulemaking process. His motion also noted that IDPH included provisions in the emergency rule that went beyond the scope of addressing the need for forensic pathologists to apply for the waiver program.

The motion passed on a voice vote with no audible dissent.

 

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

 

Leave a Comment





Local News

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Neighbors

countryside logo

Countryside City Council tackles long list of items

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Water leaks, a new truck and abandoned vehicles were among a laundry list of items tackled by the Countryside City Council at its latest meeting. They were all from the infrastructure committee chaired by Ald. Mark Benson (3rd). All of the following were approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote on…

Mahdi Ali (from left), Team AlBary, Ghina Albary, Abla Daoud, Minna Sulieman, Iman Ezzhory, Medinah Yusef,  and Argo Teacher Nadia Elkhatib. (Supplied photos)

Argo High School holds Iftar Dinner for community

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan More than 100 people gathered at Argo Community High School last week for a now annual Ramadan Iftar dinner organized by Argo teacher Nadia Elkhatib. Elkhatib was happy with the turnout for those coming Thursday night to break bread with the school’s Muslim students and their families. “I will continue…

regional palos heights logo

Pool improvements advance in Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights aldermen last week approved contracts advancing improvements at the municipal pool. Alderman Jefry Key motioned for approval of a letter of agreement with the American Institute of Architects between Williams Architect and the City of Palos Heights for the pool improvement project. Since first proposing pool improvements in…

Palos Hills young people sang their hearts out for karaoke night at a neighborhood coffee house. (Photo by Nuha Abdessalam)

Teens enjoy Green Hills karaoke party

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Palos Hills tweens and teens sang their hearts out for karaoke night at a neighborhood coffee house. Green Hills Library invited all tweens and teens for a karaoke night at Strange Brew Cafe on West 103rd Street and 87th Street on Feb. 22. Organized by Green Hill Library Youth Program…

Luis Garcia, of Oak Forest and the owner and chef of Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant #2, 12778 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights. (Photos by Kelly White)

Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant opens in Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White When choosing a location for his second business location, Luis Garcia knew he wanted it to be Palos Heights. “I absolutely love it here,” Luis Garcia, of Oak Forest and the owner and chef of Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant #2, said. “It’s a great area, nice clientele and I’m happy…

The corner of Crandall and Depot in Worth will be the future site of the Garden Center Services apartment complex. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Worth Polar Plunge raises record amount

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The FOP Worth Polar Plunge has been deemed a major success and local officials said the amount raised has set a new record. The annual event, sponsored by the Worth Police Department, took place in a large swimming pool that was put up in the parking lot of the Marrs-Meyer…

Kris Sumner, Youth Programming Librarian at Green Hills Public Library, is responsible for organizing the Eid Clothing Bazaar at the library, 10331 Interlochen Dr., Palos Hills. (Supplied photos)

Green Hills Public Library hosts Eid Clothing Drive

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Islamic calendar has two major holidays each year: Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and celebrates an entire month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of the sacrifice that occurs during the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage season. It takes place two lunar months after Ramadan.…

big PoliceLights1

Police Blotter

Spread the love

Spread the loveCHICAGO RIDGE DUI Orlando De La Rosa, 32, of Berwyn, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop at 2:29 a.m. March 8 in the 9200 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said he failed field sobriety tests and refused to submit a breath sample. He was also…

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer rides in the Fourth of July parade in 2022. (File photo)

Oak Lawn seeks participants for Fourth of July parade

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle It may be spring, but it is not too early to talk about a summer parade. The Oak Lawn Village Board approved a resolution Tuesday morning authorizing the submission of a permit request to the Illinois Department of Transportation for the 2024 Fourth of July Parade. The resolution approves the…

Veronica Shaw

Sandburg welcomes new associate principal of instruction

Spread the love

Spread the loveConsolidated High School District 230 Board of Education is welcoming Dr. Veronica Shaw to Carl Sandburg High School as its new Associate Principal of Instruction. She begins July 1 and replaces Anita Huffman who was recently appointed as District 230’s Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. With ample education leadership experience, Shaw is currently…