Dear Friend,

On April 23, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a modified extension of his stay-at-home order. While he did include some minor modifications to his original order, the Governor has yet to announce any plans for a regional re-opening of the state’s economy.

We are weeks into a statewide shutdown which took a one-size-fits-all approach geared directly toward the City of Chicago and has had widespread negative consequences on many businesses and families of this state. Continuing forward with the same blanket approach will only hinder any attempts for this state to begin to recovering. 

​I would urge the Governor to give regional consideration to any further action taken in response to the ongoing COVID-19 health situation and recognize that Illinois as a whole can no longer be held hostage by rigid regulations and guidelines created for Chicago. 

Click here to see modifications to the ongoing stay-at-home order. 

Also during the week, I joined with other members of the Senate Republican caucus to send a letter to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker asking for increased transparency on critical issues relating to the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We argue that transparency in government is a necessary hallmark of a well-functioning democracy. And at no time is robust transparency more vital to our society than during the current state of emergency when your office possesses unparalleled power and authority over every aspect of the daily lives of Illinois residents. 

As the Governor has chosen to extend this stay at home order for another 30 days, the people of this state deserve full disclosure about the decisions being made that will impact their livelihoods and families for the days, weeks and months ahead. 

Click here to see our letter to Governor Pritzker.

Moving forward, please do not hesitate to reach out to my District Office via phone or e-mail if we can be of assistance. I am here to represent you. 

Sincerely,

Dale Righter 
State Senator for the 55th District