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Please, don’t do this

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Illinois

* Rep. Jawaharial Williams (D-Chicago) asks questions about a bill while sitting behind the wheel of an automobile during the House Labor & Commerce Committee hearing today. If you watch the live feed, you can see he’s driving…

I warned people about stuff like this in today’s subscriber edition.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:34 pm

Comments

They are going to need to amend the remote meetings law to specify stationary participation only. What a goof.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:39 pm
Get that location data and give him a citation.

Comment by Anon E Moose Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:41 pm
this zoom crap has to end.. democracy at its worst..

Comment by NotRich Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:44 pm
should we have a contest on craziest/different location to zoom in from. . .

Comment by Todd Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:44 pm
I can understand this being problematic when you include video but who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving?

Comment by dan l Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:46 pm
===who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving? ===

He’s looking at video of himself on his phone while he’s driving, for crying out loud.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:50 pm
-hasn’t taken a conference call-

Conference calls are one thing, but this is official legislative business that requires members to be camera. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, all these folks would be in Springfield in suits. Try harder members.

Comment by MakePoliticsCoolAgain Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:54 pm
“who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving”

I’d guess most people. I’ve never done it and I’m pretty sure my wife has never done it. Maybe schedule things so you don’t have to be on the road when you have to do a conference call or at least find a place you can pull over to do it.

Comment by Scott Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 1:58 pm
He should get a ticket

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:00 pm
Outside the obvious safety concerns and dangers to himself and others driving… if you can’t take your job serious enough that you must be engaged in a way that reasonable folks would deem unacceptable business behavior… how can this be seen as “good” or engaging in process.

This is a serious way to engage… maybe while shifting lanes?

He’s not the only one seemingly disrespecting the duties, at times maybe dangerously.

Pretend it *is* actual session or committee hearings and be in one place prepared to engage in a professional and honorable member the office commands.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:00 pm
- who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving? -

I do it all the time, I don’t use the freaking video.

Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:04 pm
What a joke. Every legislator should get the vaccine along with staff and let’s get back to business in a responsible way.

Comment by SuburbanRepublican Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:04 pm
this is gross.

Comment by Kittycakes Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:06 pm
If legislators had police powers, he could ticket himself.

Or others who noticed could ticket him

Comment by Fav Human Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:06 pm
I’ve seen this happen multiple times over the last few weeks. Most memorable was Rep. Chris Miller in what I am assuming was the truck with the infamous sticker, along with Congresswoman Miller in the front seat and one of her campaign signs plainly sitting in the back seat. This all happened while the vehicle was in motion. It was a baffling amount of sillyness.

Comment by Dancing Bears Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:07 pm
They all have been doing it, and they passed the law making it a moving violation a year ago. If ISP had any guts they would issue the citation to him. But, alas, they don’t. More “rules for thee and not for me” non-sense. Hypocrites.

Comment by ;) Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:18 pm
I see drivers FaceTime and drive all the time.

Comment by Estubborn Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:22 pm
=but who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving?=

Narrator - multiple studies done since 2006 show that driving while talking on the phone - whether or not it is hands-free - is the equivalent to driving with a .08 BAC. And, in fact, AAA released a study showing that hands-free talking and driving is actually more dangerous than holding the phone while doing it.

But please, do continue that practice

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:25 pm
=but who hasn’t taken a conference call while driving?=

I haven’t. I won’t even take a regular call while driving. If I have to take or make a call, I’ll pull over.

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 2:38 pm
===Get that location data and give him a citation. ===

I would imagine he could use that he was engaged in official state business as his defense.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 3:02 pm
I’m mainly concerned about the safety. I don’t really care about appearances that’s why we have elections.

And I prefer zoom over having the reps meet. Much harder for lobbyists to get all the reps at the same time when they have to drive from place to place. Plus having them nearer home means they are closer to their constituents to provide constituent services. win. win.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 3:56 pm
Can be controlled, and should be, by Committee chairs in realtime.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 4:44 pm
I blame it on the creepy kid from the Mazda ads.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 4:57 pm
But…he is a representative.

Comment by S. Side Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 5:22 pm
I guess the fact that he was driving explains the quality of the questions he asked. Seemed like he hadn’t read the bill or listened to the discussion on it. Let’s get these folks back no person so they can concentrate on the important job they are elected to do (and off the roads while they do it).

Comment by Wonk Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 6:17 pm
Ohhhh not very smart at all. No zoom calls while driving. Actually no live feeds and reading comments while driving.

Comment by Levois J Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 7:24 pm
State Senator Laura Fine’s Chief of Staff (a Northfield Township Trustee who wants to be Supervisor) still sees nothing wrong with Zooming and Driving as she did in the March 9 Township Board Meeting… she was hands free, she says.

Senator Fine has been outspoken against distracted driving and has a personal story to tell about it. I wonder what she thinks of this.

https://www.journal-topics.com/articles/mohsenzadeh-to-step-down-as-fines-chief-of-staff-if-elected-northfield-township-supervisor/

Comment by Northfield Township Wednesday, Mar 24, 21 @ 11:35 pm