Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Here we go again…

Posted in:

Illinois

* Center Square doing its usual thing…

Bill expanding emergency powers for Illinois state agency advances

A measure now in the Illinois House says the Illinois Emergency Management Agency would be able to do “all things necessary, incidental, or appropriate for the implementation” of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.

Opponents of Senate Bill 3434 said Illinois’ emergency authority continues under the Pritzker administration and giving more power lacks proper oversight. State Sen. Win Stoller, R-Germantown Hills, said the bill grants extraordinary power to the department’s rulemaking authority and bypasses the legislature.

“The language of the bill says the agency shall do ‘all things necessary, incidental or appropriate for the implementation’ of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, including the adoption of rules in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedures Act. That’s a lot of power that the department is looking for and it begs the question, ‘Why is all that necessary?’” Stoller said. “It was mentioned in committee that sometimes you need to trust the department to do the right thing. If there’s one thing that makes me nervous it’s when the government says ‘trust us.’” […]

Stoller said sometimes there are emergencies that require quick responses, but there’s already a mechanism in place where the governor can declare 30-day emergency declarations and disasters.

“He [Pritzker] has done that. In fact he’s done that quite a lot. We currently have an asylum declaration for asylum seekers and that’s been going on for over two years,” said Stoller on the Senate floor. “In fact, under Pritzker we have been under continuous declarations and it is my opinion that the governor has been abusing this authority, bypassing the legislative process.”

* I reached out to the governor’s office for comment. I was told this is “an absurdly wrong understanding of the bill”…

Currently IEMA has, on an individual grant by grant basis, rulemaking authority for some of their grant programs. There isn’t uniformity with their rule making authority across their many grants, and for at least two grant programs, they have no rulemaking authority in statute.

The solution that IEMA sought was to codify IEMA’s rulemaking authority for ALL of their grant programs. That is what this bill does. As you know, this means more things going through JCAR, not less.

Examples of grants where IEMA does not currently have rulemaking authority in statute:

• 9/11 Maintenance Grants
• Preparedness and Response Grant Program

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 1:05 pm

Comments

– If there’s one thing that makes me nervous it’s when the government says ‘trust us.’ –

It was very thoughtful of Mr. Stoller to let us know he thinks we shouldn’t trust him as a member of the government.

“an absurdly wrong understanding of the bill”

Well of course it is. We just heard him proudly declare not to trust him.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 1:21 pm
@Invisible Man
Compliments. You took the words right out of my mouth. I wonder if he realizes he is government and if he understands the different parts of government. Oh well–he told us not to trust anything he says.

Comment by Almost retired Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 1:58 pm
It has always been funny to me that same people that do not think government can do anything are the same ones that have all these conspiracy theories and thinks government can do everything. I have told some of my friends that fall into that camp that government cannot fill both those rolls, it either has to be one or the other.

Comment by Route 50 Corridor Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 2:02 pm
Echoing everyone above. If you don’t like how things operate under the current statutes, whip enough votes to get them changed, don’t just fear monger about the unknown.

That all being said, in my experience the “don’t give X any more power” people always seem to wildly change their tune when their party is in charge. Same with the “leave it to the states” or “let locals control” people. Most people who say those things don’t actually believe it, because as soon as one of the lower level units does something they don’t like, they switch it up. See both TX and FL putting restrictions on cities being able to institute worker safety heat ordinances, or IN banning Indianapolis from implementing a bus lane.

Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 2:31 pm
The new Center Square reporter seems to be quite a character, even by Center Square standards

Comment by Ex Staffer Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 2:38 pm
Suggestion for the next Center Square - Illinois Policy Institute book discussion group: “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” an essay by Richard Hofstadter.

Comment by Moe Berg Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 2:40 pm
Center Square and their propaganda arm, IRN, really are the definition of irrelevant.

All the paranoia, fear-mongering, and my favorite, reporting on bills that never stood a chance getting out of committee. That was their stock and trade.

Not even a poor man’s Foxnews anymore.

Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Apr 16, 24 @ 2:47 pm