CLINTON — The biggest problem for Republican legislators in Springfield, as Rep. Dan Caulkins and Sen. Chapin Rose see it; the Democrats work in secret and don’t consult the other party.

That was a big part of their message during a town hall meeting held Monday at Clinton High School.

“We’re not being consulted in the House,” Caulkins said.  “We’re trying our best to make our views known.  It hasn’t worked out very well.”

Rose said he felt bringing legislators together from both parties was a better way to solve the state’s problems.

He cited Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s most recent executive order on mask-wearing in public schools this fall as an example of bad governance.

“If the governor had said in May or June, ‘Hey, let’s get a group from healthcare groups and people from the school districts, and we’ll all sit down and figure out how to handle this,’ I think everyone could handle that,” Rose said. 

Rose felt local school districts working with their local health departments could come up with good plans for their districts for returning to school this month.

Pritzker announced the state would require students returning to Illinois public schools in August to wear masks.  Most states in the U.S. are experiencing significant increases in COVID-19 cases, especially among unvaccinated people.  The Delta strain of the virus also has affected a younger age group as well.

• See the complete story in the Friday, August 13, print edition of the Clinton Journal or now in the Journal E-Edition.