Adam Niemerg: Illinois House Goes To Mask Optional

SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is issuing the following statement on the Illinois House lifting the mask mandate.

“I, along with a several of my colleagues in the House, recently challenged the mask policy by refusing to wear a mask in the House chambers. After being escorted off the House floor several times, I asked to have a sit-down conversation with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch about finding a suitable agreement on the mask policy, which we did have last week. After our conversation, the House voted today to officially lift the mask mandate.

There is no question the mask mandate would undoubtedly still be in place if it had not been challenged. The reason I challenged the policy is because we as leaders need to be helping – not hurting – the efforts to return to normal life. Mask optional is the norm in Illinois and the floor of the Illinois House should not be an exception to this policy.

Those who want to wear a mask on the floor of the House are free to do so, but those who don’t will no longer be forced to wear the mask and this how it should be. The pandemic was a serious public health crisis, but the worst is behind us, and it is time to return to life before the pandemic and we can’t do that as long as these mandates are in place. We can’t ask our residents to do something we ourselves are unwilling to do.”

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