North Cook News

Northfield Township Committeeman TJ Brown is on high alert after a Democrat-sponsored bill would grant state and local government extraordinary powers during times of public health crises.

The bill – HB 4640 – is sponsored by State Rep. Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park). It has been roundly criticized for its authoritarian tone.

Conroy’s bill would allow the state to "isolate or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive vaccines, medications, or other treatments."

"When I first heard about this bill from a member of our organization in Northfield Township, I initially thought that it was an overwrought exaggeration. But then I read the text of the bill. If anything, my concerned member understated the extent of this bill. I don't know how it could pass Constitutional muster, compelling people to either submit to a physical examination (including but not limited to a COVID test) or be forced to isolate from their family, friends and associates," Brown told North Cook News. 

Brown added the move runs counter to previous legislation successfully pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and fellow Democrats to de-criminalize HIV transmission, NBC5 Chicago reported. 

"I am not sure the provision allowing for forced vaccination or medical care also passes Constitutional muster. Just last year, the General Assembly passed and J.B. Pritzker signed legislation that decriminalized an HIV positive person not sharing HIV status with an intimate partner,” Brown said. 

The bill would give local health departments and state officials formal legal authority to thoroughly regulate the behavior of anyone who does not obey their COVID-19 limitations and rules, including isolating and guarding them.

"This bill would not pass a General Assembly comprised of serious people who eschew a dystopian police state,” Brown said. “However, I expect it to pass the Illinois General Assembly, and I expect yes votes from the lawmakers who represent Northfield Township: Bob Morgan (who is sponsoring a vaccine registry bill), Jonathan Carroll (who proposed a heinous bill depriving unvaccinated people of health care), Laura Fine, Julie Morrison, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, and Robyn Gabel (who gutted the health care right of conscience act). I also expect yes votes from Marty Moylan and Laura Murphy, who will represent a small corner of our township starting next year. I beg each of them to surprise me, to show some respect for individual rights.”

According to the text, local health departments can "adopt any rules" necessary, which might include internment-like camps, which are popular in Australia right now, where anyone judged a risk can be arrested and taken to "isolation camps" where they are held in rooms and fed once a day.

Three fugitives from one Howard Spring camp were recently “captured."

Conroy is running for chairman of the Board of Commissioners of DuPage County. According to political observers, the bill's harsh language will hinder her chances of being elected to the position, which pays roughly $128,000 per year.

Her current annual pay as a legislator is about $70,000, including bonuses.

COVID-19 mandates, some of which are now increasingly being successfully challenged under constitutional grounds in local courts, in Illinois are among the most rigorous in the country.

Despite new findings from the CDC and Johns Hopkins University indicating natural immunity provides superior protection against COVID-19 than vaccines, the bill is still being discussed.

"I hope voters express their anger loudly on the ballot this Fall,” Brown said.