Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) | Courtesy Photo
Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) | Courtesy Photo
Information is getting harder to come by during the global pandemic, according to some lawmakers and the media.
“The access for the media and the public have been really reined in under COVID and I don’t think that’s the way we should operate in the General Assembly,” state Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) said.
State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) also raised her concern last week. “Without filing a Freedom of Information Act request she couldn’t get information from the Pritzker administration about COVID-19 vaccination schedules in the state’s prisons,” The Center Square reported.
“Why can I not get a copy of which institutions he’s doing on which dates,” Bryant said. “Why is that secret?”
According to The Center Square, The Department of Corrections said in a statement that schedules for vaccination are not publicly released "for safety and security purposes.”
Members of the media are also having a hard time getting information.
CQ Roll Call writer John Donnelly said that government offices are his usual go-to when validating where to get public information.
“I have found unfortunately during the pandemic that (when) making that call, no one answers a lot of times because they’re not in the office,” Donnelly said.
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