SE Illinois News

State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) was ordered removed from the first formal gathering of House members in more than two months on Wednesday after he refused to wear a face covering during the session.

Prior to the start of the session at the Bank of Springfield Center, House members adopted rules requiring all members and visitors to wear face coverings during meetings as a way of mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

After Bailey steadfastly told members he “will not” comply, lawmakers voted by a 3-to-1 margin (81-27) to have him removed in a vote initiated by Democratic Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Before the final vote was taken, Bailey could be seen talking for several minutes with House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who later asked all members to comply with the new rules.

“We cannot ignore nor compromise the health and safety of every member of the General Assembly, their family members, every one of our staffers who works tirelessly for us,” Durkin told the Belleville News-Democrat.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker also later took Bailey to task, insisting “the representative has shown a callous disregard for life, callous disregard for people’s health,” the governor said during his daily COVID-19 news conference. “A doctor (will) tell you why people wear masks in the first place. It’s to protect others. So clearly, the representative has no interest in protecting others.”

Bailey has been a thorn in the Pritzker’s side ever since filing an injunction in opposition to his stay-at-home order earlier this month where a judge ruled in his favor.