Public Health Director Issues Clarifications on Ebola Guidelines

                      CHICAGO – Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
                      Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck today provided further
                      guidance on Illinois’ Ebola safety guidelines,
                      including mandatory home quarantines for individuals
                      who have a high-risk of exposure to the virus.

                      “The Ebola safety guidance IDPH issued on Friday was
                      designed to ensure that the public is protected
                      without discouraging our health care workers from
                      volunteering to fight this virus at its source,” Dr.
                      Hasbrouck said.  “These guidelines ensure that we
                      appropriately address the risks posed by workers who
                      have been directly exposed to the Ebola virus without
                      the necessary protective gear or procedures.  These
                      individuals have a higher probability of becoming ill
                      and a home quarantine is the most responsible way in
                      which to manage this situation.”

                      The guidance on Friday was issued in light of the
                      need for direction to local health departments about
                      following up on passenger returning from Sierra
                      Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The Centers for Disease
                      Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to issue guidance
                      on this topic soon.

                      The IDPH guidance calls for a 21-day home quarantine
                      for any returning traveler who has had high-risk
                      exposures to Ebola.

                      High-risk in this context refers to anyone who:

                      • Had unprotected (percutaneous or mucous membrane)
                      contact with infectious blood or body fluids of an
                      Ebola patient.
                      • Made direct skin contact with blood or body fluids
                      of an Ebola patient without appropriate personal
                      protective equipment (PPE).
                      • Processed blood or body fluids of an Ebola patient
                      without appropriate equipment or standard biosafety
                      precautions.
                      • Made direct contact with the dead body of an Ebola
                      patient without appropriate PPE.
                      • Lived with or shared a household with an Ebola
                      patient in an outbreak affected country.

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CHICAGO - Members of the Growing Resources and Opportunity for the Workforce in Illinois (GROW-IL) coalition have released the following statement in response to the action taken by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) hearing on hydraulic fracturing today:

"The GROW coalition appreciates and understands JCAR's decision to delay the hydraulic fracturing rulemaking process until the end of this month. Lawmakers are wisely utilizing this review process and prudently asking the IDNR to carefully draft rules which resemble the negotiated legislation that was signed into law. What's at stake is the potential to jumpstart our state's economic recovery and create tens of thousands of new jobs-let's be sure we get this right," said Mark Denzler of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and GROW-IL co/chair.

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Congressman Rodney Davis (R) Statement on FAA Control Center Getting Back Online

Champaign, IL – U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, yesterday spoke with FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to discuss the recent incident at the FAA air traffic control center in Aurora, the impact on local travel, and the FAA’s response.

“I had a very positive conversation with Administrator Huerta yesterday and am pleased with the FAA’s response to safely manage our skies after last week’s incident,” said Davis. “While it’s difficult to be prepared for these types of incidents, each passing day, the airports in the Chicago area are increasing their efficiency thanks to the FAA working closely with air traffic controllers and airlines. Regional airports in my district and the passengers they support were negatively impacted by this incident, so I look forward to the results of the FAA’s 30-day review plan and the long and short term fixes they will propose. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure to implement those fixes to make us better prepared for similar incidents in the future.”