EXECUTIVE ORDER IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
(COVID-19 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 27)
WHEREAS, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel severe acute respiratory illness that can spread among people through respiratory transmissions and present with symptoms similar to those of influenza; and,
WHEREAS, in a short period of time, COVID-19 has rapidly spread throughout Illinois, necessitating updated and more stringent guidance from federal, state, and local public health officials; and,
WHEREAS, the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois is increasing exponentially and across more locations in Illinois and is resulting in an increasing number of deaths; and,
WHEREAS, I, JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area on March 9, 2020 (the First Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation) in response to the outbreak of COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, Executive Order 2020-10, extended by Executive Order 2020-18, mandated that Illinois residents stay at home unless otherwise permitted under the order and that all non-essential business and operations within the State cease for the remainder of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation; and,
WHEREAS, I again declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area on April 1, 2020 (the Second Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, and, together with the First Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations) in response to the exponential spread of COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, Executive Order 2020-10 identifies “insurance services” as a category of Essential Businesses and Operations; and,
WHEREAS, the Illinois Department of Insurance licenses certain Illinois insurance professionals pursuant to its authority set forth in the Illinois Insurance Code, 215 ILCS 5/1 et. seq.; and,
WHEREAS, the Illinois Insurance Code requires Illinois insurance professionals to complete certain educational courses and examinations in-person prior to issuance or renewal of a professional licenses from the Department of Insurance; and,
WHEREAS, due to the stay at home order and prohibition of group gatherings, and to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health, educational providers have cancelled previously scheduled in-person classroom insurance courses and examinations, making it impossible for some licensed insurance professionals to meet some of the statutory licensing requirements within the stated time frames; and,
WHEREAS, I find it necessary to allow for the maintenance of professional insurance licenses while the social distancing measures of Executive Order 2020-10 are in effect, which is important for the continued licensing and employment of insurance professionals and their ability to provide necessary insurance services to consumers during this pandemic;
THEREFORE, by the powers vested in me as the Governor of the State of Illinois, pursuant to Sections 7(1), 7(2), 7(8), and 7(12) of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 20 ILCS 3305, I hereby order the following:
Section 1. During the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations, the following specific provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code and their accompanying regulations, which require in-person education and/or exams within a certain time frame in order to maintain or obtain a professional insurance license are suspended only to the extent set forth below:
- The requirements for hours of classroom courses for insurance producer and public adjuster licensing set forth in 215 ILCS 5/500-30(a)(3) and (b), and 5/1565(a), and accompanying regulations at 50 Ill. Adm. Code 3119.50(b) and 3118.65(a), are suspended to the extent necessary to permit required hours of coursework to be completed via webinar or other approved distance learning.
- The limitation on temporary insurance producer licenses issued pursuant to 215 ILCS 5/500-65 to 90 days is suspended for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations. Such licenses that have expired or are set to expire during the period of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations shall be extended for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations.
- The requirement set forth in 215 ILCS 5/500-25(a) that both parts of the two-part producer examination must be passed within 90 days of each other, is suspended for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations. Section 2. If any provision of this Executive Order or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, this invalidity does not affect any other provision or application of this Executive Order, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Executive Order are declared to be severable.
Issued by the Governor April 20, 2020
Filed by the Secretary of State April 20, 2020