(WGEM) -- New emergency rules filed Friday by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker would codify opening a business in violation of his stay-at-home order as a violation of Illinois Department of Public Health regulations.
The rules allow businesses to be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine ranging anywhere from $75 to $2,500. Less than a year of jail time is also a possibility.
According to documents, prosecution would be carried out by the county state's attorney's office.
A bipartisan oversight committee made up of legislators has the chance to review the new rules on Wednesday. If the committee doesn't take action to reject the rules, they would remain in effect for 150 days.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin issued a statement on Sunday calling the rules a legal overreach and beyond the scope of the governor's authority.
According to reporting from , Pritzker's attorney's have described the change as a milder form of enforcement that targets business, not employees.
"Nobody’s getting arrested or handcuffed," attorney Ann Spillane told WTTW. "But they are getting a citation where they would have to go to court.�
