- June 26, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
Last week, I asked the spokespersons for all four state legislative caucus leaders if they considered the spring session’s COVID protocols in their respective chambers to be a success. I didn’t think I’d get much in the way of a newsworthy response, but I actually did.
Jaclyn Driscoll was a Missouri Statehouse reporter before she was hired as House Speaker Chris Welch’s spokesperson this spring. Driscoll also covered the Illinois Statehouse before moving to Missouri.
Driscoll said there was no mask mandate in the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature during the pandemic and she was infected.
“Not only did I contract COVID, but a lawmaker ended up on a ventilator,” Driscoll said. “Some lawmakers even actively and publicly shamed others for wearing masks.”
By contrast, Driscoll said, “it was nice to be surrounded by people who led with science and common sense,” in Illinois. “We did see some people contract the virus, but I…
