Elmhurst Politician Avoids 'Concentration Camp' Claims

ELMHURST, IL — State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican, is distancing herself from conservative media's claims that a Democratic lawmaker is pushing a bill that could result in "concentration camps."

Mazzochi is critical of the bill by Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, but Mazzochi's spokeswoman said the lawmaker has not ever made or shared claims similar to those spread by the Illinois Review, a conservative website.

Conroy has received death threats in relation to the bill. She called Illinois Review's story a "flagrantly false post."

Earlier this month, Illinois Review, a conservative website, reported Conroy's bill would allow government to create concentration camps to quarantine people.

But the website cited language that had been in state law for years, not provisions that Conroy proposed.

Conroy's amendment would give local health departments the right to access data from the state Department of Public Health. The language would be incorporated into an old law that deals with quarantines, including references to tuberculosis patients.

In an email, Mazzochi's spokeswoman, Amy Shanks, said the legislator is focused on flaws in the bill, not the old language.

Mazzochi declined to answer questions about the issue when Patch approached her before a Hinsdale High School District 86 board meeting last week.

In a Feb. 2 statement on Facebook, Mazzochi said Conroy "has no answer to the fact that HB 4640 lets a public health authority demand any doctor turn over private medical records without consent, without any oversight, and without a court order, so long as they slap the phrase 'research purposes' on it, because that is exactly what her legislation says — and that is what we the people do not want."

The phrase, "research purposes," is contained in the existing law, not what Conroy introduced.

Mazzochi also said the bill would let local health departments "pursue an incredible amount of sensitive data from your medical records, including pregnancy, cancer treatments or prescription drug habits."

Mazzochi was responding to Conroy's statement on Facebook that she introduced the bill at the request of the DuPage County Health Department and other local health agencies.

In that post, Conroy said local health agencies need timely access to health data. And she said those departments have a long history of protecting the privacy of people's health information.

Conroy also said the legislation does not provide any local government unit any more powers over people or reduce privacy.

Besides the Illinois Review, the conservative DuPage Policy Journal also has made claims about Conroy's proposed language. It said Democratic DuPage County Board members are supporting a bill that would enable health officials to create "Australia- and China-style concentration camps for Illinoisans refusing to take COVID-19 jabs."

The website referred to Conroy's bill as the "concentration camp measure."

Neither the Illinois Review nor the DuPage Policy Journal has returned Patch's messages.