Carbondale Reporter

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) is urging her constituents to remain safety-conscious this holiday season.

“House fires are four times more likely to happen on Thanksgiving Day due to the nature of involving more cooking equipment,” Bryant said in a press release, where she also pointed to U.S. Fire Administration numbers that indicate from 2017 to 2019 an average of 2,300 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day.

With that, Bryant is hammering home tips put forth by the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office that she insists would be wise to follow not just over the Thanksgiving holiday but all year long. Among the tips: Never leave food that you are frying, boiling, grilling or broiling unattended; keeping the area around the stove clear of towels, papers, potholders or anything that can burn and to using cooking gloves that protect hands and arms when you handle a pot.

And with deep-frying turkey becoming more popular by the holiday, Bryant advises to “make sure to not overfill oil in the fryer and to only use a turkey fryer outdoors.”

Finally, creating a “Kid Free Zone” of at least three feet in the area of the stove or anywhere you are preparing hot food or drinks is advised.

After assuming office in the 58th District earlier this year, the Carbondale Reporter reported Bryant recently announced plans to seek re-election in the newly created district in 2022.

“The people of the 58th district deserve a Senator with a strong conservative record,” Bryant said in a post to Facebook. “My record as state senator reflects my pro-growth, pro-jobs, limited government philosophy. I’ve stood strong against what I think are executive overreaches and I’ve taken JB Pritzker to task for his failed handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Bryant argues the governor’s missteps haven’t ended there, charging what she sees as his botched handling of unemployment benefits led to even more suffering for many residents.

“The Governor’s lack of engagement with the legislature in managing the COVID-19 pandemic amount to the actions of an out-of-control chief executive and people are sick of it,” she said.

Bryant recently filed legislation she said is aimed at protecting parents from what she describes as the governor’s overreach.

“This legislation seeks to preserve a parents’ decision-making authority regarding their child’s education and healthcare,” she recently posted on Facebook. “Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen countless examples of the government’s disregard for the rights of Illinois parents. Enough is enough. Parents have a right to be involved and to have a say in the education and wellbeing of their child.”

Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment (SJRCA 12) seeks to add a new section to the Illinois Bill of Rights establishing that parents have the right to determine their child’s education and healthcare in relationship to the coronavirus without infringement up until the time that the child attains the age of majority.

Bryant recently fought against an amendment to the Health Care Right to Conscience Act that would make it easier for employers to enforce COVID mandates.

“The act allows people the right to refuse to receive or take part in health care services that are contrary to their conscience,” Bryant said at an Oct. 26 news conference where the issue was debated. “I'm retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections. I spent a good portion of my career dealing with inmate lawsuits and finding time and time again that an inmate is given the right to say what his sincerely held religious beliefs are. However, Gov. Pritzker doesn’t want to give the free people of this state even the small amount of freedom that is given to inmates within the Department of Corrections.”

Gov. Pritzker signed the bill into law on Nov. 8.