Herald & Review editorial board
One of the things we anticipated following the election of J.B Pritzker was a difference in action. There was work to do, and Springfield under Pritzker provided optimism that the inertia of the Rauner administration would be a memory.
This yearâs veto session wasnât exactly what we had in mind.
Legislating was far from easy as COVID-19 changed our lives in 2020 and into 2021. The requirement that Illinois lawmakers gather in person proved a challenge. But that was a challenge for everyone, and most office-based businesses found ways around the issue.
The veto session showed glaring flaws in the system. The limits placed on media and lobbyists, those most important to informing the public about Springfield discussions and decisions, helped contribute to some objectionable moves. One of those has been signed, amid protests, into law by Pritzker. Another sits on his desk now awaiting his signature.
Illinois law enforcement wants changes in criminal justice bill
Raymon Troncoso
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD Law enforcement groups have decried the Monday signing of a massive criminal justice reform bill into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, referring to the legislation as anti-police with provisions that will lead to unintended consequences.
House Bill 3653, referred to as the “Safe-T Act,” ends the use of cash bail by 2023 and grants increased state oversight of police agencies statewide, among other provisions. Law enforcement and Republican lawmakers opposed the legislation, citing problematic language in some provisions, while maintaining support for the law’s intent.
“We support police accountability, certification measures, robust training, and the use of body worn cameras,” Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black, who serves as president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said in a statement released Monday. “We agree with the reform concepts con
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker and several lawmakers are touring the state touting the new justice reform law that was signed this week. House Bill 3653, meant to reshape criminal justice and policing in Illin.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) on Monday signed a criminal justice reform bill that eliminates the cash bail. The Prairie State is the first state in the country to eliminate the system.
Those who take issues with cash bail frequently say poorer communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the system. This legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state and our nation and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness and true justice, Pritzker said in a statement. In this terrible year, in the middle of a brutal viral pandemic that hurt Black people and Brown people disproportionately, lawmakers fought to address the pandemic of systemic racism in the wake of national protests. This bill was also infused with solutions from individuals most directly impacted: survivors of domestic violence, survivors of crime, and those who have been detai