In this issue:
- Working to restore public safety
- Controversial homeschool bill passes committee, Republicans vote No
- Illinois’ unemployment rate holds at 4.9%
- Illinois headlines
Working to restore public safety
In the years since the SAFE-T Act was enacted, concern has been growing in Illinois about criminals released from custody to potentially commit more crimes. House Republicans have introduced a package of bills to restore public safety in Illinois, but so far the ruling party in Springfield has continued to prioritize their vision of “reform” at the expense of public safety. These changes have made the jobs of police officers harder and have too often put criminals first.
Just last week two Iroquois County sheriff’s deputies were injured by a suspect who was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and attempting to disarm a peace officer. However, according to the Sheriff’s Office, “Due to the SAFE-T Act, a violent criminal, who physically fought with and injured deputies, attempting to disarm one, was released back into the public.” Meanwhile in Streator two men arrested on charges related to a burglary were set free because of the SAFE-T Act.
The bills House Republicans have filed would take action to make our state safer and undo some of the damage done to public safety by the recent attempts at overhauling our criminal justice laws. My bill, House Bill 1200, would set up a process for recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers for agencies throughout the state. House Bill 1028 repeals the SAFE-T Act altogether. House Bill 2804 would strengthen penalties for those who traffic and market fentanyl to children. House Bill 3206 would put in place tougher penalties for fleeing and eluding police. House Bill 1479 revokes the pre-trial release aspects of the SAFE-T Act which made law enforcement unable to hold dangerous criminals before trial, and House Bill 1482 expands the “detention net” for pre-trial release so that those who are arrested on felony charges can be held in jail.
So far none of these bills have been allowed a vote, but the pressure is growing for taking action to improve public safety. In addition to the happenings in Iroquois County last week, we also learned the details of a case in Sangamon County in which a criminal who led police on a deadly 100-mph chase had to be released after he was arrested, due to the requirements of the SAFE-T Act. This cannot continue. Public safety must come first!
Controversial homeschool bill passes committee, Republicans vote No
House Bill 2827, a controversial proposal to put intrusive and heavy-handed mandates on homeschool families, passed the House Education Policy committee this week, with all Republicans voting No. The bill now goes to the House floor for consideration by the full body.
If this bill comes up for a vote in the next few weeks, I will be voting No. Well over 40,000 Illinoisans have taken the time to file witness slips in opposition to the legislation. If you have not already done so, you can visit my website to sign my petition to stop this bill. If you have, thank you for participating and making your voice heard!
The deadline for House bills to advance over to the Senate is April 11.
Illinois’ unemployment rate holds at 4.9%
Unemployment in Illinois continues to be higher than the national average, with the January unemployment report showing that the state held steady at a 4.9% unemployment rate, nearly a full percentage point higher than the national average. The unemployment rate in December was also 4.9%.
In 2024 Illinois lost 17,800 jobs in the category of Professional and Business Services, 5900 jobs in the Manufacturing category and 3400 jobs in Construction. There were slight gains in health services, education and government, but not enough to outweigh the losses.
Data for the report came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and was released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $2,255,722,554. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.3 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
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Illinois department streamlines online licensing system
Illinois High School Association announces major classification policy changes
Illinois’ community colleges see nearly 9% spike in spring enrollment