Illinois lawmakers could address SAFE-T Act concerns as early as next week

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[November 10, 2022]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers return to Springfield for the fall veto session next week and the controversial SAFE-T Act is expected to garner some attention.

 

 

The criminal justice package has been criticized by both sides of the aisle, especially the dozens of state's attorneys around Illinois who have filed a lawsuit to have the legislation scrapped.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked Wednesday now that the pressure of the election is over, does he expect Democratic lawmakers to change anything about the SAFE-T Act next week.

“I will be watching carefully,” Pritzker said. “I’ve made my thoughts clear and we’ll see if we can get something done during the veto session to address the changes that we ought to be making.”

A proponent of the legislation, the People’s Lobby, said election results prove Illinoisans are in favor of ending cash bail, the most controversial provision in the law.

“Republicans know the facts and data about pretrial incarceration are on our side, so they tried to win people over by stoking fear and outrage,” state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, said. “What they don’t understand is that Trumpian tactics don’t work in the suburbs.”

Illinois will become the first state in the country to abolish cash bail Jan. 1. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, a former prosecutor, said there are other stipulations in the act that also should raise a red flag.

“There’s another provision in here which says there is a 90-day trial requirement for anybody who is detained, otherwise they will be released from custody and that includes people who are charged with perhaps a detainable offense like armed robbery up to someone who has been charged with multiple murders. It's outrageous,” Durkin said.

The consolidated lawsuits against the SAFE-T Act are expected to be heard in Kankakee County court in early December.

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis said the case may go to the state’s highest court.

“If the law is declared unconstitutional, then obviously there is no law,” Weis said. “However, an appeal will then go directly to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.

 

 

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