The Illinois General Assembly passed a judicial reform bill on the 13th that will allow anonymous reporting of police and law enforcement officers. (Chicago Police Department Facebook)
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus proposed a bill to reform criminal justice policy and police force (HB163), which passed the state Senate at 5:00 a.m. on the 13th, and was quickly passed by the House of Representatives in less than an hour, which means that future offenders will not be required to post bail to get out of jail before going to trial and being convicted.
After the House and Senate vote, the bill will then be sent to the governor for signature and operation.
The new law includes the repeal of bail bonds and the prohibition of police chokeholds. However, the bill passed on the 13th eliminates some controversial provisions, including “the ability to file civil lawsuits against police officers accused of civil rights violations” and “the state will cancel funding for local units that fail to comply with the requirement that law enforcement officers carry cameras with them.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition issued a statement saying that “the Illinois Legislature’s civil action has made the state less safe” and that the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association also expressed its disappointment with the bill’s passage. The Illinois State’s Attorneys Association also expressed their opposition to the bill, stating that the law would seriously undermine public safety and overturn long-standing, common-sense policies and practices in the criminal justice system.
Republican members of the Senate were unanimous in their opposition to the bill’s passage, including the reasons for opposing the new version of the bill, which was submitted for debate only an hour before it was voted on.
State Senator Elgie Sims, who is leading the bill, said the bill is a comprehensive and transformative plan to reform criminal justice, reduce violence and strengthen police accountability across Illinois.
He also rebutted Republican lawmakers who say they oppose gun violence but do not support gun control laws that would reduce crime, saying that the new bill would fundamentally change the way criminal justice is conducted in the state to reduce crime.
The House voted on the bill and it passed with slightly more than the minimum 60 votes.
The bill was opposed by a Chinese citizen, Zhang Bin, who said he could not agree with many of the provisions of the new law, especially the abolition of cash bail after the passage of the law, criminals in court and before being convicted must not pay bail to get out of jail, Zhang Bin said, Chinatown robberies, homicide suspects, a high probability are recidivists awaiting trial, if the justice system to these criminals condone, “where is the safety and security of the people?
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