Working for Illinois Caucus

Last month, the Illinois legislature strengthened its commitment to pretrial justice by passing the Pretrial Success Act as part of the state’s budget.

The program will dramatically increase access to voluntary community-based services for people caught up in the criminal legal system. This passage comes nine months after Illinois implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act, making us the first state in the nation to eliminate money bond.

The Pretrial Success Act allocates state funding to community organizations for providing essential services like mental health and substance use disorder treatment. It also provides funding for child care and transportation to help people with court appearances.

In January 2025, the state will pilot the program with an initial $3.5 million investment in five communities. The program will be fully implemented across the state beginning in July 2025. By increasing access to essential services, we can increase the chances of people getting the help they need and successfully exiting the criminal legal system.

The reforms Illinois has made to its pretrial legal system are historic not just for our state, but for the entire nation. No other state has demonstrated such intentionality to reforming pretrial practices. With the Pretrial Fairness and Pretrial Success Acts, we have shown the country that our commitment to pretrial justice is not a fleeting fad, but a deeply held value.

Not only will we fight to end the policies that have harmed communities over generations, but we’re committed to pretrial justice and community safety for the long haul.

Changing a broken system is not just about changing antiquated laws. It is also about replacing them with solutions proven to help our most vulnerable community members and improve community safety.

Before Illinois ended money bond, opponents tried to scare us with fear tactics, claiming that the Pretrial Fairness Act would lead to an unprecedented crime wave. They were wrong.

We have seen smooth and successful implementation of the law throughout the state. Thanks to the Pretrial Fairness Act, people are no longer being jailed simply because they lack the means to buy their freedom.

People are able to keep their jobs, housing, and positive family and social connections while awaiting trial in the community. The Pretrial Fairness Act was an important first step in ensuring our legal system prioritizes safety and justice – not access to money.

But ending a wealth-based detention system doesn’t do anything to prevent people from being arrested, and it’s undeniable that many people who encounter the criminal legal system need help. It is usually circumstance, not a desire to commit a crime, that leads people into the system in the first place.

Many trapped in our legal system are dealing with issues like joblessness, homelessness, untreated substance use disorders, and mental health issues. Often, they are trauma survivors themselves who have never received adequate treatment or even been given access.

It shouldn’t be difficult to recognize that the woman accused of stealing baby formula is too poor to afford basic necessities and needs a job, housing, and childcare, or that the Marine veteran who is repeatedly arrested for possessing small amounts of drugs would likely benefit from behavioral health care and substance use disorder treatment.

By passing the Pretrial Success Act, the legislature took the next important step in our fight for pretrial justice. Such investments are critical in supporting communities and preventing crime from occurring. If we care about public safety as much as we say we do, we must work to prevent our most vulnerable community members from getting stuck in the quicksand that is the criminal legal system.

We can only do that by addressing the root causes of crime and providing targeted support that meets people’s needs. The Pretrial Success Act will begin to provide communities with the necessary resources to do so.

Investing in community-based resources is the only way to get people the help that they need. Our experience and expanding understanding of public health issues have taught us that criminalizing mental health and drug addiction is not effective.

Care and treatment are best accessed as voluntary resources in communities, not in cages, and treatment plans should be developed by individuals and their clinicians, not by courts. Meaningful mental health care can’t happen in a jail cell.

For too long, we’ve disinvested in communities and drained them of resources. Thanks to the end of money bond, communities that disproportionately suffered at the hands of an overly punitive system are now saving millions of dollars.

But we must continue to invest in them, give them the resources to heal from institutionalized harms, and ensure that the criminal legal system ceases to operate like a revolving door.

Our historic overreliance on incarceration has not made us any safer. I’m proud that Illinois is investing in solutions that work.

Maurice West is the state representative for the 67th District of Illinois, which includes portions of Rockford, Loves Park, and Cherry Valley.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A suburban House Democrat has filed two bills to prohibit elected officials from displaying the American flag upside down on government property. Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) told WAND News Wednesday that there is no excuse to disrespect the nation’s flag.

A Republican township supervisor in Will County was caught flying the American flag upside down at his government office after former president Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records last month.

"This flag means a lot to me and I am very disheartened when somebody desecrates the flag, whether that’s Republican or Democrat," Benton said. "I don’t isolate that from political reasons."

Benton said elected officials should face consequences if they knowingly display the American flag incorrectly. Under his plan, elected leaders would be charged with a Class 4 felony if they are caught flying the flag upside down on government property.

"It’s going to be very hard to get this one passed," Benton admitted. "As you know, in the state of Illinois, penalty enhancements are hard to get over the finish line. But I think this is something that, hopefully, we can get both sides of the aisle on."

A separate bill would institute a fine of up to $25,000 for any government official flying the flag upside down on public property. The current financial penalty for desecrating an American flag in Illinois is $1 to $15.

"That’s how outdated it is," Benton said. "So, there’s no real repercussions for elected officials to desecrate our nation’s flag. For that matter, I always want to make sure that the American flag is the highest-most flying flag."

Benton said House Bills 5860 and 5861 would not impact someone’s First Amendment right to display the American flag however they choose on private property.

The proposals could be discussed when lawmakers return to Springfield for veto session in the middle of November.

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Two bills proposed by Plainfield Democratic State Rep. Harry Benton would ban flying the American flag upside down on government property for political reasons.

Benton says the bills are in response to a Homer Township official ordering that the flag outside the Homer Township offices be flown upside down in response to the conviction of former President Donald Trump last month.

Benton says the bill only covers government property and respects people’s ability to express themselves on their own private land.

Benton says people have been reaching out to support his bills. The bills clarify that the flag can be flown upside down in times of deep distress as allowed in U.S. Flag Code.

Although I wasn’t there in person, I wish I could have been.

There’s something about a lone and riderless bicycle, painted all in white, that is both haunting and memorable.

Which is what those who put together Aurora’s first Ghost Bike Memorial event, held May 19 at Hochsheit Park, were hoping to achieve.

The goal was to recognize the fatal bike/vehicle accident that claimed the life of a Waubonsie Valley High School student last November, and to remind all of us – cyclists, walkers, motorists – of traffic hazards that can ravage so many lives so quickly.

According to organizers Tom Craighead of Naperville and Jillian Plowcamp of Aurora, there are dozens of these somber memorials all over Chicago, with thousands throughout the country and world and more spreading into the suburbs. As of today, Craighead told me, there is one in Naperville from a fatal bike accident a decade ago and three in Batavia.

It’s no surprise Aurora’s first ghost bike popped up where it did.

The areas along Eola and Montgomery roads, as well as Ogden Avenue, have been a hotbed of controversy as residents in far East Side neighborhoods continue to demand traffic safety improvements from local and state officials.

Over the past 18 months I’ve listened to many of those concerned voices grow louder as a series of tragedies hit Indian Prairie School District particularly hard.

In early 2023, a young Waubonsie Valley High School graduate’s car plunged into an icy retention pond at South Eola Road and Autumn Grove Circle; a few months later a beloved fourth-grade teacher from the district lost her life after a three-car crash on a different part of Eola near Village Green Drive. And in November, 16-year-old junior Micah Ginsberg, whose Eagle Scout project had just raised the funding for a second community refrigerator for Aurora, was killed when his bike and a pickup truck collided at the intersection of Ogden Avenue and Montgomery Road.

Micah’s family and friends attended the Ghost Bike Memorial event, as did members of the Naperville Bicycle Club who, dressed in white, rode in silence from the Naperville Police Department, where Micah was a well-loved and respected cadet, to the Aurora park. Also attending the memorial were representatives from Naperville and Aurora police, along with Aurora Alds. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, and John Laesch, at large.

Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois, spoke about bike safety, while community members shared stories and memories of Micah. Included in the latter was Plowcamp, a PTA leader whose son and his friends were greatly impacted by the teen’s death, and who is helping to lead the charge for road safety.

Among their concerns – the intersection of Ogden and Montgomery has very little signage and traffic signal controls to protect crosswalks.

“It is insane,” said Plowcamp, who describes herself as a mom on a mission. “Our children have to cross streets where adults can’t even cross safely.”

Later, with Aurora police to assist in traffic control, the ghost bike was walked by four Waubonsie Valley students to its resting site. Due to IDOT regulations, it could not be placed where the incident occurred, but instead is further down Montgomery Road near its crossing with the Waubonsee Creek Trail.

Not only is the bike a memorial to Micah, who organizers described as a “great kid,” it’s also a stark reminder of the need to improve engineering of intersections, enforcement of traffic laws and to change behaviors and attitudes of those who drive, walk or pedal a bike.

“Every year has gotten less safe for cyclists and walkers,” says Craighead, a member of Naperville Environmental Taskforce, who has volunteered for decades planning and managing cycling and walking safety.

While most of his work takes place in Naperville, he expressed gratitude for Aurora’s response, including from police and Mike Nelson, director of community events, who got permission for the ghost bike’s placement.

All these efforts, they hope, will make a difference.

The city of Aurora conducted a traffic study last year of these critical roadways. And thanks in large part to Plowcamp’s partnership with state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, the Illinois Department of Transportation gathered traffic data in the area, and the report should be completed later this month or in early July, according to Kifowit, who describes the issue as “a very serious situation.”

Echoing the feelings of so many others, she insisted, “safety must be a top priority.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com

Local state lawmakers in the Democratic supermajority believe the 2024 Illinois legislative session was largely a success, while Republicans may say otherwise.

The session concluded early Wednesday morning after the House stayed up overnight to pass a $53.1 billion budget. The spending legislation passed 65-45, with seven Democrats joining their GOP counterparts in opposition.

“This budget aims to make state government more efficient, while responsibly focusing our resources on matters families care about — including local schools and public safety,” said Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, in a statement. “From early childhood through college, this is a smart plan that is going to help our kids unlock their potential.”

The Senate had passed the budget on Sunday.

Brian Munoz

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St. Louis Public Radio

With approval from both chambers, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he will sign the budget, which will spend about $400 million more than he requested during his February budget address.

In this budget, the second-term governor got some key legislative priorities — like repealing Illinois’ 1% grocery tax in 2026. Both chambers also approved a health insurance bill designed to curb insurance tactics used to control the amount and cost of care patients receive.

The budget also included an increase to the tax rate paid by sportsbooks, where gamblers can wager on games. The current rate of 15% will rise to 20% to 40% based on the profits of the sportsbook.

Lawmakers also extended a cap on the amount of operational losses corporations can write off on their income taxes. In total, the two tax changes total $1.1 billion in state revenue.

Republicans argue that raising taxes in current economic conditions is not the right move.

“The people of Illinois deserve better,” said Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, in a statement. “Unfortunately, they won’t get it this year, thanks to the governor and his allies who just can’t stop treating the people of Illinois like their personal piggy bank.”

The GOP in Springfield has regularly lambasted Democrats for spending state funds on noncitizens over the past couple of years.

Brian Munoz

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St. Louis Public Radio

Illinois will spend $182 million in this year’s budget to provide shelter, health care and other services for migrants who have been bused from Texas to Chicago. Another $440 million provides funding for Medicaid-like benefits to noncitizens.

“Most of my constituents feel that that’s taking away from programs that are helping them and their families,” said Rep. Amy Elik, R-Godfrey.

Both chambers did not stop its members’ salaries increasing with inflation annually, which is written into state law. In the next fiscal year, their salaries will grow by 5% to more than $93,000.

Many Republicans criticized the Democratic-controlled chambers for allowing the raises.

Rep. Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt, urged lawmakers to donate the extra cash to a charity in their district.

“We don’t need pay raises,” he said. “The people back home need that money.”

Brian Munoz

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St. Louis Public Radio

Since 2019, Pritzker and the Democrats in both chambers have not passed a budget with a Republican vote — thanks to their supermajorities.

“I am still hopeful that one year I’ll be able to vote yes on a budget,” Elik said. “I am an optimist. I want to be part of the process.”

This session and the budget was not all a loss, though, Elik said. Seven pieces of legislation she sponsored await the governor’s signature.

For example, one bill will allow retired teachers to go back to work in a school district that’s short on a certain subject. If retired teachers return, it wouldn’t change their state pension.

“This is something to help with a teacher shortage,” Elik said. “I’m really proud that got through.”

Hoffman, also the assistant majority leader, said a bill aimed at catalytic converter and vehicle theft and another that lays out a regulatory framework for capturing carbon emissions serve as good examples of effective legislation passed this session.

“When we’re good stewards with the budget, we can more effectively address the challenges facing communities in the Metro East,” Hoffman said.

Now with state lawmakers out on summer break, Pritzker will sign or veto remaining legislation. Legislators will return at some point this fall for a veto session.

Capitol News Illinois’ Jerry Nowicki contributed to this report.