Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced in March the state intended to tear down and rebuild two prisons in poor conditions: Stateville Correctional Center for men in Crest Hill outside of Joliet, and the Logan Correctional Center (LLC) for women outside of Lincoln.

The initial announcement did not immediately indicate what would become of LCC, stating only that Stateville would be rebuilt where it was and that plans for LCC were still being determined.

When Faith Colson was an Illinois high school student she was made to feel special by one of her teachers. He became a trusted adult to whom she could turn when needed. Until he wasn't. 

Until he kissed her then sexually abused her. Until he betrayed her trust. 

Illinois State Representative Dan Ugaste led the formation of a House Republican working group dedicated to helping all Illinoisans prosper and thrive. 

The Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy (RISE) working group introduced a package of legislation in the 103rd General Assembly aimed at reforming policies that are driving job creators out of the state and threatening the prosperity of future generations. 

Ugaste talks about the efforts of the RISE working group and his ongoing commitment to the residents of Illinois on the latest episode of the All Voted Who Wish podcast.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Ugaste rises to the challenge

In December of last year, Illinois State Representative Nicole La Ha started her legislative service in the Illinois General Assembly. However her desire to serve her community began long before then. Her "heart to serve" emerged in childhood and has led her on a path to helping the most vulnerable in her community, first as a volunteer and then as an elected official. In 2020, La Ha was elected to the Homer Glen Village Board of Trustees. Three years later she was appointed to serve the 82nd District in the Illinois House of Representatives. As a lawmaker in the Illinois General Assembly, La Ha continues her strong advocacy for parental empowerment, putting people first when making fiscal decisions and improving inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Protecting the public from crime and keeping communities safe is among the highest priorities of Illinois State Representative Patrick Windhorst and House Republican lawmakers. Windhorst talks about the efforts of House Republicans to curb rising crime rates in Illinois on Have All Voted Who Wish.

A former prosecutor, Windhorst leads the House Republican's Truth in Public Safety working group (TIPS) which focuses on enacting solutions to combat rising crime and improve public safety in Illinois. Windhorst provides a synopsis of the legislative solutions introduced by members of the TIPS working group that includes measures to hold criminals accountable, provide mental health services, recruit and train law enforcement professionals, reduce recidivism and protect crime victims. Rep. Windhorst believes that passing the legislative package produced by the working group would improve the safety of all Illinoisans.

Illicit fentanyl is being distributed across the country including here in Illinois. Sold on the illegal drug market, Fentanyl is often mixed with other illicit drugs to increase its potency. It is sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids or rainbow colored tablets that look like candy.

The tragic reality:  A very small dose of Fentanyl can be lethal.

In this latest episode of our Have All Voted Who Wish podcast, we hear from Illinois State Representative Jed Davis. 

Representative Davis talks about his first term in the Illinois General Assembly and how he is laser-focused on keeping kids safe. This session he introduced a legislative package of bills crafted to provide greater protections for children. 

Rep. Jed Davis' protecting children legislative package includes the following bills:

In late 2022, Martin Hubbard was convicted of eight counts of predatory sexual assault and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Earlier in the year he had been found guilty of two counts each for sexually assaulting four children under the age of 5 years old while they were in the care of his wife's Effingham daycare.

But that’s not the entire story, nor is it the only harm these young children had to endure. Because in order to get the conviction that would put the predator behind bars, these young children had to re-tell and re-live their stories over and over again. It was cruel beyond words.

In this episode of Capitol Crimes, Dean Abbott recounts the steps taken by lawmakers to consider the rights of defendants and protect the well-being of child victims when they testify against their abusers.

Capitol Crimes · Irreparable Harm

Follow Capitol Crimes on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CapitolCrimesIL

When it’s your job to ensure the safety of children, failure should never be an option. Yet the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the state agency charged with protecting children, had failed spectacularly time-and-time again. The abuse, torture and subsequent murder of five-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund at the hands of his parents stunned his community, but it was DCFS’ failure to protect AJ that shook the state.

First episode streams today

There is a story behind every piece of legislation introduced in the Illinois General Assembly.  Some stories are light-hearted and some are maddening.  And others, like the horrific murders of Pam Knight and AJ Freund, are terribly tragic.  

While you may have heard about Pam Knight and AJ Freund from news accounts, truth-be-told, you haven’t heard the entire story. What’s more, you haven’t heard how lawmakers attempted to prevent future tragedies like these with thoughtful legislation. And, how the majority party blocked those same pieces of legislation, refusing to create new public safety laws. You haven’t heard, until now.

Illinois State Representatives Avery Bourne, Tim Butler, Dave Severin and Ryan Spain weigh-in on the legislative map drawing process in Illinois.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Illinois Republican Lawmakers on Redistricting

Illinois State Representative Martin McLaughlin talks about Reimagine Illinois legislation aimed at ending political corruption.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Martin McLaughlin

Illinois State Representative Andrew Chesney explains his legislation to protect law enforcement personnel from crimes perpetrated against them because of their profession. HB 3715 is part of the Reimagine Illinois Platform.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Andrew Chesney

Illinois State Representative Mike Marron discusses HB 3643 part of the Reimagine Illinois Platform. The legislation creates a law enforcement recruitment division that among other things would work with local law enforcement agencies to retain and hire sworn police officers who are diverse and reflective of their communities.

 

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Mike Marron

Illinois State Representative Tom Bennett talks about HB 2532, Reimagine Illinois legislation he introduced to eliminate the backlog of FOID card renewals. 

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Tom Bennett

Illinois House Republican Deputy Leader Dan Brady talks about HB 1962 that would establish the office of Apprenticeship Coordinator in the state. His legislation is designed to create greater job opportunities for Illinoisans and is part of the Reimagine Illinois platform.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Dan Brady

Illinois State Representative Dave Severin discusses HB 4054, his legislation to require the state to implement the "Evidence-Based" education funding model. Using this mechanism would help ensure schools get the funding they need to properly educate students. HB 4054 is part of the Reimagine Illinois platform.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Dave Severin

In this episode, Rep. Amy Elik discusses Reimagine Illinois, responsible fiscal leadership and HJRCA27, legislation to allow voters to decide how the state balances its budget.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Amy Elik

In this podcast episode, Illinois State Representative Tom Morrison talks about Reimagine Illinois and HJRCA26 that will make raising taxes more difficult.

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Tom Morrison

In this podcast episode, Assistant Republican Leader 

Keith Wheeler talks about Reimagine Illinois and HB3037, legislation he sponsored as a first step to a balanced budget and enhanced fiscal responsibility. 

Have All Voted Who Wish · Reimagine Illinois with Rep. Keith Wheeler