Over the past two weeks, our state has seen yet another disturbing stretch of public safety failures, driven by leaders at the top who continue to embrace anti-police rhetoric and dangerous policies.

Just look at what has happened over the past two weeks:

State Representative Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) are one step closer to improving traffic safety around O’Hare Airport.

In response to reports of dangerous conditions around the airport, Harmon and Stephens passed legislation prohibiting drivers from stopping their vehicles on the shoulder of the road anywhere within a half-mile radius of O’Hare.

Legislation sponsored by State Representative Charlie Meier intended to help fund emergency service districts has passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support. 

“House Bill 4179 was brought to me because of all the problems we’re starting to have in rural Illinois,” said Rep. Meier. “The federal government, when they make their payments back from Medicare and Medicaid ambulance trips, is only paying a maximum of 40% of that money. The for-profit ambulances are leaving rural southern Illinois. Our fire departments are not allowed to transport people to the hospitals from wrecks or calls that they go on. The EMTs can go there, but they can’t transport them.” 

On April 15, protesters cut–off vehicle access to O’Hare Airport causing major traffic delays, forcing people to exit their vehicles and walk along the expressway, luggage in tow, trying to make their flights on time. Other travelers missed their flights altogether.

The safety issues that resulted from the protesters’ decision to shut down a ramp to O’Hare caused Rep. Dan Ugaste to consider the public safety implications of their actions. Not only did the protesters prevent people from getting to the airport and create a major traffic nightmare, but, their actions could have also delayed first responders and other medical services, like the transport of vital organs, with terrible consequences.

At a Capitol press conference on Thursday, House Republican State Representatives Patrick Windhorst, David Friess, Dan Ugaste, and John Cabello laid out a bold legislative package aimed at improving public safety, recruiting and retaining police officers and other law enforcement officials, and providing assistance to victims of violent crime.

“There is a concerning trend we see here in Illinois where criminals are treated better than law-abiding citizens and as leaders, we cannot continue to jeopardize the safety of our communities,” said Cabello.

The celebration of Halloween has been around for more than a thousand years. Originally a religious observance, today Halloween is considered a holiday for dress-up and fun, especially for children. By 1950, trick-or-treating for candy had become one of Halloween’s most popular activities. Halloween is observed on October 31, and it is one of the biggest holidays for candy sales in the United States, estimated to be more than $3 billion according to the National Retail Federation. 

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced its opinion on the Pretrial Fairness portion of the SAFE-T Act, and by a 5-2 decision, they have ruled it as constitutional. This strikes down a lower court ruling in December 2022 which found that the portions of the SAFE-T Act that abolished cash bail were unconstitutional. Thus, the elimination of cash bail is now set to go into effect September 18, 2023 in Illinois.  Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to totally eliminate cash bail, and it comes at a time when crime in the state remains at the top of the nation.

On Wednesday, the House Republican Truth in Public Safety Working Group (TIPS) introduced a series of measures designed to balance the rights of the accused while ensuring the safety of the public.

Members of the Working Group include Rep. Patrick Windhorst, House Republican Floor Leader and Chairperson of the TIPS Working Group as well as Representatives Dan Ugaste, Dennis Tipsword, John Cabello, Amy Grant and David Friess.

According to Rep. Tipsword, “These bills, along with the other bills we’re proposing, are meaningful suggestions to ensure we’re supporting our first responders, and working with them for safer streets and safer neighborhoods…and that we’re also fulfilling our responsibility to taxpayers”   

For Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats, making and breaking big promises is becoming a way of life. If that sounds like a typical throwaway political attack line, an examination of the last year of action (or inaction) by the governor and the Illinois General Assembly reveals the truth.

From drawing fair legislative maps to promises of honesty in financial dealings, protecting children in the care of DCFS, addressing rising crime, and providing relief for families struggling to afford necessities like food and fuel, Democrats have made some big promises. To this point in the 102nd General Assembly, it seems Democrats' promises were made to be broken. 

One of the vital roles of government is to protect its residents, especially vulnerable children in state care. For a variety of reasons, Illinois children end up in the system, because of abuse from their parents or guardians, death of parents or guardians, homelessness, neglect, and even outright abandonment. As a society, we give up part of our income to the government to establish a social safety net to protect these children and provide them with vital services.

Illinois State Representative Deanne Mazzochi has accused the Democrat majority of not just being soft on crime, but creating state and local policies that allow crime to thrive.

Carjacking, burglaries, and retail thefts are on the rise in her district. Murders, robberies and gang violence are threatening other Chicagoland communities. And, Democrats in Illinois won’t tackle the problem. They are comfortable sitting back while Illinois families endure violence in their neighborhoods with little recourse because Democratic lawmakers have refused to make laws to protect them.

COVID-19
House Republicans lead JCAR vote to halt Gov. Pritzker’s school mask mandate. On Tuesday, February 15, the bicameral Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted 9-0-2 to block re-implementation of Governor JB Pritzker’s mask mandate for K-12 public and private schools in Illinois in the wake of the February 4 temporary restraining order issued by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow declaring the Governor’s emergency rules as they apply to schools "null and void."

Deals to reduce charges and jail time are often used by prosecutors to obtain guilty pleas from defendants. There are many motivations behind plea deals and Illinois State Representative Dan Caulkins thinks victims, judges and the general public should know what they are, especially with armed robberies, carjackings and violence on the rise in Illinois.

Last February, the Governor signed a massive criminal justice reform bill into law that has resulted in increased crime and violence throughout the state. The 600-page bill was hastily crafted with minimal input from law enforcement and Republican lawmakers. In the waning hours of the lame-duck legislative session, while most Illinoisans were sleeping, the billpassed the House with the bare minimum number of votes. 

In this podcast episode, Illinois State Representatives Ryan Spain and Patrick Windhorst discuss the need to repeal the SAFE-T Act to stem the rising tide of crime and violence in Illinois.

More episodes on Have All Vote Who Wish

Have All Voted Who Wish · House Republicans sponsor repeal of anti-police SAFE-T Act amid rising crime in Illinois

A police officer attempts to pull over a driver for running a red light. The driver knows there are drugs in the car and if caught may be charged with drug possession, a crime that carries up to 15 years in prison. Aware of the local police department’s strict pursuit policies preventing officers from giving chase at high rates of speed, the driver doesn’t stop and instead takes off - exceeding 100 mph. Sure, the driver knows they could be charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding, but the sentence and penalties will be significantly lower than if they had been caught with the drugs – only facing 1-3 years of prison instead of 15.

For the last several years, Democrats who control both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly have implemented an unwritten policy prohibiting increased penalties in current criminal statutes. Additionally, they have prevented the passage of laws that would criminalize new behaviors. Two such examples of legislation that were thwarted by Democrats include one that would have increased penalties for attacks on DCFS workers and the another that created a new law criminalizing surreptitious electronic tracking.

CRIMINAL LAW
House Republicans call for repeal of Democrats’ “damaging and dangerous” SAFE-T Act. January is the one-year anniversary of Illinois Democrats passing sweeping legislation to defund, disarm, and disrespect our police. House Democrats voted yes, House Republicans voted NO. Violent crime is up, police retirements are increasing, and our communities are less safe. House Republicans are sponsoring legislation that would repeal the so-called “SAFE-T Act.”

 

Buyer’s remorse – you know that feeling of regret in the pit in your stomach after you make a hasty and expensive purchase. At times the remorse anxiety causes us to simply justify our purchase so we can live with the decision, other times it compels us to return the purchase for a full refund. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) even has a “cooling off” rule that gives consumers 3 days to cancel certain types of purchases because the FTC recognizes rushed and high pressure decisions are not always the best ones.

In February of 2021, Governor Pritzker signed the quickly drafted and un-vetted SAFE-T Act into law. The Safety Accountability, Fairness & Equity Today Act was purported to keep Illinois families safer. But, that has not been the outcome for those who are already battling violence in their neighborhoods.

Since the law was enacted, many neighborhoods in Chicago and surrounding suburbs have witnessed an increase in violent crimes, that include murder, expressway shootings, carjackings, assaults, armed robberies, smash & grabs and mob retail theft. Compared to 2019, crime is up 7.5% in Chicago. And the neighborhoods most impacted by crime are the ones that have been dealing with violence for decades.