With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.
Robert Peters
Illinois officially became the first state in the country Monday to officially eliminate the pre-trial practice of requiring that some criminal defendants pay a set cash amount in order to secure their release from custody ahead of trial.
If homeowners are delinquent more than a year on making property tax payments, they’re at risk of owing large interest payments to private investors who buy up that debt. “It’s the poorest people paying the richest people,” Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said.
If signed by the governor, House Bill 5107 would repeal current provisions that bar principals and assistant principals in the city from bargaining unit membership.
In less than a month, Illinois will become the first state in the nation where those arrested for crimes will not have the option of paying cash bail. Instead, whether someone stays in jail as they await trial will be based on a series of metrics used by judges.
The SAFE-T Act package passed as law two years ago, in January 2021. But only in January 2023 will its most controversial part, the Pretrial Fairness Act, take effect. Illinois lawmakers spent all of Thursday – their last day of session in 2022 – making last minute changes to the law
One of Republicans’ major concerns has been that the legal standards were too narrow for determining when a defendant could be kept in jail as they await trial. A Democratic proposal addresses that by expanding the list of crimes for which someone can be denied pretrial release.
It’s been two years since Illinois Democrats passed the major criminal justice law known as the SAFE-T Act, but it’s getting a lot of attention now as the bail overhaul approaches.
Community organizations working to prevent gun violence will soon get a boost in funding from the state. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order declaring gun violence a public health crisis and announced a plan to address it.
All across Chicago, communities are rebuilding from the twin crises of COVID-19 and property damage. We speak with residents, business owners and officials in the historic heart of black Chicago culture.
Robert Peters, a Chicago political and community organizer, has been appointed to the Illinois Senate to finish the term of Attorney General-elect Kwame Raoul.
