Springfield, IL – Last week Governor Pritzker finally admitted he is open to changing his disastrous SAFE-T Act, and luckily for him, House Republicans have been ready with real solutions to fix the bill’s many failures and restore public safety.
After four years of violent offenders walking free under his soft-on-crime law, including a deadly weekend in Chicago and the horrifying case of a young woman set on fire on the CTA Blue Line, the Governor now says he’s willing to make changes. During his media availability, Pritzker claimed these kinds of fixes happen “all the time” in Springfield.
If that’s true, he doesn’t have to look far for ideas. House Republicans have been sounding the alarm from day one and have filed nearly 40 bills to reverse or improve the most dangerous parts of the SAFE-T Act. These include:
· HB 1479 (Rep. Windhorst): Expands the authority for judges to revoke pretrial release.
· HB 1482 (Rep. Windhorst): Expands the offenses for which a defendant can be detained.
· HB 1483 (Rep. Windhorst): Reinstates a judge’s ability to issue a warrant for a defendant who fails to comply with pretrial conditions or fails to appear in court.
· HB 4000, HB 4001, HB 4004 (Rep. Tipsword): Supports law enforcement and closes the dangerous loopholes created by the SAFE-T Act.
· HB 1404 (Rep. Ugaste): Reinstates cash bail, as recommended by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission.
· HB 1208 (Rep. Freiss): Requires automatic revocation of pretrial release if a defendant is charged with any new offense while out, no matter the classification.
“House Republicans warned from day one that the SAFE-T Act would be a disaster for Illinois and we were right,” said Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis). “After four years of violent repeat offenders roaming our streets, Governor Pritzker now claims he’s open to changing this dangerous law. House Republicans have already filed multiple bills to restore public safety and stand ready to help fix this terrible law.”
These are just a handful of the many proposals Republicans have already filed to fix the failures of the SAFE-T Act and make Illinois communities safer.
The question now is simple, will Governor Pritzker finally listen, or will he continue letting repeat violent offenders roam free in our state?
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