On Feb. 22, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 3653, the controversial criminal justice reform proposal which was rammed through the General Assembly during lame-duck session earlier this year.
State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) issued the following statement following the Governor’s actions:
“I do not support the actions taken by our Governor today to enact a law that will make it harder for police officers to do their jobs. I stand in support of my local law enforcement officers and agencies who have vocally opposed this legislation.
“House Bill 3653 was rammed through the General Assembly in a closed-door process that left Republican lawmakers, law enforcement officials and members of the public out of the discussion. We cannot pass meaningful reforms if the process is one-sided.
“Now that we’ve had adequate time to work through the nearly 800-page bill, we know that it makes sweeping changes to the criminal justice system of our state, endangers our communities by eliminating cash bail and places an unfunded financial burden on our local police forces.
“We had a real opportunity to work together to pass substantive reforms to provide for a safer Illinois. We can achieve so much more for our state if we work together. It’s disappointing and frustrating.”