Updates to the SAFE-T Act
Dear Neighbor,
Last week we wrapped up what's called "veto session" in Springfield — a couple of weeks in the fall when we return to the capitol to address urgent measures before the spring session begins in January.
This year we focused on implementing the Pretrial Fairness Act, which will end money bond in Illinois starting on January 1.
You've probably heard a lot about this in the news and on social media, so I wanted to take a minute and talk about ending money bond, as well as the changes we made last week.
Fundamentally, the end of the cash bail system will transition us from a justice system based on wealth to one based on safety. Right now, there's three options when you get arrested and charged with a crime and your court date is set. You can be sent home. You can be held in jail until your trial. Or bail can be set — so you could pay some amount of cash to go home until your trial, or if you can't afford it, you're jailed.
Under that third option, very dangerous individuals can leave jail before their trial if they have enough money — think Kyle Rittenhouse. Meanwhile, many people charged with low-level offenses can't afford the couple of thousand dollars of bond, and spend months (sometimes years) awaiting trial in jail. Remember that these are people who are presumed innocent! And just imagine how much their lives are disrupted — how much your life would be disrupted — by even a few weeks in jail. Your job. Your kids. Your life. You can see some stories of people who've been through it here.
So we passed a law last January to change this (it’s a provision of the SAFE-T Act known as the Pretrial Fairness Act). Under the new system, which will start on January 1 of next year, option 3 is off the table. You're either detained pre-trial — because you're a flight risk, or you're deemed dangerous — or else you can go home and await trial there. It's about safety, not about money.
But leading up to the election, opponents of the bill spread lies about what it would do and how it would work. And, to be fair, some good-faith partners raised concerns about the legislative language and how implementation would work.
So we went back to Springfield to pass a bill to strengthen and clarify the underlying law, while making sure that its fundamental intent remains intact.
A few specifics on things you might have heard:
• "All the jailhouse doors will fly open on January 1." This was always a bad-faith objection. But we added language to clarify how the law will apply to people charged before January but still detained when the law takes effect. Prosecutors and reformers agreed on a transition plan from the old system to the new one.
• "People can trespass on your porch all day long and cops can only give them tickets." Again, this required a very contorted reading of the language to believe. Still, we put it to bed by making it clear that if after a person gets a citation for trespassing they refuse to leave, they can then be arrested and removed.
• "Judges will have to let violent offenders walk free." This is also mostly nonsense. But there were a few categories of violent offenses that didn't meet the dangerousness standard in the original statute. We changed that language to make sure that those offenses were covered and that judges could hold people who'd committed any forcible felonies in jail pre-trial.
We made a variety of other small changes to the bill as well — happy to answer any questions you might have about those.
But the upshot is, it's going to be a new day in Illinois on January 1st. Despite our opponents' best efforts, we didn't back down, we didn't repeal or delay or reverse course. We believe that money shouldn't be a precursor to freedom. We believe that "innocent until proven guilty" should mean something in this country, regardless of your bank account. And those core principles will soon be law in our state.
Now we'll start to gear up for the so-called "lame duck session" in January, and then inauguration and the new spring session! I'll be sharing more about my plans for next year and asking for your thoughts and guidance as well.
Take care,
Will
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE FAIR
Join us on December 8th for a Mental Health Resource Fair from 3pm-6pm at the Copernicus Center! Learn what mental health and wellness resources are available to you on the Northwest Side.
There will be a 20-minute information session on how to approach mental health issues and maintain healthy practices. There will also be informational tables from local organizations.
LOGAN SQUARE SKATE PARK TOWN HALL
Join us for a Logan Square Skate Park Town Hall, hosted at Haas Park (2402 North Washtenaw Ave), this Wednesday, December 7th, from 6:00-8:00 pm.
This town hall is an opportunity for the public to demonstrate their support through turnout, allowing Chicago communities to give feedback, ideas, and support and interface with their local elected officials and project stakeholders.
MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) reopened their mortgage assistance program designed to assist homeowners financially impacted by the pandemic.
The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) provides up to $30,000 in mortgage assistance to eligible homeowners. This assistance is designed to help homeowners avoid mortgage default and foreclosure after experiencing a financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant can cover overdue mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and association fees.
The program is free and funds do not need to be repaid. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
Applications, program information and updates can be found at www.illinoishousinghelp.org.