Here’s what southwestern Illinois lawmakers said about the criminal justice reform bill
Southwestern Illinois Democrats were divided last week when lawmakers pushed more than 700 pages of criminal justice reform through the legislature.
Statewide, eight House and five Senate Democrats voted against the far-reaching legislation that would bring major changes to police practices. They included state Sen. Rachelle Crowe of Glen Carbon and Rep. Katie Stuart of Edwardsville. It passed 32-23 in the House and 60-50 in the Senate just hours before the 101st General Assembly ended.
Criminal justice reform represented one of four pillars the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus developed to address systemic racism in Illinois. The others are economic access, equity and opportunity; education and workforce development, and health care and human services.
The caucus passed their economic, education and health and human services initiatives despite Republican opposition, but the criminal justice pillar caused the most controversy. House Bill 3653 would end cash bail, revamp of use-of-force standards by 2022 and require body cameras for police by 2025.
While several metro-east Democrats voted for the bill, their Republican colleagues called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto it. Pritzker didn’t commit to signing the bill, but said at a news conference in Chicago Friday he supports “a number of items” in it, including ending cash bail.
Here’s what southwestern Illinois lawmakers said about the bill.
Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Cahokia
Belt, a member of the Black caucus, voted for the bill.
He said Illinois needed groundbreaking legislation to address systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Opponents called the measure, passed in the final hours of a lame duck session last week, rushed.
“We wanted to get this done within the 101st General Assembly. That was always the goal,” Belt said.
The caucus held nearly 30 hours of hearings on criminal justice reform last year, but Belt says misinformation caused fear and opposition. He says it’s a bill for everyone, especially poor Illinoisans who suffer disproportionately from a system that favors the wealthy.
“When you tell people that you are defunding the police, that you are dissolving the police, that you are letting murderers out, that you are letting rapists out,” Belt said, “it stokes the fear of constituents and it’s not what’s in this bill.”
“We’re operating as if this is an either or proposition. You either hate the police and you like the reform or you love the police and you hate the reform. I see it as a piece of legislation that would be advancing us to a more just police profession, a more just criminal justice system, a more just and more fair judicial system. And so I’m OK with the vote.”
Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon
Crowe said the bill was too rushed to be properly vetted.
Just hours before a vote, the legislation didn’t have support from enough House Democrats to pass, Politico reported. The bill’s sponsors agreed to remove measures ending qualified immunity and some collective bargaining rights. That was enough. In the wee hours of Jan. 13, the legislation passed.
But the bill’s supporters didn’t convince everyone. Crowe said “there is no room for error” in the criminal justice system. She heard too many concerns from police and constituents to vote for the bill.
“While I believe reform is necessary, I ultimately voted against the policing reform package after hearing misgivings from the law enforcement, community officials and many residents I’m privileged to represent,” Crowe wrote in an email. “I support my fellow lawmakers in their pursuit of fairness and justice, but I opposed the final proposal because this complex issue deserves more time for discussion, negotiation and collaboration to ensure their concerns are addressed.”
Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis
The legislation shouldn’t have come as a surprise to law enforcement groups who opposed it, said Greenwood, a member of the Black caucus.
“The Black Caucus had been doing this work since (the death of) George Floyd and having all these committee meetings and subject matter hearings and just having all of these Zoom meetings up until we were scheduled for lame duck sessions, so just to see that work manifests was just something,” Greenwood said. “ ... If we had a subject matter hearing, and it was something that you wanted more information on or something that you wanted to add, there was an opportunity to do so.”
Greenwood said she hopes people take time to educate themselves about the bill.
“I just want people to really understand what’s in the bill and what’s not in the bill and hopefully some of the organizations and associations that are putting out false information will put out the right information,” Greenwood said. “This bill is not anti-police. I support the police in our community for the job that they’re doing. This bill is not anti-police in any way. It’s not talking about defunding the police.”
Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville
Opponents consider the bill “anti-law enforcement,” and Meier said it was the last bill former House Speaker Michael Madigan wanted to force through the house. Madigan was ousted as speaker after accusations of fraud turned Democrats against him.
“The bill needed 60 votes to pass, and it got 60 votes thanks to Speaker Mike Madigan casting the deciding vote. What the legislature did today makes the job of law enforcement more difficult,” Meier said.
“Now it’s up to the Governor. For the safety of our communities, I urge Governor Pritzker to veto HB 3653 ... as soon as it reaches his desk.”
Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville
Plummer voted against the bill, which he said was pushed through “in the 11th hour.”
“This is not how our system of government is supposed to work. These types of shenanigans do not lead to a healthy democracy and, in this instance, they make our law enforcement personnel, our families, and our communities less safe.”
Former Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo
Schimpf, who didn’t run for reelection to Senate District 58, said senators didn’t have a chance to “closely examine the final version of the bill” when it came to them shortly before 5 a.m. on Jan. 13.
Schimpf sent a letter to Pritzker urging him to veto the bill.
“For our system of democracy to work, the people of Illinois must be able to trust that their legislature is operating by agreed upon rules with full transparency. Last week’s Lame Duck Session did not satisfy those requirements,” Schimpf wrote in the letter. “Our law enforcement professionals, who risk their lives for us daily, deserve to have a bill of this magnitude drafted and voted on in a full, regular, transparent process.”
How other southwestern Illinois lawmakers voted:
- Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, voted yes.
- Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, voted no.
- Former Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, did not vote.
- Former Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, voted no.
