“Instead of using our time filing meritless lawsuits, the professionals at the Lake County state’s attorney’s office have been working to protect public safety and ensuring those charged with violent crimes aren’t back on the streets on Jan. 1 and beyond. We will be filing our detention petitions now so that judges can make their determinations as to who should be detained on Jan. 1, once a cash value is replaced with a finding of ‘detention’ or ‘released with conditions.'”

House Resolution 265 would direct the Auditor General to conduct a management audit concerning the oversight of the CILA program and the awarding of competitively-procured grants. The resolution cleared the House Human Services Committee and awaits action by the House of Representatives.

Brad Weisenstein, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “While lawmakers might not have learned from the pension fiasco – or chosen to ignore it as they curry favor with union support and cash for their campaigns – that doesn’t mean voters can’t guard their own wallets from the implications of Amendment 1.”

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker right now is campaigning on the bond rating when we have the worst bond rating in the nation,” candidate Shannon Teresi said. “The state has received over 185 billion collectively to not just the state, but all the agencies within the state. And this has bolstered the economy. And they are trying to take credit for it.”

“The public, as it tries to dissect the misinformation being thrown around by supporters of the act, need to focus on only one point: If the act’s opponents are fearmongers, how does that explain the many state’s attorneys of all political persuasions across the state who collectively say the law is fundamentally dangerous? If the law is so solid, why are the experts on the ground so worried?”

She is the only Democratic statewide candidate to be endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce.

In the report, the Institute for Legal Reform asserts the massive verdicts are being driven by several factors. These include claims that plaintiffs’ lawyers have improved their ability to allegedly manipulate jurors, using “reptile theory tactics” that “instill a sense of fear or danger in jurors’ minds so they lash out at their perceived attackers with inflated damage awards,” or to suggest jurors use specific methods for calculating damages that make a “nuclear verdict” award more likely.

According to a recent report from the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights Illinois and the Education Law Center, despite five years of using the state’s new Evidence-Based Funding formula, 1.7 million students from 83% of Illinois school districts still attend underfunded schools; Reaching the adequacy benchmarks put forth in the law requires more than $7 billion additional dollars in state funding to properly fund school districts in the state, with a goal of reaching full funding by 2027.

“We are tired of politicians and pundits who, instead of implementing needed changes, attack money bond. We know that cash bail has long been a tool used to create intentional barriers that restrict people’s basic rights. Cycles of poverty, violence and corruption will only persist if we do not grant all people their right to due process.”

“It is interesting to note that the federal criminal justice system has not used a cash bail system since 1984. The Illinois PFA mirrors, to a large extent, the Federal Bail Reform Act and so presumably was a model for the PFA’s drafters. So, let’s clear the smoke from the political fireworks.”

“Investing in 21st Century energy infrastructure creates Heartland jobs, reduces our impact on the planet and lowers families’ energy bills. That’s why the Inflation Reduction Act makes the largest-ever investment in domestic energy production and manufacturing to help us tackle climate challenges while creating good-paying jobs right here in America.”