State Rep. Dan Ugaste has filed HB5244, spurred by mounting concerns over the use of courts in Illinois and elsewhere in the U.S. legal system to generate profits for investors who are not parties to lawsuits or their attorneys. Under the proposed measure, regulations would require disclosure and transparency to block foreign funding and allow courts and defendants to know who they are dealing with.

The systems, also known as “Alyssa’s Alert,” would allow staff to instantly notify law enforcement and emergency responders with the push of a button during an emergency. “Alyssa’s Alert” is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who was killed in the 2018 shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker needs to understand that Illinois is not a prop. It is not a stepping stone. And it is certainly not a backdrop for a national audition tour. … Leadership is not measured in airtime or podcast downloads. It is measured by whether people stay, invest, and believe their state has a future. Illinois is losing that test, and the governor appears far more interested in changing the channel than changing course.”

“Rather than having a nuanced discussion on ICE tactics, the left’s position is to abolish ICE and reward illegal immigration. Here’s what Pritzker Democrats won’t tell American voters: If Illinois, Minnesota, and other states had simply cooperated with ICE and other federal agencies, they could have deported the worst criminal offenders in a matter of weeks, and then they could have left.”

“Polling released last month could show that Bailey is one of the most recognizable names in Republican politics, but he lost to Pritzker by 12 percentage points in 2022 — leaving Republican voters with a key question on March 17: Should they renominate Bailey or choose a political newcomer to take on Pritzker in November?”

“… (M)ore than 40 Democratic members of the Illinois House and Senate have been meeting weekly to come up with a plan to find some government efficiencies and create new revenue streams to help the state meet its obligations. ‘We must lean into transforming our tax system and creating sustainable revenue to protect people and the services we all depend on,’ the Affordability and Tax Justice Coalition declared in a statement.”

The new law went into effect Jan. 1, and requires gun owners to report any potentially or missing guns sooner. Now, gun owners will need to alert law enforcement within 48 hours of discovering the firearm is gone, instead of 72 hours. There’s an onus on storing guns securely around youths as well. Previously, the law defined minors as youths 14 and under. Now, it’s been extended to 18.

The debate will air live on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. and you can watch on Fox Chicago, Fox32Chicago.com, and on the FOX LOCAL app.

“My home state of Illinois, and others across our country, have failed to properly maintain their voter rolls and implement basic election security practices such as requiring voter ID. By establishing clear, consistent standards to verify voter eligibility, this legislation helps ensure that only the American people decide our elections,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said.

“If Illinois politicians truly wanted to reduce overtime, they would hire more officers. They don’t. Because overtime isn’t the problem — honesty is.”