* Some days, I have to really try to keep in mind that these are just bills not laws. Here’s Rep. CD Davidsmeyer’s HB4230…

Provides that various information after an individual’s arrest must be made available to the news media for inspection and copying as soon as practicable after the individual’s arraignment (rather than in no event shall the time period exceed 72 hours from the arrest).

So… the police don’t have to disclose they’ve got you until after you’re arraigned? Yeah. I can see no problems with that one. None at all…

Davidsmeyer wants to change that to “as soon as practicable” after arraignment, the court proceeding in which a person accused of a crime enters a formal plea. That usually occurs weeks — and, in extreme cases, months — after an arrest.

He told us the legislation was inspired by the arrest of a college-aged woman after a domestic dispute. She ultimately wasn’t charged, but news of the arrest was published, causing her to face ridicule on Facebook. […]

The ACLU’s Ed Yohnka said the proposal flies against the principle that people shouldn’t be held in secret. […]

[Don Craven, a media law attorney representing the Illinois Broadcasters Association] told us the current 72-hour rule was established about 15 years ago through a compromise between media outlets and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

* Rep. Jeanne Ives press release…

This morning, Springfield whistleblower Denise Rotheimer testified on HB 4840 before the House Executive Committee. HB 4840 is a bill filed by State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) that would give Illinois residents who file an Inspector General complaint in state government the right to notification, information, and participation during the investigative process.

Republicans David Reis, John Caveletto and Dan Brady joined Democrats Barbara Flynn Currie, Robert Rita, Marcus Evans, Gregory Harris, Arthur Turner and Chris Welch in voting against the bill. The committee cited a task force that was “working on the issue.” This is an often-used excuse to delay real action in Springfield.

“This is shameful,” said Ives. “Denise is the whistleblower who pushed for her complaint to be heard and only because she kept asking about it was it revealed that the Legislative Inspector General position was vacant for three years. But for her diligence, we still would not know 27 complaints sat for up to three years unheard.
“She was also the first person to go through the complaint process once an LIG was appointed. She had no rights in the process which is why she helped write HB4840.

“Unbelievably, the Sexual Harassment Task Force has refused to have her testify.

“Complainants need rights now. Not after a task force of elected officials water down the issue.”

In October, nearly three hundred women signed an open #MeToo letter about the culture of sexual harassment in Springfield.

“Misogyny is alive and well in this industry,” read the letter in reference to Illinois politics.

And it remains alive and well because of neglect by the leaders of both political parties in Springfield – and aided by obliviousness of Governor Rauner, whose OEIG slipped in opposition to the legislation.

Faux outrage and kabuki theater in response to serious accusations is all part of the bipartisan protection racket that furthers Illinois’ corrupt political culture.

“If Illinoisans don’t wake up, we will continue to have a system where those in power abuse, instead of a system that checks the abuses of those in power,” Ives concluded.

* Press release…

Individuals who threaten gun violence against schools on social media would be required to reimburse police departments for added security and emergency response costs under legislation sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham, a Democrat representing Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs.

The legislation, Senate Bill 563, is aimed at reducing the trend of copycat threats in the wake of school shootings by updating the disorderly conduct statute, which is the state law most often used to prosecute individuals who make threats against schools. Under current law, those convicted of making threats are required to reimburse public safety agencies for response-related costs, but only if they make the threat via a 9-1-1 phone call or if they specifically threaten to use a bomb.

“Most threats of violence against schools are no longer made through a phone call and increasingly, the threats make no mention of a bomb,” Cunningham said. “According to law enforcement agencies in my district, threats against schools are more commonly made via social media posts. The law needs to be updated to address this change.”