* Rep. Maurice West and Arne Duncan…

Studies show that housing instability is a major challenge for those exiting jail and prison and for those who are chronically exposed to violence. Far too many people with both the determination and the desire to find employment and become a contributing member of society struggle and fail because they lack a safe place to sleep and an address to put on an application. These setbacks, caused by systemic problems that can be fixed, ripple through families and neighborhoods and create instability and unsafe conditions for all of us.

It is time to respond boldly, with a statewide solution such as the Home for Good Program, HB3162 and SB2403. People with arrest and conviction records struggle to find stable and affordable housing options due to lack of employment opportunities and discrimination by landlords and employers. In addition, people exiting jail and prison are excluded from state and federally funded long-term housing for three months because of state and federal definitions of homelessness.

The need to address this issue is critical, as data and research show:

- 45% of people leaving state prisons are unemployed for at least three years.
Only 34 affordable and available homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income Illinois renters.
- 60% of CVI program participants request support finding or affording housing, and 80% have arrest or conviction records, which creates a significant barrier to finding work or securing a lease.
- People leaving prison don’t qualify for some existing homelessness supports upon release.
- Nearly 40% of people leaving prisons return within three years, with each return costing Illinois taxpayers an estimated $190,000. However, research shows that stable housing reduces the likelihood of returning to prison and is far less expensive than reincarcerating a person.

The Home for Good legislation builds upon existing, but limited, housing programs and reentry housing pilots that have proved to help people build stable lives. It would allocate $103 million for the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to expand those housing opportunities. The program will fund rental assistance for people with criminal records who can contribute up to 30% of their income; grant money to acquire, build and rehabilitate affordable transitional and permanent housing; wraparound support services for those seeking housing; and the creation of the Home for Good Institute, a training center for organizations that want to provide this kind of housing.

* WAND…

State lawmakers could pass a plan this spring to automatically seal records for people convicted of nonviolent felonies. Felony convictions currently eligible for expungement could be automatically sealed by a circuit court judge or the Illinois State Police. […]

Illinois House Assistant Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) has been working on a clean slate policy for six years. Gordon-Booth told WAND News that she was inspired to work on the legislation after hosting multiple expungement summits in Peoria. […]

The Democrat worked with former House Minority Leader Jim Durkin to pass legislation in 2017 to allow certain offenders with nonviolent felony convictions to apply for expungement. However, she said each of the state’s 102 counties are addressing the record sealing process differently. Gordon-Booth argued it is past time for a streamlined system. […]

Leader Gordon-Booth plans to file her proposal when lawmakers return to Springfield next month. She hopes to have the plan move out of committee and voted on the House floor by the end of April.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Even after the family of a victim of sexual assault from Taylorville obtained an emergency order of protection, the school still allowed the young girl’s assailant to attend the same school and merely moved him to a different school bus with younger students.

It was only after three weeks of filing multiple orders of protection in court and advocating on their daughter’s behalf that the girl’s parents were able to get the assailant removed from their daughter’s school.

In response to this mishandled incident, state Sen. Steven McClure, R-Springfield, introduced a bill in January to help combat sexual violence and protect victims in Illinois schools.

That bill, Senate Bill 98, was not assigned to a committee before the Senate committee deadline on March 21 — a necessary step in becoming a law. But McClure said he has not given up hope for the bill and has filed a letter requesting an extension on the bill past the deadline this session.

* Rep. Maura Hirschauer…

State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, is continuing her efforts to make classrooms safer, advancing a new bill to ensure more teachers are prepared to prioritize student safety in an emergency situation.

“My work in Springfield is rooted in the kitchen table issues discussed in my neighborhood every night. Parents, teachers and students alike are more fearful than ever to attend school without the thought of ‘Will I be safe today?’ This bill reflects a serious effort to close gaps we see locally that will have an impact statewide—ensuring every community, school, and student feels seen and protected.”

Hirschauer passed House Bill 1787 out of the Education Policy Committee last week, ensuring substitute teachers and semi-permanent educators receive the same lockdown and emergency preparedness training as full-time teachers. As a former teacher and champion of commonsense gun safety laws, Hirschauer developed this measure in coordination with Moms Demand Action in order to continue developing a more comprehensive approach to student safety.

“I’m a staunch advocate for protecting our schools, and this measure is another way we can prioritize our students’ safety,” said Hirschauer. “I’ll continue to work toward policy that intersect the dangers of firearms, children, and schools—because our kids deserve to enjoy the same safety that we once did when we were growing up.”

* WCIA…

Convicted sex traffickers in Illinois may soon face an additional penalty, thanks to a bill sponsored by the Senate Minority Leader.

Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) has introduced a bill that would amend the Sex Offender Registration Act to include human traffickers. Offenders who are convicted of the following offenses would need to register: violations or attempted violations of involuntary servitude or trafficking minors or adults for commercial sexual activity. […]

“Someone who is convicted of involuntary servitude or trafficking in persons is profiting from forcing victims into the sex trade,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said, whose office worked with Senator Curran on the legislation. “They are dangerous not only to their victims but to society as a whole and forcing these predators to register as sex offenders will help law enforcement keep track of their whereabouts, inform the community of their presence and make it more difficult for them to traffic new victims.” […]

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Criminal Law Committee.

* Rep. Jed Davis…

Last week, State Representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) passed a common-sense bill through committee requiring elected community college board members to take an oath upholding the Constitutions of the United States and Illinois upon being sworn into office. The bill passed unanimously through the Higher Education Committee.

“Currently, community college board members are the only elected office in Illinois not requiring an oath upholding the Constitution,” said Davis. “This bill simply aligns community college trustees with all other elected officials in the state. It also represents the values of freedom and liberty we cherish as Americans.”

House Bill 3011 now awaits further action on the House floor.

* IPM Newsroom…

Two bills that would ban carbon sequestration under the Mahomet Aquifer and other sole-source aquifers in Illinois passed out of their respective House and Senate committees last week.

The legislation would amend the state’s Environmental Protection Act to implement a total ban on carbon sequestration under, in or around a sole-source aquifer, like the Mahomet Aquifer, which provides clean drinking water to nearly one million east-central Illinois residents.

“We want to make sure that there is no point in no time in the present moment or any future moment where this water source is risked because of corporate need to store toxic waste,” said Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103), who sponsors the House bill (HB 3614). […]

“While we’re poised to lead the way in carbon capture technologies, our progress must be balanced with an unwavering commitment to protecting our essential resources and safeguarding the health of our residents,” said Sen. Paul Faraci (D-52), sponsor of the Senate bill (SB1723), in a written statement March 20.

* Center Square…

Illinois taxpayers are being told there will be no added cost from a measure that would ensure non-citizen children have access to public education while being safe from immigration enforcement inside schools.

House Bill 3247 from state Rep. Lilian Jiménez, D-Chicago, was heard earlier this month in a House committee.

“It will protect students and school communities from immigration enforcement actions at schools and school facilities unless there’s a valid federal warrant,” Jiménez told members of the Illinois House Education Policy Committee on March 19. […]

Jiménez’s measure is expected to be amended and is being held on second reading.