* WAND…

Two local Republican lawmakers have introduced reforms for the Pretrial Fairness Act with backing from the Sangamon County Sheriff and State’s Attorney.

Democrats and Republicans have heard Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said they are open to tweaks to the SAFE-T Act. Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) told reporters Tuesday that all felonies must be detainable and judges should have more discretion during pretrial hearings. […]

Coffey’s plan would allow courts to deny pretrial release if someone is charged with any felony and prosecutors allege they pose a threat to public safety or are likely to miss court. Pretrial release could also be denied if the defendant has been convicted of two or more of the same felonies or misdemeanors.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice’s response…

“HB4725 is an opportunistic attempt by Republican lawmakers to undermine criminal justice reforms and make our communities less safe. From the moment the Pretrial Fairness Act was passed into law, Republican lawmakers began calling for it to be repealed. These efforts have been fueled by misinformation and the weaponization of individual acts of violence with no connection to the Pretrial Fairness Act.

More than two years into the law’s implementation, the success of the Pretrial Fairness Act is undeniable. Judges are receiving more information and spending more time on pretrial release decisions, the number of people incarcerated pretrial has dropped statewide, and while we always have more work to do, our state has seen a dramatic decrease in both violent and property crime.

Having clearly lost the debate over the effectiveness of the money bond system, Republicans are now proposing changes to the Pretrial Fairness Act that would promote mass incarceration and decrease the law’s effectiveness.

The state’s leading anti-gender based violence organizations joined criminal justice reform advocates to champion the Pretrial Fairness Act because it ensures that courts focus their attention on cases where there is an allegation of or risk of violence. Expanding the list of cases eligible for detention to include charges where no one was at risk of harm would weaken the quality of hearings and result in the incarceration of people who pose no danger to the community. It is important to note that many of the charges Rep. Coffey & Rosenthal are seeking to make detainable have never been eligible for immediate preventive detention in Illinois, including under the money bond system.

Jailing legally innocent people pretrial can cause them to lose their jobs, housing, and custody of children. Studies have repeatedly shown that even short periods of pretrial jailing increase the likelihood that someone will be arrested in the future. That’s why the Pretrial Fairness Act sets clear standards for the types of cases eligible for detention

We all want safe communities, but weakening reforms and wasting court resources will not get us there. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice is calling on the General Assembly to reject Republican efforts to jail more people and instead fully fund the Pretrial Success Act to expand access to voluntary substance use and mental health treatment, case management services, and other supports for people awaiting trial. These types of community investments will further improve implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act while also addressing the root causes of what brought people into the criminal legal system in the first place.”

* NPR Illinois…

An Illinois state senator is proposing sweeping reforms to the state’s property tax sale system, arguing current practices favor investors at the detriment of homeowners and communities.

Sponsored by Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, whose district includes several westside neighborhoods, SB 2830 could change how delinquent property taxes are sold, refunded and reviewed with the goal of reducing real estate speculation and predatory behaviors of development investors which have priced out homeowners over relatively small tax debts. […]

Under current Illinois law, when a homeowner falls behind on property taxes, the county may offer the delinquent tax bill for sale at a public auction. Investors can then purchase those tax liens and later collect repayment, plus statutory interest, during a defined redemption period.

If the lien is not redeemed in time and all procedural requirements met, the investor can obtain a tax deed and take ownership of a property. […]

Under the new proposal, investors would no longer receive interest on refunds caused by county errors, or have their reimbursements capped at 6 percent. The bill also places a $2 million annual cap on purchaser refunds.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Rideshare drivers rallied at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday to ask legislators to support their effort to unionize.

The legislation, which had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon, would grant rideshare drivers the right to unionize and to collectively bargain with transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft through that union. […]

“Rideshare drivers like those gathered here today, they keep our communities connected every single day,” Genie Kastrup, president of SEIU Local 1, said at the rally. “They work long, hard hours, often at great personal risk, to keep all of Illinois moving. And yet, despite doing this essential work, rideshare drivers have been denied the same rights as other workers in our state.”

Drivers currently lack the right to unionize under federal labor law because they are classified as independent contractors. The proposal would not change that classification but would give rideshare drivers the right to unionize in Illinois despite their contractor status.

“Let’s be honest, we don’t operate independently at all. We don’t set our own wages. We don’t control the rules. We don’t decide who is deactivated and how they’re punished. The algorithm, the corporations do,” Brett Currin, a rideshare driver, said. “The drivers are left powerless in Illinois.”

More from Block Club Chicago…

Under the proposed legislation, drivers would be able to select a union if enough people sign on.

Once certified, that union would bargain with rideshare companies statewide over subjects like compensation, benefits, safety standards and dispute resolution, including deactivation appeals. Any agreement would have to be approved by drivers through a vote and reviewed by a state agency before taking effect.

In an email to Block Club Tuesday, Uber spokesman Josh Gold said the company has not yet seen the bill, adding that “the devil is in the details.” Gold said Uber generally expects to be able to work with the legislature and other stakeholders on legislation that would create a pathway for independent contractors to organize.

* The Center Square…

An Illinois state senator has introduced legislation requiring the Department of Children and Family Services to publicly account for every foster child who goes missing while under state care, citing a lack of reliable data that lawmakers say has hampered oversight and child safety efforts.

Senate Bill 2869, introduced by Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, would require DCFS to submit an annual report to the General Assembly beginning June 1, 2027, detailing how many youth in state care were reported missing, how many were later found or recovered, and how many remain missing. […]

“If there’s one missing child, it alarms me,” Hills said. “Let alone if there’s 193. And we don’t even know if that’s necessarily accurate either.”

Hills, the Senate minority spokesperson for child welfare and a former Cook County prosecutor, emphasized that transparency is a prerequisite for accountability.