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* 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.
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.
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.
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 9:30 am
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The story about sexual assault in schools by other students doesn’t really go into how far into the investigation the process is. Is the older boy being charged? Did the school finish their own review, somehow, and determine that he did it? The article takes it as a done deal, as a fact, but doesn’t actually support that.
I’m probably fine with expelling kids if they’re assaulting other kids (not just sexually) once that’s been adequately determined, that’s almost certainly the lesser harm, but stopping kids from graduating from school limits their options and I would bet my bottom dollar increases their risk of doing more crimes down the road. One of the legislators wants to ban kids that are determined to have done this from all public schools. That’s going to have unintended consequences. Again, that might be better than letting them remain in school, but it IS a downside from the decision. Like with other (actually convicted) criminals, it’s one thing to say you don’t want to live next to them, but if everyone says that, where do they go? Do you want them living on the street? Then you’d complain about the homeless even more.
Comment by Perrid Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 10:09 am
Somewhat of a meta inquiry, but how do you guys decide which bills get to go in the “it’s just a bill” posts? Is it based on which ones are having committee hearings, or based on likelihood of movement, or which ones have legislators actively pushing them, or what?
Comment by Homebody Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 10:19 am
== how do you guys decide==
For me, it’s just a general roundup of what’s out there on a particular day. I try not to include any repeats unless there’s a bunch of movement on the bill.
Comment by Isabel Miller Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 10:23 am
Hey Jed, hope everything is ok in my Mom’s hometown. I thought I’d drop you a note that your oath bill may be thought of as a Mom and Apple Pie thing to do. I’ve got no problem. However, if you’re serious about oaths being meaningful, you need to push your party to uphold theirs. Here’s your chance to condemn the lawlessness that is being perpetrated by Trump. If you don’t, then you’ve failed your oath.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 10:38 am
@Perrid- to the point you were making- an order of protection o. The school setting does not mean the student was convicted of anything and the order applies to the student not the school. If the school was part of the court process then maybe there was an element of the order that’s as placed on the school but that would be highly unusual in my experience. We get to keep the kids separated and usually implement a safety plan, but without due process (which this bill seems to ignore) the student cannot be deprived of their right to an education.
If an assault happened at school then the school can take action. But it does not appear that this case was “mishandled” by the school. A lot has to be explained before that would be apparent and most of that information is confidential.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 10:42 am
@Norseman- spot on. As always.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 11:16 am
I don’t know about you, but I will be sleeping more soundly at night knowing that, finally, the members of the community college board are taking an oath to defend the constitution.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 11:20 am
The Taylorville case, obviously the district had no other school to send him to. Is the State going to mandate a child such as this HAS to be accepted by one of Taylorville’s neighboring districts? How would people in the receiving district feel? Is the State going to set minimum size requirements (at least 2 of each type of school) to exist?
Many commenters on many issues have discussed here the lack of resources in rural areas. This is another example.
SB 98 is a “gift” from the Good Idea Fairy. /s
Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 12:19 pm
I’ve not know Community College Boards to be hotbeds of unconstitutional behavior. But whatever. This is par for the course for the kind of things Republicans choose to focus on. I can think of a much bigger problem of someone not upholding and defending the Constitution. I don’t see a lot of hand wringing about that.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 12:20 pm
=but stopping kids from graduating from school limits their options and I would bet my bottom dollar increases their risk of doing more crimes down the road.=
Oh yes, the poor perpetrators - think of their futures!
They are more likely to recidivate regardless of whether or where they graduate, especially if they are never held accountable.
But it isn’t about them. It’s about the victim. The innocent student who did nothing wrong. Where is the concern for their future?
Comment by Politix Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 1:04 pm
==requiring elected community college board members to take an oath upholding the Constitutions of the United States and Illinois upon being sworn into office.==
Following up on some of the other comments. If a Community College receives a directive from DC (lets suppose and EO from the President or a Dear Colleague letter from the Dept. of Ed.) that would require it to restrict speech, promote a certain religion, or otherwise violate the Constitution, what would Rep. Davis recommend they do in response?
And, since Rep. Davis also points out “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.” What does he think other elected officials should do when facing such directives from DC?
Hoping for a response from the Constitutionally-protective Rep. soon.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 2:53 pm
=But it isn’t about them. It’s about the victim. The innocent student who did nothing wrong. Where is the concern for their future?=
An order of protection does not rea conviction or even a charge. Just an accusation.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 28, 25 @ 2:59 pm