HR0598 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0598 LRB102 23761 MST 32952 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On January 13, 2021, the Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 3653, which was the final blow to law enforcement after years of stripping away their powers and protections bill by bill; and

WHEREAS, A 764-page attack on law enforcement was filed in the Senate at approximately 3 o'clock in the morning on the 13th and called for a vote a little over an hour later, the timing of which made it almost impossible to read and thoroughly vet the bill; and

WHEREAS, Less than two hours before the end of the 101st General Assembly, HB 3653 made its way to the House for a vote; no committee hearing was held on the 764-pages, and no opportunity for witness slips was allowed; and

WHEREAS, HB 3653 was called to the floor, and multiple members of the Republican caucus wanted to speak on the bill, members who have actual experience in the law enforcement field as law enforcement officers or prosecutors; and

WHEREAS, Instead, the Democrats forced the bill to a vote after two Republican speakers and held the voting open as long as was necessary to get their members to vote yes on the bill, which barely passed; and

WHEREAS, HB 3653, which the sponsors called the SAFE-T Act, abolished cash bail, hinders law enforcement's ability to apprehend offenders, fails to protect victims, and emboldens criminals by removing consequences; and

WHEREAS, This controversial bill that was rushed through the legislature in the wee hours of the morning was not intended to develop a better justice system but is part of a vindictive effort to criminalize and demoralize policing and to delegitimize and destabilize the State's current justice system; and

WHEREAS, The new law created a Task Force to study qualified immunity for police officers, created an anonymous complaint process to pressure officers, and made dangerous changes in the use of force by officers, putting both the public and law enforcement at risk; it changed the standards for felony murder to make it more difficult to charge some of our society's most dangerous perpetrators; this new law has created unprecedented challenges for law enforcement agencies, and it has endangered the public; it has made the job of protecting the public all the more difficult for police officers; and

WHEREAS, In a convoluted effort to disarm police officers, the new law even contained provisions that intend to prohibit law enforcement agencies from acquiring lifesaving armored vehicles and equipment that is often utilized to assist, rescue, and protect victims of violent riots, mass shootings, and acts of civil unrest and danger; and

WHEREAS, Seventeen county sheriffs alone have quit since the passage of HB 3653, and the Chicago Police Department is seeing officers retire in record numbers; officers are leaving the law enforcement professions all while Chicago ended 2021 with a record number of homicides, more homicides than any other city in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Statistics released by the Chicago Police Department showed that a rise in the number of shootings left more people dead than in any single year in a quarter century; and

WHEREAS, Police departments all across the State are reporting record number of vacancies in their departments; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, Illinois lost nine law enforcement officers in the line of duty, five died by gunfire alone; and

WHEREAS, Violence keeps increasing, and the Democrats keep filing bills and pushing legislation that protects those offenders and causes more harm to law enforcement and victims of crime; and

WHEREAS, The actions by the Governor with the Democrats of the House and Senate have created a consequences-free environment in Illinois for criminals and organized street gangs; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois General Assembly to value and protect crime victims and law enforcement, those on the streets protecting the community and public every day; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois General Assembly to repeal HB 3653/the SAFE-T Act in its entirety.