Chicago City Wire

State Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Chicago) said this week that lawmakers are in Springfield for the fall veto session, but it's possible they won't make any changes to the SAFE-T Act despite opposition.

With Democrats seemingly unwilling to act, Republicans and opponents of the SAFE-T Act are speaking up, including Stephens.

“Democrats aren't expected to do anything to fix the dangerous provisions included in the SAFE-T Act,” Stephens said on Facebook.

According to a WJOL report, a member of the Illinois Sheriffs Association told the station that it is likely that any progress on the issue could be slow.

“Lawmakers are only in session Tuesday and Wednesday, so in terms of something moving this week, I don’t think that’s remotely likely," Jim Kaitschuck told the station

Whle the Republican caucus in Springfield would like to see the SAFE-T act repealed, Kaitschuck told WJOL that wasn’t likely.

"A trailer bill is more likely...I do not see how a full repeal would occur,” he told the outlet.

A number of law enforcement groups, including the Illinois Sheriffs Association, have expressed concerns about the SAFE-T Act, according to the report.

“We shed some light on the concerns we have, and state's attorneys have and how we would address some of those things,” Kaitschuck told WJOL. “Ultimately, now the case has been presented now, it’s a matter of making a determination as to what the General Assembly is able to change or wants to change.”

According to FOX32, the 700-page SAFE-T Act for criminal justice reform has come under fire for a provision that on Jan. 1 eliminates cash bail. Dan Kirk, a former member of the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, called the bill a “get out of jail free card," and told the news outlet that he has issues with the act, which he said can hamper a judge’s ability to determine who can be held, even if a suspect poses a danger to the public.

“And that's the scary proposition about this,” Kirk told Fox32. “Unless the state asks that the person be detained, and the state can prove that the person has a specific intention to flee the jurisdiction, that individual cannot be detained in jail prior to trial."

According to ABC7, the majority of Illinois’ 102 state’s attorneys have filed lawsuits over the SAFE-T Act.