Chicago City Wire

Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) revealed the General Assembly had an opportunity to discuss making changes to the criminal reform bill, the SAFE-T Act, during the fall veto session, which concluded on Dec. 1.

ABC 7 Chicago reports most of the concern surrounding the SAFE-T Act has focused on The Pretrial Fairness Act, a provision of the bill that would eliminate cash bail at the start of the new year.

“We're back for the final day of the fall veto session this morning,” Stephens wrote in a Dec. 1 Facebook post. “The House is expected to take up a number of measures including changes to the SAFE-T Act.”

In another Facebook post later that day, Stephens wrote, “In 2021, Democrats passed the SAFE-T Act in the middle of the night without time for public input or a real debate. This led to the passage of a confusing and dangerous law which Democrats are only now scrambling to change, on the final day of the fall veto session, with just one month left before the law's most controversial provisions take effect.”

The House and Senate ended up passing a revised version of The Pretrial Fairness Act to address some concerns Republicans had expressed throughout the past year, including an expanded list of detainable offenses and allowing law enforcement to arrest trespassers. The revised legislation now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.

Pritzker congratulated the lawmakers and advocates on the 2022 veto session.

“Government is at its best when we come together across party lines to make Illinois the best it can be,” Pritzker said in a statement on Dec. 1. “For almost six months, working groups of legislators have been hard at work with victims' advocates, state's attorneys, public defenders, law enforcement partners and others to clarify language in the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect January 1st.  I'm pleased that the General Assembly has upheld the principles we fought to protect, including bringing an end to a system where those charged with violent offenses can buy their way out of jail, while others who are poor and charged with nonviolent offenses wait in jail for trial.”