Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0598
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Full Text of HR0598  102nd General Assembly

HR0598 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On January 13, 2021, the Democrats in the
3Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 3653, which was
4the final blow to law enforcement after years of stripping
5away their powers and protections bill by bill; and
 
6    WHEREAS, A 764-page attack on law enforcement was filed in
7the Senate at approximately 3 o'clock in the morning on the
813th and called for a vote a little over an hour later, the
9timing of which made it almost impossible to read and
10thoroughly vet the bill; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Less than two hours before the end of the 101st
12General Assembly, HB 3653 made its way to the House for a vote;
13no committee hearing was held on the 764-pages, and no
14opportunity for witness slips was allowed; and
 
15    WHEREAS, HB 3653 was called to the floor, and multiple
16members of the Republican caucus wanted to speak on the bill,
17members who have actual experience in the law enforcement
18field as law enforcement officers or prosecutors; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Instead, the Democrats forced the bill to a vote
20after two Republican speakers and held the voting open as long
21as was necessary to get their members to vote yes on the bill,

 

 

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1which barely passed; and
 
2    WHEREAS, HB 3653, which the sponsors called the SAFE-T
3Act, abolished cash bail, hinders law enforcement's ability to
4apprehend offenders, fails to protect victims, and emboldens
5criminals by removing consequences; and
 
6    WHEREAS, This controversial bill that was rushed through
7the legislature in the wee hours of the morning was not
8intended to develop a better justice system but is part of a
9vindictive effort to criminalize and demoralize policing and
10to delegitimize and destabilize the State's current justice
11system; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The new law created a Task Force to study
13qualified immunity for police officers, created an anonymous
14complaint process to pressure officers, and made dangerous
15changes in the use of force by officers, putting both the
16public and law enforcement at risk; it changed the standards
17for felony murder to make it more difficult to charge some of
18our society's most dangerous perpetrators; this new law has
19created unprecedented challenges for law enforcement agencies,
20and it has endangered the public; it has made the job of
21protecting the public all the more difficult for police
22officers; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In a convoluted effort to disarm police officers,
2the new law even contained provisions that intend to prohibit
3law enforcement agencies from acquiring lifesaving armored
4vehicles and equipment that is often utilized to assist,
5rescue, and protect victims of violent riots, mass shootings,
6and acts of civil unrest and danger; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Seventeen county sheriffs alone have quit since
8the passage of HB 3653, and the Chicago Police Department is
9seeing officers retire in record numbers; officers are leaving
10the law enforcement professions all while Chicago ended 2021
11with a record number of homicides, more homicides than any
12other city in the United States; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Statistics released by the Chicago Police
14Department showed that a rise in the number of shootings left
15more people dead than in any single year in a quarter century;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, Police departments all across the State are
18reporting record number of vacancies in their departments; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 2021, Illinois lost nine law enforcement
20officers in the line of duty, five died by gunfire alone; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Violence keeps increasing, and the Democrats keep

 

 

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1filing bills and pushing legislation that protects those
2offenders and causes more harm to law enforcement and victims
3of crime; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The actions by the Governor with the Democrats of
5the House and Senate have created a consequences-free
6environment in Illinois for criminals and organized street
7gangs; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10we urge the Illinois General Assembly to value and protect
11crime victims and law enforcement, those on the streets
12protecting the community and public every day; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois General Assembly to
15repeal HB 3653/the SAFE-T Act in its entirety.