Full Text of HR0876 100th General Assembly
HR0876 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, A primary and critical function of counties in the | 3 | | State of Illinois is
enforcing laws and administering justice; | 4 | | and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The costs of enforcing laws and administering | 6 | | justice are paid by the
citizens of those counties through | 7 | | property, income, and sales taxes; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Counties have become increasingly reliant on | 9 | | fines and fees, including
bond fees, to offset these costs; | 10 | | these fines and fees have become unreasonable and
| 11 | | disproportionate; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, These unreasonable and disproportionate fines and | 13 | | fees become
excessive obligations placed upon criminal | 14 | | defendants because taxpayers believe
that criminal defendants | 15 | | should bear the cost of the criminal justice system, when
in | 16 | | fact all people, including taxpayers, benefit from the | 17 | | enforcement of laws and the
administration of justice in the | 18 | | county; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Excessive criminal justice financial obligations | 20 | | contribute to
unnecessary incarceration in county jails due to | 21 | | failures to pay a fine or fee, and
unnecessary incarceration |
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| 1 | | results in more unemployment and adds to the burden on
| 2 | | taxpayers; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Excessive reliance on overly punitive fines and | 4 | | fees encourages law
enforcement and corrections decisions to be | 5 | | made on grounds other than public
safety while undermining | 6 | | public confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice
| 7 | | system; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Excessive reliance on excessive criminal justice | 9 | | obligations has a
disproportionate and staggering impact on the | 10 | | poor; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 12 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 | | urge counties to impose fines and fees, including bond fees, | 14 | | only upon
individuals convicted of a criminal offense; and be | 15 | | it further | 16 | | RESOLVED, That we urge that fines and fees collected from | 17 | | offenders will only be used to fund
programs and services and | 18 | | not to fund offices and salaries; and be it further | 19 | | RESOLVED, That we urge counties to find ways to fund court | 20 | | costs, law enforcement, and
pay for the administration of | 21 | | criminal justice without any reliance on fines and fees,
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| 1 | | including bond fees; and be it further | 2 | | RESOLVED, That when imposing fines and fees, the offender's | 3 | | ability to pay should be
taken into account as one factor and | 4 | | arrangements such as discharging financial
obligations through | 5 | | payment plans and community service should be offered; and be | 6 | | it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That all counties are urged to be fully | 8 | | transparent with regards to the types and amounts of fines and | 9 | | fees they impose, the mechanisms used and the costs involved in | 10 | | collections, and how the money collected is spent.
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