CRIME
FACT CHECK: Dangerous Criminals Roam Free Thanks to SAFE-T Act. Governor Pritzker went on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier to claim he’s keeping dangerous criminals off the streets. The reality in Illinois tells a very different story.
While the Governor talks tough on crime, his policies have done the opposite. Under the SAFE-T Act and other Democrat-backed changes, violent offenders are being released instead of held accountable. Illinois has become a revolving door for criminals, and families across the state are paying the price.
Just look at the facts:
o A Chicago woman charged with attacking police officers was released
o A Granite City man awaiting trial for rape was charged again with sexual assault
o A Rockford murder suspect was released before trial under Illinois’ no-cash-bail system
o A Peoria Heights man accused of soliciting a child was freed before trial
o A Dolton shooting suspect was out on bond awaiting trial for murder
These are not isolated cases, they are patterns. They are the direct result of the SAFE-T Act, which prioritizes criminals over victims.
State Representative Mike Coffey has held Public Safety Roundtable meetings with local law enforcement and supports legislation that repeals provisions within the SAFE-T Act.
Governor Pritzker’s soft-on-crime agenda has made Illinois less safe. Until the SAFE-T Act is repealed, violent offenders will continue to walk free while victims and communities are left to suffer the consequences.
IMMIGRATION
McCombie: Accountability Commission is Another Taxpayer-Funded Political Stunt. In response to the Governor’s latest Executive Order creating the Illinois Accountability Commission, Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement:
“Governor Pritzker’s so-called Accountability Commission is just another taxpayer-funded political stunt. He claims he wants immigration reform, but his own open-border policies and expanded Trust Act tell a different story.
“He talks about truth and accountability, yet under his watch, over 1,200 children have died in DCFS care and thousands more have been injured — where is that accountability?
“At this point, the Governor’s talking points are stale and predictable, the same tiring political theatrics to try and keep his name in the national spotlight. Illinoisans deserve a leader focused on results, not another headline or late-night soundbite.”
VETERANS
New Illinois Veterans Home facility opens in Quincy. The new facility contains 290 living spaces for U.S. veterans and their spouses, including 80 independent living apartments and 210 beds for long-term care. These spaces can hold up to 467 veterans and their spouses. The facility accepts applicants who were honorably discharged from active duty in a branch of the United States armed services. The Illinois Veterans Home (Quincy) application form is available here.
Quincy is the largest of the five Illinois Veterans Home care facilities. Other facilities operate in Anna, Chicago, LaSalle, and Manteno. The facilities enable Illinois veterans from various locations within Illinois to have a residency space that is close to their friends and families.
The new $300 million Quincy Veterans Home became necessary after the old veterans’ complex proved to be inadequate during a 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. A lengthy process of planning and building took place that involved the demolition of seven obsolete buildings. Residents have already begun moving into the new facility, which officially opened this week.
TAXES
Will Lawmakers Deliver on Property Tax Relief? Property taxes are high in Illinois, and failing policies championed by Democrats continue to make the situation worse. In fact, depending on the metric or the source that is cited, Illinois residents pay the highest or second-highest property tax rate in the nation. There are plenty of horror stories out there, including in the south and southwest suburbs in Cook County. Residents in these areas are dealing with exorbitant and devastating property tax increases year after year.
Many of the people affected by these historic property tax increases are in lower-income communities. Bad economic policies pushed by Democrats have created an environment of businesses either closing for good or moving elsewhere to greener pastures, shifting the tax burden to support schools and local governments on to residents. Homes are also being improperly assessed and overvalued, creating a vicious cycle of tax increases with no relief in sight.
As he seeks a third term in the Governor’s office with an eye toward a run for the White House in 2028, Governor JB Pritzker has suddenly realized the overwhelming property tax problem Illinois has. Unfortunately, he’s late to the party and his policies have caused this crisis. Higher taxes in Illinois are pushing businesses and residents out, and that trend is continuing. Those who remain are left to shoulder the burden even more.
Proposals being brought forth by Democrats, which could be considered during the current Veto Session, could make the current situation even worse! And that is unacceptable.
Pritzker is blaming high property taxes on a lack of investment in education in Illinois, and while that may be a part of the problem, what’s needed is real reform and ideas brought to the table by people who understand what is going on. House Republicans have brought forth dozens of bills aimed squarely at attacking the property tax problems in Illinois, but Democrats refuse to acknowledge them. Bills and proposals fall on deaf ears at the committee level, and Republican ideas are never brought forth to the House Floor for consideration.
Bills related to delivering property tax reform and relief introduced by Republicans include:
· HB 2639 increases the General Homestead Exemption Amount.
· HB 2642 Improves the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law.
· HB 2640 increases the low-income senior freeze.
· HB 1495 creates a property tax relief pilot program.
· HB 2641 creates a school district levy exemption for seniors.
· HB 1496 limits property assessment increases.
· HB 1321 provides that property tax collections in excess of 150 percent of the previous year’s amounts be refunded to taxpayers.
It’s interesting that during his seventh year in office, Governor Pritzker has finally admitted there is a property tax problem in Illinois. Solutions are out there, Governor. Democrats in Illinois have an opportunity during the current Veto Session to acknowledge Republican proposals that would help ALL Illinoisans, no matter their political affiliation. Sadly, the likely outcome is more of the same – politics over policy, and rhetoric over solutions.