Illinois State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is trying to rally residents to pressure Gov. J.B. Pritzker not to sign the criminal justice reform bill.
In a statement, Tracy said that the legislation hampers police efforts by implementing costly mandates on law enforcement agencies that serve as a roundabout effort to "defund the police."
In the final hours of the 101st Legislative Session, the Democratic-led House and Senate approved the sweeping criminal justice reform bill on Jan. 13.
Some of the reforms include doing away with cash bails and requiring officers to wear body cameras. The final version also removed the clause that allowed the state to deny funds to municipalities that don't comply with body camera regulations.
Tracy said lawmakers made changes to the legislation, including the bill number, in an attempt to confuse people who'd been following its progress. She added that some of those changes happened shortly before voting on the bill began.
"Less than an hour after its filing, the bill passed in the Senate while most of the world was asleep," Tracy said.
The fight against the legislation is not over, Tracy said. The Republican legislator wants residents strongly opposed to the law to contact the governor's office and encourage him not to sign the legislation.
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