Cashless Bail Fails: Six months of diminished public safety
Six months after the full implementation of the cashless bail, and other provisions, of the Illinois SAFE-T Act, Illinois residents are finding themselves anything but safe.
The headlines back up the concerns expressed by House Republican legislators about the SAFE-T Act. While hundreds of headlines have peppered Illinois news sources since the SAFE-T Act was fully implemented six months ago, below are some of the important stories you may have missed.
Illinois SAFE-T Act diminishes public safety:
- Illinois woman charged with attacking Chicago police officers released on no cash bail thanks to new state law– Fox News- Sept. 19, 2023
- Man, accused of stealing $68K worth of merchandise in smash-and-grab robbery, released under new Illinois SAFE-T Act– WTVO-TV- Rockford- Sep. 22, 2023
- Charged with striking officers, Mt. Vernon woman released under SafeT Act– WMIX- October 2, 2023
- Arrested Illinois officer avoids jail time through new law– The Southern- October 13, 2023
- Madison County judge orders man accused of sexual assault of teenage girl to be released– Belleville News Democrat- December 1, 2023
- Chicago man arrested 3 times since October, flips off mugshot camera twice– CWB Chicago- December 11, 2023
- ‘If I could detain you … I would’: Lake County judge forced under SAFE-T Act to release man accused of pulling loaded gun on woman– Lake & McHenry County Scanner- January 1, 2024
- Granite City man awaiting trial in rape case is charged again with sexual assault– Belleville News Democrat- March 10, 2024
- Rockford murder suspect released before trial under new Illinois bail law– WTVO-TV- Rockford- March 27, 2024
March revenue growth came from only two cash flow lines
State revenue numbers tracked and compiled by the Commission on Budget Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) show that the entirety of March 2024 year-over-year revenue growth came from: (i) federal funds from Washington, D.C., and (ii) money paid by Illinois residents in income taxes. The March 2024 revenue report shows other general-funds revenue sources combined yielded a net decline of $58 million below March 2023 numbers. These declines included drops in net revenues from corporate income taxes, from taxes on electricity, natural gas, and other supplies bought through public utilities, and from taxes imposed on cigarettes, liquor, wine, and beer.
Steps being taken to strongly discourage, or even ban, future use of natural gas
Since the 1950s natural gas, a clean-burning fuel, has been a preferred source of energy for household heating. Almost all of the natural gas burned in Illinois comes from fields located in the United States of America and its territorial waters.
Now, however, a push has begun to wind down, and eventually abandon, the use of fossil-fuel natural gas. Discussions of this point have reached the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), the State panel that regulates natural gas usage and pricing in Illinois.
Around the District
Congratulations to everyone at Craig Industries in Quincy for progressing to the final round of voting in Illinois Makers Madness, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s annual contest to choose “the coolest thing made in Illinois”!
Craig Industries manufactures high quality insulated building panels that are used by other companies in a wide range of products. Craig made it into the contest final four this year with Mod Box insulated outdoor buildings.
Thanks to Craig Industries for helping make Adams County a cool place to live and work!