SAFE-T Act, Illinois Democrats Must Be Repealed

SAFE-T Act, Illinois Democrats Must Be Repealed

Written by David E. Smith

Illinois Democrats and their allies in the media are trying to obfuscate and deceive voters about the problems with the pro-criminal SAFE-T Act. Laurie Higgins‘ article was posted last week on the IFI website and on our social media platforms. It didn’t take long for Facebook overlords to falsely label it as “false information” with the disclaimer “checked by independent fact-checkers.” The boost of Laurie’s article was also stopped.

Their partisan duplicity must be exposed!

Make no mistake, this is political activism. Big Tech and deceptive media are running cover for Illinois Democrats. Their anti-police, “equity”-for-criminals agenda is already partially in effect and will be fully enacted in January 2023. Crime is surging and citizens are taking notice. In fact, national conservative pundits are taking note, including Tucker Carlson who has had a couple of monologues on this topic recently, including a 19 minute segment that aired last Thursday evening. Tucker rightly calls it “a war on the population.”

Despite the media’s biased dupery, there are serious and sound reasons to object loudly to the SAFE-T Act. There are reasons why Kankakee and Will County Prosecutors, both Democrats, filed a lawsuit against Governor J.B. Pritzker and other state Democrats in an attempt to have it declared unconstitutional. The Chicago Tribune reports that Glasgow and other opponents “worry the no-cash bail provision will weaken police and embolden criminals.” Glasgow is quoted in the article saying that this lawsuit “is not about politics; it is about public safety.”

If you haven’t heard or read the details about the SAFE-T Act already, please read and respond to the call-to-action given by Illinois State Representative Joe Sosnowski from Rockford, posted below. He explains this Act will greatly affect Illinois communities. Please look for the link in the post below. You can sign a petition requesting repeal of this Act.

Make Your Voice Heard: Repeal the SAFE-T Act to Prevent Massive Crime Wave in Illinois
Written by Illinois State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford)

During the final hours of the 2021 lame duck session, Illinois Democrats rammed through partisan legislation under the cover of darkness late at night that will put thousands of criminals, including violent offenders, right back out on the streets after their arrest, undermining the ability of police and prosecutors to do their jobs and putting families across Illinois at-risk. Governor Pritzker then signed this bill into law. Most Democrats voted YES and every single Republican voted NO.

The Democrats’ so-called “SAFE-T” Act (HB 3653) contained many controversial provisions. The new law abolishes cash bail, makes it more difficult for prosecutors to charge a defendant with felony murder, adds further requirements for no-knock warrants, gives judges the ability to deviate from mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, makes changes to the “three strikes” law, and decreases mandatory supervised release terms, among other changes.

One of the most controversial aspects of the new law is that starting on January 1, 2023, the State of Illinois will eliminate its cash bail system, the first state in the nation to do so. Offenses for which people cannot be held in custody prior to trial include second degree murder, drug-induced homicide, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, failure to register as a sex offender, battery, theft, criminal damage to property, driving under the influence, and all drug cases including selling drugs. This is outrageous and dangerous. There is no doubt: the elimination of cash bail will dramatically reduce public safety and lead to more crime, particularly more violent crime in Illinois.

I voted NO on the SAFE-T Act when it was passed, and I am currently a co-sponsor on four House Bills that would repeal the SAFE-T Act and/or restore monetary bail, including:

HB 4497 (Sponsored by State Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria)

HB 4499 (Sponsored by State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis)

HB 4498 (Sponsored by State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis)

HB 4475 (Sponsored by State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst)

I am also a co-sponsor of a House Resolution urging full repeal of the SAFE-T Act:

HR 598 (Sponsored State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis)

Unfortunately, we will not be allowed to vote on any of these bills unless Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, a Democrat who voted for the SAFE-T Act, agrees to release them from the Rules Committee. Call Speaker Welch at (217) 782-5350 and demand he stop blocking the House Bills mentioned above so that they can receive a hearing and an up-or-down vote.

You can make your voice heard by signing our statewide petition to support repeal of the SAFE-T Act that puts Illinois families at risk and makes our communities less safe.

Visit THIS LINK to sign the petition. Together with thousands of like-minded citizens across Illinois, we can put pressure on Illinois Democrats to reverse course on their dangerous pro-criminal policies before it is too late.

If you are interested in seeing the list of how every State Representative voted on the SAFE-T Act, please click HERE. Y = a Yes vote, N = a No vote, while A = Absent, E = Excused, and NV = Not Voting, meaning the Representative was in the Chamber but chose not to vote on the bill.

Several of the Democrats who voted Yes were lame ducks. The SAFE-T Act was passed on the very last night of their term so that they would not be accountable to the voters in their district. If you are interested in finding contact information for the Representatives who voted Yes on the SAFE-T Act that are still in office, please click HERE to access the Illinois House Member Directory. You may click on the name of any Representative to obtain their contact information.

For even more information, please visit Tom DeVore’s page calling for a repeal as well. Mr. DeVore is a candidate for Attorney General.

In the upcoming General Election, we have an opportunity to repeal dozens of Democrat officials who supported this soft-on-crime approach. Many of these incumbents are also radically pro-abortion and sexual/moral/language anarchists. Ya know, the ones who are unable (or unwilling) to define “woman.” The ones who insist that men can be a “birthing person.” They all need to be sent home!

Illinois law enforcement community overwhelmingly opposed to cashless bail (The Center Square)

SAFE-T Act boosts uncertainty around trespassing enforcement, could raise lawsuit risk for cops, property owners (Cook County Record)