Preston introduces measure to address antiquated officer hiring decisions

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Willie Preston (D-Chicago) released the following statement regarding new legislation to diversify the state’s pool of law enforcement officers by prohibiting the use of credit history in hiring decisions:

“An applicant's poor credit history should not preclude that person from becoming a police officer. If we want to address the decrease in officers applying and diversify our law enforcement, we have to remove these outdated, classist policies.

“Senate Bill 2608 would prohibit police departments across Illinois from denying employment and promotions based on someone’s credit. Looking at the Chicago Police Department alone, data shows that only 20% of the force is Black.

Read more: Preston introduces measure to address antiquated officer hiring decisions

Illinois takes major step toward lowering emissions, thanks to Ventura

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is leading the way toward a cleaner, greener future thanks to a measure from State Senator Rachel Ventura to require state-owned vehicles to be zero emission.

“Zero emission vehicles deliver big gains for both our environment and our economy,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Taking bold steps to cut pollution puts us closer to our nation-leading goal to become a 100% clean energy state.”

Highway vehicles release about 1.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year — mostly in the form of carbon dioxide — which contribute to the global climate crisis. The continuous adoption of zero-emission vehicles has the ability to move the nation close to an 80% decrease in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Senate Bill 1769 will require passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the state to either be a manufactured zero-emission vehicle or converted into a zero-emission vehicle by 2030. Exceptions will be made for law enforcement and IDOT vehicles. Currently 13 other states have adopted similar zero-emission vehicle requirements, Minnesota being the only other Midwestern state to do so.

Read more: Illinois takes major step toward lowering emissions, thanks to Ventura

Sims celebrates state’s ninth credit rating upgrade

SPRINGFIELD – For the ninth time in just over two years, Illinois has seen another improved bond rating. Fitch Ratings – one of the nation’s major credit rating agencies – announced upgrades Tuesday thanks to the fiscally-responsible decisions made by Illinois Democrats.

State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) – who serves as the Senate’s Appropriations Leader and Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee – released the following statement in response:

“When I look at the budgets we have passed in recent years, I see the work and years of fiscal responsibility paying off. We were able to pay down our bills and put money back in the pockets of the state’s hardworking families. Illinois is a stand-out state when it comes to putting the needs of our residents first – and we do so in a responsible, equitable way.

“The nine upgrades Illinois has seen in recent years shows our fiscally responsible budgeting approach is working and is independent proof that our state is headed in the right direction. Our future looks bright and I look forward to continued collaborative efforts with my colleagues to keep Illinois on this upward economic trajectory.”

Castro advances bill to give Cook County homeowners more time to file property assessment appeals

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Cristina Castro is spearheading a measure to establish a clearly defined and uniform number of appeal days so that all Cook County taxpayers can rely on sufficient time to file, define, argue and support their property assessment appeals.

“Tax-paying homeowners should be able to count on their local government for consistency and be able to voice their concerns when their property assessment goes up—as many are experiencing this year,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This is an opportunity to stand up for Cook County homeowners, especially northwest suburban taxpayers who are seeing increases across the board, and make the property assessment appeals process more simple and flexible.”

Senate Bill 1988 requires the Cook County Assessor to continue accepting appeals from a taxpayer for at least 30 business days after the date the increased property assessment was mailed or published on the assessor’s website.

Read more: Castro advances bill to give Cook County homeowners more time to file property assessment appeals