SPRINGFIELD – Applicants for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) grants may soon see faster turnarounds on their approvals, thanks to a new initiative led by State Senator Javier Cervantes.

“Grant applicants and workers are suffering from the burden of relying on volunteers to grade ICJIA grant applications,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “With this legislation, both parties will see a faster turnaround time, and not need to deal with unnecessary stress.”

Currently, ICJIA is required to utilize volunteer workers to score grant applications, a rule intended to keep the process unbiased. However, this can lead to lengthy delays due to dips in volunteer work, or unreliable expertise levels in the grading process.

Senate Bill 106 would give ICJIA the ability to contract outside organizations to help review and score grant applications, which would expedite the process and ensure applications are reviewed by accredited, unbiased professionals. This would relieve the burden the volunteer-based system placed on ICJIA employees, who were required to finish work not completed by volunteers, and organizations submitting grant applications forced to wait longer than necessary for their results.

“This initiative is a long overdue update to a bureaucratic process, which will benefit all parties involved,” said Cervantes. “I look forward to hearing how grant recipients can use the faster turnaround to invest in their organizations making positive change in Illinois.”

Senate Bill 106 passed the Senate on Friday. It now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.