SPRINGFIELD – Following the guilty verdict issued to Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) released the following statement:

“George Floyd should be alive today. His murder was a preventable tragedy that occurred as a result of extremely poor judgement, professional misconduct and blatant disregard for human life. The verdict will not bring back Mr. Floyd’s life, however, I hope that it can ease the Floyd family’s pain, anger and frustration.

As a nation, state, and community it is essential we join together to better understand one another. This requires a dedicated commitment to repairing a fractured relationship between communities of color and those sworn to serve and protect them – regardless of race, gender or background. We can and must do better.”

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois judges would be encouraged to consider the negative consequences children at home could face when determining imprisonment length for an expectant or current mother under an initiative that passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee Tuesday.

State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) is the lead sponsor of the legislation.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement on news of the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial:

“Today’s verdict is a consequence, an action to hold one police officer accountable. We can be thankful for the dedication and bravery of those who brought the truth of this incident to light and the decency and courage of a diverse jury. Yet, I hesitate to call today’s verdict justice.

“True justice would have been for George Floyd to walk away from his encounter with Derek Chauvin with his life. I am hopeful that this is the beginning of the broader change we must make for a criminal justice system that actually delivers justice, and a police presence that truly serves and protects all Americans.”

SPRINGFIELD – To clarify and streamline the annexation process for Elk Grove Village and other local governments across Illinois, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) sponsored legislation to protect and strengthen municipalities’ rights to annex surrounding properties.

“Current laws and recent rulings surrounding annexation have complicated the process and opened local governments up to lawsuits,” Murphy said. “This legislation more clearly outlines the requirements municipalities must follow to annex property legally.”

In 2018, an appellate court in Will County rendered an annexation invalid, even though the annexation appeared to meet all statutory requirements. The ambiguity of this decision has caused problems for municipalities in other areas of the state, including Elk Grove Village in the district Murphy represents, where some property owners have attempted to legally challenge previous annexations meeting all statutory requirements in order to block future annexations.

To resolve this confusion and more clearly define the factors that determine an annexation’s validity, Murphy’s legislation would create clear statutory requirements for municipalities seeking annexation.

“The statutory requirements in place are meant to ensure an annexation decision is in the best interests of the community,” Murphy said. “It’s important that they are clear and concrete, so municipalities can follow them as intended.”

Senate Bill 658 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) released the following statement in response to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trail:

“We must acknowledge that since the inception of this nation, our justice system has and continues to fail millions of Black Americans each day. Collectively, we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us. Although the system still doesn’t work for millions, this afternoon it worked for one. Today’s verdict is a testament to what we can accomplish when we stand together as the United States of America, when we make our voices heard and demand change, when we refuse to accept the status quo. While the promise of liberty and justice for all has yet to be fulfilled, today’s news represents the progress we have made toward a more just nation."

SPRINGFIELD – To prevent images and videos of children—including elementary and special education students—from falling into the wrong hands, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) has sponsored legislation to remove the video recording requirement from the Illinois edTPA teacher licensing assessment.

“Recording devices can be stolen, accounts can be hacked, and images and videos can end up on the internet without authorization, putting our children at risk,” Murphy said. “Illinois is one of just a handful of states that require this unnecessary step for licensure—there are other ways to assess a student teacher’s performance that don’t threaten kids’ privacy.”

The legislation would establish student teachers cannot be required to videotape themselves or their students in order to earn a license.

Currently, student teachers in Illinois must record themselves and their students on video to pass the edTPA, an assessment required for their teaching license. The video is then uploaded and sent to a third party vendor for evaluation. The edTPA requires just two short segments of video, but student teachers are encouraged to record hours of footage to choose from.

The legislation would still allow teacher education programs to videotape for in-house teaching purposes, and licensed teachers and administrators could still film students in order to gain National Board Certification or for training, sporting events or promotional purposes.

“Images and videos are vulnerable to attack, especially those that are uploaded and sent to third parties,” Murphy said. “With cybersecurity threats on the rise, it’s critical that we take steps to protect our children’s privacy.”

Senate Bill 808 passed the Senate Education Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement on Tuesday’s decision to convict Derek Chauvin on the three charges brought against him for the death of George Floyd:

“While nothing will ever make up for the torture George Floyd experienced in the final minutes of his life and the loss his family will live with forever, I’m relieved that our court system worked the way it should today.

“Time and again, we see Black and Brown people harmed by the criminal justice system. Real reform is past due, and I’m hoping the outcome of this trial will be a step forward in providing accountability and preventing more tragedies like this in the future.”

SPRINGFIELD- Senator Elgie Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin: 

“Today, the jury got it right. It confirmed what the entire world watched in horror, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight with complete disregard for his humanity by disgraced former officer Derek Chauvin.

While this is the verdict the evidence supported and we were hoping for, we should not be distracted from the fact that there is still more work to do to ensure our system of justice is fair and equitable for everyone.   

It is important to realize that it takes more than just convicting officers of police misconduct to achieve real equity and justice.

Police reform goes beyond only holding those accountable who misuse their power, it calls for us to reimagine public safety and improve the profession of policing.

We need systemic changes to our public safety systems and fundamental changes in how force is used, particularly against Blacks and other people of color.

While some are tempted to celebrate this moment, we must remember that the Floyd family lost their loved one because of the callous disregard of his life by someone who was supposed to protect and serve him.

Let us use this moment as fuel to fight for fundamental changes in our systems of public safety. I remain hopeful that today’s verdict will continue those authentic conversations that lead to policy changes resulting in equity and justice for everyone regardless of skin color, ethnicity, zip code or social class.

I believe we are headed in the right direction but the only way we will get to true equity and justice is if we go there together. 

Say his name…George Floyd!”