East Central Reporter

State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) is criticizing his fellow General Assembly members for not doing enough to change the much criticized SAFE-T Act. 

The trailer bill to the SAFE-T Act passed 38-17 in the Senate and 71-40 in the House. No Republican voted for the changes.

“On the changes to the SAFE-T Act, Illinoisans need to know that the changes were so minor that not a single Republican voted for the bill and the lawsuits filed by 60 state's attorneys in Illinois is going forward,” Miller said. “These changes did nothing to reverse the release of dangerous criminals. Most importantly, this bill is an affront to victims by potentially forcing them to testify at detention hearings just days after being violently assaulted. This bill is the opposite of seeing justice done.”

The SAFE-T Act was a flashpoint in the 2022 campaign, Will County Gazette reported. Thousands of inmates who are currently being held in jails around the state while they await trial on serious crimes would be released as a result of the bill on Jan. 1. If the SAFE-T Act is implemented as intended, those charged with the most heinous crimes—such as robbery, kidnapping, arson, second-degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated flight, drug-related homicide and threatening a public official—will be freed.

Of the 102 state's attorneys, 60 have filed lawsuits to stop the legislation from taking effect in its current form and 100 are in favor of amending or repealing the law altogether, according to the Madison-St. Clair Record.

New Senate Minority Leader John Curran said one of his goals is to roll back parts of the SAFE-T Act. 

“So the Democrats decided to go it alone on this issue two years ago,” Curran said, WSIU reported. “And they placated the extremes of their base. And what they got was an extreme product that has caused nothing but divisiveness in this state over the last two years on the issues of balancing civil liberties and public safety.”