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CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2020 29
it that a prisoner may receive for various offenses from 4.5 to 8.5 days of sentence credit for each month of his or her sentence of imprisonment. It also reduces the mandatory supervised release term for Class X, 1, and 2 felonies other than certain sex offenses to 18 months.
This last piece to lower the severity of sentencing for drug offenses by one class has resulted from a 2016 study with the objective of identifying ways to reduce the prison population in Illinois by 25 percent. It seems the logic suggests that one of the best ways to reduce costs is by allowing criminals to spend less time in prison.
SB1971 is sponsored by Elgie Sims, whose constituency includes the South Side of Chicago. According to Donahue, Sims knows Lodge 7’s position on all of these issues and has convened meetings to address them. The meetings have been filled with special interest groups from across the state, all of which appear to be advocating criminal justice reform.
Police officers, however, should not fear this legislation. Chicago Lodge 7 and the law enforcement coalition has gen- erated a successful effort to fight off anti-police bills.
“We’ve been working together well the past three years to fight a lot of these issues,” clarifies Donahue, who adds that the coalition will be in Springfield up to five days a week to carry the water. “We’re testifying, speaking with one voice and it’s been working pretty well for us.”
Like this report, the legislation session could very well end on a high note. Chicago Lodge 7 is vigorously advocating for HB5251 and SB3073, which address Gambling-Gaming Board duties. The bill would amend the Illinois Gambling Act to
provide that the duties of the Illinois Gaming Board include contracting with the Chicago Police Department for the use of trained and qualified police officers to conduct investigations, searches, seizures, arrests and other duties imposed under the act for a casino located in the city of Chicago.
And as the state budget comes up for discussion, the Lodge is working for passage of two bills that would improve pen- sion issues, including amending the pension code to remove the birthdate restriction on eligibility at age
55 for a 3 percent automatic annu-
al increase in retirement
annuity that is
not subject to
a maximum
increase of 30
percent.
One of the more serious funding issues involves the Illi- nois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. There is a need to increase funding because a lot of the revenue that came from fines and court penalties that supports the board has dissipated, and the new push for no-cash bail could fur- ther deplete the cash flow.
“We will continue to monitor all the legislation,” Donahue confirms. “It’s a matter of having a presence in Springfield all the time to identify legislation that is harmful to not only the way law enforcement officers are able to do their jobs in this state, but also harmful to the law-abiding citizens in our com- munities.”