Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a controversial and sweeping criminal justice reform bill into law on Monday that will end cash bail starting in 2023.
House Bill 3653 — formerly House Bill 163 — passed by a 60-50 vote on January 13. The Senate passed the bill by a 32-23 vote.
It will change use-of-force guidelines, require body cameras for every police department in the state, end cash bail, and strip collective bargaining rights relating to discipline from police unions.
Pritzker appeared alongside lawmakers and community advocates at Chicago State University in Chicago to sign the bill.
The legislation, which is the work of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, faced opposition from law enforcement groups and Republican lawmakers.
The legislation will allow officers to be punished or fired based on anonymous complaints from the public and defunds any department that does not comply 100% with the requirements.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle previously called the reforms catastrophic to law enforcement and feels they would make policing impossible for officers who have to make split-second decisions.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition said in January that Illinois legislators made Illinois less safe due to the bill.
The group said it would hamper police officers. “It ties the hands of police officers while pursuing suspects and making arrests, and allows criminals to run free while out on bail,” they said in a statement.
“The legislation includes no way to pay for any of these law-abiding, citizen-threatening measures, so taxpayers will have to pay extra for the privilege of being crime victims.”
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul applauded the Illinois General Assembly’s passage of the legislation.
“These certification reforms are the result of collaboration between my office, law enforcement, advocates and the sponsors – Rep. Justin Slaughter and Sen. Elgie Sims,” Raoul has said.
“Senator Tim Bivins began this journey years ago, and I am proud that today we have reached our destination and will be implementing meaningful reform that will promote professionalism, increase transparency and restore the public’s trust in law enforcement,” Raoul said.
The bill, which was signed into law on Monday, will partially go into effect in July while other parts of the bill, like eliminating cash bail, will go into effect in 2023.
The Center Square and Lake and McHenry County Scanner both contributed to this story.