In November’s election, Illinois voters will be asked whether they wish to add constitutional protections for workers who are seeking to unionize.

Specifically, the Workers’ Rights Amendment question on the 2022 ballot will ask voters whether they wish to establish a constitutional right for employees to organize and bargain collectively, so that they may negotiate “wages, hours and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.”

The synopsis of the bill, as crafted by the General Assembly, reads:

“(The bill) proposes to amend the Bill of Rights Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that employees shall have the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work. Provides that no law shall be passed that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and work place safety, including any law or ordinance that prohibits the execution or application of agreements between employers and labor organizations that represent employees requiring membership in an organization as a condition of employment. Provides that these provisions are controlling over home rule powers.”

The amendment would specifically amend Article 1 of the state’s constitution. That article essentially mirrors the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, while also providing protections in other areas as well, including prohibiting discrimination based on sex and discrimination based on physical or mental handicaps.

The amendment would also amend Article 7, which sets guidelines for powers given to local governments under “home rule” provisions in the constitution.

In order to pass, the amendment would need 60% approval by the electorate in November.

While the amendment was placed on the ballot in bipartisan votes by both chambers of the General Assembly, there has been some criticism of the bill from the right side of the political spectrum.

The state’s Republican Party has come out in opposition to the measure, citing research by the conservative thinktank Illinois Policy Institute that shows that the amendment could cause property tax rates to accelerate faster to help pay for concessions given to public union workers who may seek higher waves and better benefits thanks to the enshrinement of collective bargaining into the state constitution.

Some business groups, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, also oppose the amendment.

In contrast, labor groups representing both public and private workers have largely supported the measure, including the Chicago Teachers’ Union, the Illinois chapter of the AFL-CIO and the SEIU.

Illinois Democrats, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have also expressed support for the amendment. 

“Worker safety and economic security is a fundamental right of all workers from domestic workers to PHDs,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea in a statement. “Everybody deserves a safe workplace and economic security.”

If the amendment were to pass, it would effectively ban “right-to-work” laws, according to experts.

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For the second general election in a row, Illinois voters will face a potential amendment to the state’s constitution, deciding the fate of the ‘Workers’ Rights Amendment’ on Nov. 8.

The amendment will ask voters whether they wish to establish a constitutional right for employees to organize and bargain collectively, specifically to negotiate “wages, hours and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.”

The amendment follows the defeat of the Graduated Income Tax amendment in the 2020 election.

How Will Voters Know Whether the Amendment Passed or Failed?

The measure would need 60% approval in order to pass and to amend the state’s constitution.

Here’s What the Amendment Says

The synopsis of the bill, as crafted by the General Assembly, reads:

“(The bill) Proposes to amend the Bill of Rights Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that employees shall have the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work. Provides that no law shall be passed that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and work place safety, including any law or ordinance that prohibits the execution or application of agreements between employers and labor organizations that represent employees requiring membership in an organization as a condition of employment. Provides that these provisions are controlling over home rule powers.”

The amendment would specifically amend Article 1 of the state’s constitution, referred to in the synposis as the state’s “Bill of Rights.” That article essentially mirrors the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, while also providing protections in other areas as well, including prohibiting discrimination based on sex and discrimination based on physical or mental handicaps.

The amendment would also amend Article 7, which sets guidelines for powers given to local governments under “home rule” provisions in the constitution.

Who Supports the Measure?

Labor groups representing both public and private workers have largely supported the measure, including the Chicago Teachers’ Union, the Illinois chapter of the AFL-CIO and the SEIU.

Illinois Democrats, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have also expressed support for the amendment.  

“Worker safety and economic security is a fundamental right of all workers from domestic workers to PHDs,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea in a statement. “Everybody deserves a safe workplace and economic security.”

Who Opposes the Measure?

Business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association, have voiced opposition to the measure, as has the Illinois Republican Party as a whole, though some GOP lawmakers have expressed support for the amendment.

The Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO Todd Maisch argues that the measure would invest more political power into union leadership, and wouldn’t allow for the gains in income and job security that the amendment’s proponents have promised for workers.

The Illinois Policy Institute also argues that by giving more power to public unions, state residents would be impacted with higher property tax bills because of the extra advantages the amendment could potentially convey to unions in collective bargaining discussions.

Research conducted by the IPI argues that property tax bills could increase by a collective $2,100 over the next four years, though property tax rates have steadily increased in recent years, according to US Census Bureau data.

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A Chicago state senator who was indicted on federal charges alleging he sought a bribe to oppose legislation that would have required a statewide evaluation of red-light camera systems is set to appear in court Friday.

Sen. Emil Jones III, the latest public official implicated in the bribery scheme, who also was charged with lying to the FBI, is scheduled for an arraignment hearing.

Prosecutors allege that Jones, a South Side Democrat, told an individual with an interest in the camera system operator SafeSpeed that he would protect it from legislation in the General Assembly in exchange for $5,000 and a job for an unnamed associate.

Prosecutors did not name the red-light camera company, but SafeSpeed issued a statement Tuesday indicating that a former associate was involved.

Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on two democratic state senators to step down, initially saying political corruption was a bipartisan problem but today taking a stronger stand. One of the senators is not involved in a political corruption case, but rather a nasty divorce. NBC 5 political reporter Mary Ann Ahern reports.

“As new developments in federal investigations come to light, SafeSpeed remains both shocked and saddened that one of its former colleagues was engaged in criminal conduct,” the company said.

Neither SafeSpeed nor its current owners have been charged with any wrongdoing.

Jones, the deputy majority leader in the Illinois Senate, has not responded to a request for comment left with his Chicago office. His father, former state Senate President Emil Jones Jr., issued a statement saying “the charges brought against my son, Emil Jones III, do not reflect the man he is. Everyone knows he is an honest, hardworking legislator.”

Gov. Pritzker on Thursday called for Jones and Sen. Michael Hastings, who is accused of abusing women, to resign from their Senate seats.

“Sen. Jones is accused of accepting bribes. And Senator Hastings is accused of abusing women. They should answer the charges and have their day in court. But in the best interests of their constituents, these men must resign from their offices,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Resigning only their leadership roles falls short of what the public should expect. I want to send a clear message to the people of Illinois: corruption and abuse have no place here.”

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon filed a letter with the secretary of the Senate this week saying he “asked for and received” Jones’ resignation as chair of the Senate Licensed Activities Committee.

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A day after state Sen. Emil Jones III announced his resignation from leadership and committee chair positions amid federal bribery charges, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday the South Side Democrat — and another state senator facing accusations he abused women — should formally resign from the Illinois Senate.

Jones was hit with federal bribery charges for allegedly lying to the FBI about whether he’d agreed to protect the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC in the Illinois General Assembly. He also allegedly agreed to protect SafeSpeed from legislation in exchange for $5,000 and a job for an unnamed associate, federal prosecutors said.

And WBEZ has reported Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, faces serious personal accusations from his estranged wife, including police records that state he put her in a headlock and repeatedly slammed her into a door.  Hastings has denied the accusations. An environmental lobbyist has also described being bullied by the senator in professional interactions. The state also fought against a lawsuit filed by Hastings’ former chief of staff, which included accusations of racial and gender discrimination against the Democratic lawmaker.

Both men have stepped down from Senate leadership posts but remain in the Senate and on the November ballot.

But Pritzker, who is also running for reelection, urged both men to resign.

“Sen. Jones is accused of accepting bribes. And Senator Hastings is accused of abusing women. They should answer the charges and have their day in court. But in the best interests of their constituents, these men must resign from their offices,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Resigning only their leadership roles falls short of what the public should expect. I want to send a clear message to the people of Illinois: corruption and abuse have no place here.”

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon “asked for and received” Jones’ resignation as chair of the Senate Licensed Activities Committee, according to a letter Harmon filed Wednesday with the secretary of the Senate.

Jones also agreed to step down from his positions as vice chair of the Public Safety Committee — which handles red-light camera business — and Senate deputy majority leader.

Despite Republican calls to relinquish his Senate seat altogether, Jones has given no indication he’s going anywhere. Messages left at his offices in the Roseland neighborhood and in Springfield on Wednesday went unanswered.

Hastings gave up a role in the Senate Democrats’ leadership team in August, soon after the accusation of domestic abuse from his estranged wife surfaced online.

Pritzker said Illinois residents deserve to have elected leaders who are focused on representing their needs, “not on holding office when facing serious and credible charges.”

“Integrity is essential to public service, and corruption for personal gain and abuse in private or public is unacceptable,” the governor said in a statement.

Jones is the ninth member of the Illinois General Assembly to be hit by federal charges in the last several years.

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State Sen. Emil Jones III has been hit with federal bribery charges as part of a yearslong investigation involving the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC.

Jones, son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., is also charged with lying to the FBI.

The charges against the younger Jones point to a Senate bill filed in February 2019 requiring a statewide study of automated traffic law enforcement systems, including red-light cameras.

The feds say Jones agreed that, in exchange for benefits from an individual with an interest in SafeSpeed, he would work to limit such studies to systems used in Chicago, “thereby excluding from study and recommendations automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in numerous other municipalities” served by SafeSpeed.

Jones also allegedly told the individual with an interest in SafeSpeed that he would protect it from legislation in the General Assembly in exchange for $5,000 and a job for an unnamed associate.

The state senator allegedly lied to the FBI about his role in the scheme Sept. 24, 2019.

That was the same day federal agents raided the home and offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, including in the state Capitol building. Sandoval died in 2020.

The feds filed their charges against the younger Jones in a document known as an information, which typically signals a defendant’s intention to plead guilty. The Chicago Democrat is now the latest in a long line of Illinois politicians to face charges since the feds’ probe of SafeSpeed-related deals surfaced in 2019.

Others who have faced charges related to SafeSpeed include the late state Sen. Martin Sandoval, former Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta, former Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan and former Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci.

Also charged separately is former SafeSpeed partner Omar Maani, who played a central role in many of the schemes outlined by prosecutors. Maani struck a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement with the feds in 2020 and agreed to cooperate with them.

SafeSpeed has not been charged with wrongdoing and has portrayed Maani as a rogue actor.

Jones’ father led the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2009. He considered himself to be former President Barack Obama’s “political godfather” — after having taken Obama under his wing when he served in the state Senate. The elder Jones served 35 years in the General Assembly.

Raising many eyebrows, Jones Jr. appointed Jones III, then 31, to his Senate seat in 2009. Jones III has run unopposed since 2012. At the time of his appointment, Jones Jr.’s allies rallied for his son.

State Rep. Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, a longtime Jones Jr. ally and inheritor of a political legacy himself, said he saw nothing wrong with Jones III getting a chance to hold his father’s Senate seat.

“Give him a chance to prove himself,” Rita said in 2008.

Jones III worked for the state between May 1999 and November 2006, when he briefly left the payroll. Despite not having a college degree, he was hired in April 2007 as an administrator for former Gov. Blagojevich’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity — a job that paid $59,436 annually.

He serves on eight Illinois Senate committees, including public safety, where he is a vice-chair.

Jones III is also chair of the Licensed Activities committee.

Jones III represents the 14th Senate District, which encompasses Far South Side neighborhoods and south suburban Cook County, including Alsip, Oak Forest, Crestwood, and Blue Island. After redistricting, the district will stretch into other swaths of southwest suburbs, like Orland Park and Oak Forest.

Illinois State Board of Elections records show Jones III had $136,936.72 cash on hand at the end of June. He has since taken in $57,500 in contributions.

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Another week, another member of the Chicago City Council who’s “tired of this” and not running for reelection.

Former Public Safety Committee Chair Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th), one of the police union’s staunchest supporters, is the eighth council member to choose retirement over a difficult reelection campaign.

Reboyras will serve the remainder of his term and call it a career — after 20 years as alderperson and 44 years in city government — when the new council is sworn in next May.

That means 15 of the council’s 50 members elected in 2019 already have left or announced they will be departing.

“Why now? Why not? Forty-four years in city government. I want to spend a little more time with my mom, who’s very ill, and she’s 92. That’s No. 1 for me. And help out my brother. He’s not doing too well, either,” said Reboyras, 69.

“I’m tired of this. I have no ill feelings about anybody in city government, the mayor or anybody. It’s just the right time for me.”

Reboyras said he’s been “maxed out” on his pension and either “working for nothing” or “paying to come to work” for “at least three terms.”

“I enjoyed helping people, helping constituents. But City Council has changed. … We don’t have any committee meetings. Everything’s via Zoom, no in-person committee meetings. The only thing we have is council meetings,” Reboyras said.

“I just thought it was a good time to let a younger person take over with bright ideas.”

In a business filled with show horses, Ariel Reboyras is a workhorse.

He’s the very definition of what former Ald. Tony Laurino used to call an “alley alderman” — an old-school throwback more concerned about delivering city services to constituents than generating headlines and preening for the cameras.

Reboyras started as a city truck driver and worked his way up in the departments of Streets sand Sanitation, Water Management and General Services before becoming an alderperson in 2003.

“I worked in several departments. I knew what it was like to provide the services to constituents when I came into this job. The average person does not,” said Reboyras.

“I just do my job. That’s all. … I’m not into big talks. I’m not into TV. I seldom talk to reporters. I’m just me. … I have an opportunity to say goodbye to city government. And I want to do it as I quietly can. That’s Ariel. That’s my style.”

But four years ago, Reboyras was thrust into the limelight he tries to avoid.

As Public Safety chair, he was forced to carry the water on police reform for then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the furor that followed the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

After Emanuel fired then-CPD Supt. Garry McCarthy, the Police Board, led by Lori Lightfoot, conducted a nationwide search for a replacement and sent three finalists to Emanuel. But Emanuel rejected all three, and Reboyras helped convince his colleagues to change the law mandating a second nationwide search. Instead, the council ratified Emanuel’s appointment of Eddie Johnson as CPD superintendent.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson (from left), Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) participate in a 2018 ceremony honoring fallen CPD officers.

Reboyras also fended off demands by police reformers and the council’s Black Caucus to change a police contract the Lightfoot-led Task Force on Police Accountability had said “turns the code of silence into official policy.”

Reboyras was then forced to preside over public hearings on four rival proposals for civilian police review. One hearing became so chaotic it had to be cut short.

No wonder Reboyras told the City Club of Chicago at the time: “I feel like the walls are crashing in on me.”

“Police oversight was tough. No doubt about it … But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. … My daughter’s a police officer. That makes it very hard for me,” the retiring alderperson said Monday.

“Policing has changed — not just in Chicago, but across the country — … Every time you look around, there’s another piece of reform legislation. That makes it very difficult for police officers. … Everything has to be upfront. … You have to have your cameras on. No room for errors.”

Last election, Jessica Gutierrez, daughter of former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) challenged Reboyras, coming within a few hundred votes of victory.

Reboyras denied he’s walking away for fear of losing a rematch to Gutierrez, who announced her candidacy for 30th Ward alderperson on Saturday. But he hinted strongly he considers Jessica’s candidacy with her father’s backing a political betrayal by Luis Gutierrez.

“When he first became an alderman, I worked a precinct for him. … I got signatures for him for the congressional district race. I supported him all this time,” Reboyras said.

Pressed on why Luis Gutierrez turned on him, Reboyras replied: “Why don’t you ask him and maybe tell me afterwards?”

He added: “I’m a pretty nice guy. I’m easy to get along with. I don’t bad-mouth anyone. I mind my own business.”

Luis Gutierrez could not be reached for comment.

Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) speaks during a press conference at City Hall in February 2021 where Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed the Welcoming City Ordinance, which offers more protection to undocumented immigrants and prevents the Chicago Police Department from working with federal immigration officials in some cases.

In an uncharacteristically long interview with the Sun-Times, Reboyras made no apologies for his work as a North Side coordinator for the now-defunct Hispanic Democratic Organization at the center of a city hiring scandal.

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s former patronage chief, streets and sanitation commissioner and two others were convicted of rigging city hiring to benefit HDO and other pro-Daley armies of political workers.

“Did I know about any of that? Well, we got jobs. Everybody got jobs through politics in the old days. Not just HDO. Everybody. But it’s sad that everybody only remembers HDO,” Reboyras said.

“Everybody talks about HDO this and HDO that. … Everybody got help from HDO. … We did a lot of work for people. We helped elect many candidates. … We did excellent work doing campaigns. Everybody sought the help of the Hispanic Democratic Organization. And it wasn’t just Hispanic liaisons. It was a citywide organization.”

During 44 years in government and politics, Reboyras served under three mayors: Daley, Emanuel and Lightfoot.

He described Emanuel and Lightfoot as similar personalities in that they are both “tough to work with” and “no-nonsense.”

“If you needed to speak to the mayor directly, I could call Rahm. If you need to speak to Lori Lightfoot directly, you can call her directly — and I’ve done that many times. They both answered the phone when I called,” Reboyras said. “But you couldn’t call Daley on the phone because he didn’t carry a phone with him.”

Daley was believed to avoid cell phones out of concern the feds might be listening.

“He came in the era when there were no cell phones, and he never adjusted to it. Never had a phone. … You had to go through his administration [to get through to him]. It wasn’t difficult. It just took a little more time.”

Of all the positions he has held in city government, Reboyras said his favorite job was as a substitute teacher at Roberto Clemente H.S. who moonlighted as a football and wrestling coach.

“It was a happy time. I really enjoyed working with the kids,” he said. “I wanted to stay there. I wanted to be a full-time employee there. It didn’t happen.”

Why did he leave the teaching career he loved?

“I didn’t have a permanent school,” Reboyras said. “I was tired of subbing every day calling at 5:30 in the morning to find out where I’m going.”

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A bill that brings sweeping criminal justice and police reform will soon take effect in Illinois, and though much focus has been centered on the elimination of cash bail, several other changes are in store.

House Bill 3653, authored by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, was approved by the Illinois General Assembly last year, bringing “significant changes” to things like police training policies, police accountability, transparency in law enforcement and the rights of detainees and prisoners, according to Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who sponsored the bill.

Among the changes the bill will bring are the elimination of monetary bail, a requirement that all police officers wear body cameras by 2025, a ban on all police chokeholds, new guidelines for “decertification” of police officers, and an end to suspended licenses for failure to pay, among several other changes. It also bans police departments from purchasing military equipment like .50 caliber rifles and tanks, increases protection for whistleblowers, and adds to rights for detainees to make phone calls and access their personal contacts before police questioning.

Detainees, prisoners and all those who interact with police officers will have the expectation of prompt medical care while in custody, with special accommodations made for pregnant women. Charges of resisting arrest must cite a justification for the original arrest that was allegedly resisted against under the measure, as well.

Here’s a complete look at the bill and its changes:

House Bill 3653 includes “a number of measures to increase police transparency and accountability,” according to Sims. Those include:

• Requires reporting on deaths in police custody.
• Requires police to provide a predicate offense for resisting arrest. (That is, a reason for why an arrested was occurring in the first place.)
• Expands police training on use of force and crisis intervention, as well as first aid training.
• Requires statewide standards and services for officers to receive regular mental health screenings and assistance, while ensuring that counseling and screenings remain confidential.
• Requires police departments to participate in the FBI’s use of force database and strengthens the requirements for use of deadly force.
• Prohibits chokeholds by police officers.
• Imposes upon police a duty to intervene in the excessive use of force by another officer and to render aid when necessary.
• Enhances whistleblower protections.
• Extends all restrictions of the use of force that apply to law enforcement officers to bounty hunters as well.
• Bans the use of certain military equipment and provides guidance on the use of crowd control measures.
• Requires the maintenance of police misconduct records and requires the use of special prosecutors in officer-involved deaths.
• Expands the officer misconduct database.
• Removes police discipline from the collective bargaining process.
• Requires the use of body cameras statewide by 2025.
• Removes the requirement for sworn affidavits for police misconduct complaints.

“Several measures in HB 3653 are aimed at reforming detainee and prisoner rights, and to ensure Illinois’ criminal justice system is fairer for everyone,” Sims said in a statement. Among other things, the bill:

• Increases services and programming for pregnant prisoners, and requires medical treatment of prisoners and detainees without unreasonable delay.
• Adds new detainee rights when in police custody including:
  • The right to make three free phone calls within three hours of arrival at the police station and before questioning occurs.
  • The ability to retrieve phone numbers contained in their cell phone’s contact list prior to the phone being placed in inventory.
  • Requires conspicuous notice of these rights in police stations and booking rooms. Requires that the telephone number to the public defender or appointed attorney’s office must also be displayed. Provides that in the event a person who is in police custody is transferred to a new place of custody, his or her right to make phone.
• Prohibits people with less than four months on their sentence from being imprisoned and allows them to be diverted to electronic monitoring or another DOC facility or program.
• Ends “prison gerrymandering,” the practice under current law of counting prisoners toward a jurisdiction’s census count rather than their permanent address.
• Makes changes to streamline the crime victims compensation process.
• Promotes the use of co-responder models and enhances data collection on mental health crisis response.
• Codifies that the use of force by police as a punishment or retaliation is prohibited.
• Creates new requirements in the event police execute no-knock warrants, including that: (1) each participating member is assigned a body worn camera and is following policies and procedures; (2) steps are taken in planning the search to ensure accuracy and plan for children or other vulnerable people on-site; and (3) if an officer becomes aware the search warrant was executed at an address, unit, or apartment different from the location listed on the search warrant, that member will immediately notify a supervisor who will ensure an internal investigation ensues. These requirements are based on Chicago Police Department reforms.

Bans the purchase and use of certain military equipment by law enforcement, specifically:

• Tracked armored vehicles
• Weaponized aircraft, vessels, or vehicles
• Firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or higher
• Grenade launchers
• Bayonets

Law enforcement agencies must also publish notice of any requests for property from a military equipment surplus program.

“HB 3653 also makes a number of changes that specifically affect how people interact with the courts, in ways that aim to interrupt the cycles of recidivism and incarceration in which many Illinois families find themselves,” Sims wrote. Among those reforms are:

• Abolishes monetary bail.
• Ends the practice of suspending drivers’ licenses for failure to pay.
• Aligns the eligibility for the Mental Health Court or Veterans and Service members Court with the other specialty courts.
• Modernizes earned sentence credits, and shortens mandatory supervised release times for certain offenses.
• Clarifies the “Felony-murder rule” and modernizes the three strikes rule.
• Allows the courts to deviate from mandatory minimums and implement alternate sentencing.

For additional information on the Pretrial Fairness Act, which eliminates cash bail, click here.

A law enforcement officer could lose certification if they are convicted of or found guilty of a felony offense or some misdemeanors under current state law. According to Sims, HB 3653 expands the list of misdemeanors which would prohibit a person from becoming a law enforcement officer or result in their decertification:

• Gives the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board the discretionary authority to decertify an officer under certain circumstances.
• Outlines the process for receiving and reviewing violations, notice and hearing requirements, and the appeals process.
• Applies to all law enforcement agencies, including the State Police.
• Expands the State Police Merit Board to seven members.
• Requires officers to complete training verification forms.
• Implements two new officer misconduct databases for transparency.

The following are misdemeanors that would result in decertification for police officers, should they be convicted, found guilty, enter a plea of nolo contendere, or be sentenced to supervision, conditional discharge, or first offender provision (*** indicates offenses newly added by this bill):

• Criminal Sexual Abuse
• Indecent Solicitation of a Child
• Sexual Exploitation of a Child
• Prostitution
• Keeping a Place of Prostitution
• Pimping
• Aggravated Assault
• Criminal Sexual Abuse
• Theft
• Deceptive Practices
• Impersonating a Police Officer
• Keeping a Gambling Place
• Offering a Bribe
• Resisting or Obstructing a Peace Officer
• Escape
• Aiding Escape
• Harassment of Jurors or Witnesses
• Simulating Legal Process
• Advances Prostitution
• Profits from Prostitution
• Manufacture or Delivery of Cannabis
• Delivery of Cannabis on School Grounds
• ***Solicitation of a sexual act
• ***public indecency
• ***indecent solicitation of an adult
• ***solicitation to meet a child
• ***domestic battery (all domestic violence convictions prohibit one from carrying a gun)
• ***interfering with the reporting of domestic violence
• ***transmission of obscene messages
• ***harassment by telephone
• ***harassment through electronic communication
• ***evidence interference
• ***Any misdemeanor offenses affecting governmental function such as resisting a peace officer or witness tampering

The following actions could result in an officer’s decertification at a court’s discretion:

• Committing an act which would constitute an automatic decertification if it were prosecuted as a felony or misdemeanor.
• Using excessive force in violation of state or federal law.
• Failing to intervene to prevent harm from occurring including the not knowingly and willingly refusing to render aid when it is reasonable to administer aid and aid is required.
• Tampering with a dash camera or body-worn camera or directing another for the purpose of concealing, destroying, or altering potential evidence.
• Committing perjury, making a false statement, or knowingly tampering with or fabricating evidence.
• Engaging in unprofessional, unethical, deceptive, deleterious conduct, or practices harmful to the public (including any departure from, or failure to conform to, the minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing practice of an officer).

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“We must challenge City Hall to do better,” Jessica Gutierrez told a crowd of supporters over the weekend as she stood with her husband and 16-month-old baby, in front of the Belmont-Cragin home where she’s lived for many years.  “It’s time to stop the rubber-stamp City Council. When the community speaks, I will listen.” This is Gutierrez’s second campaign for 30th Ward Alderperson. In 2019, she lost to Reboyras by 302 votes (out of about 7,900 cast).  Reboyras –who is rumored to be considering retirement or another position in county government – may not run, but even if he does, she’ll be ready. Since 2020 Gutierrez has been supporting the Belmont-Cragin and surrounding community as Director of Community Outreach for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Gutierrez helped lead the PRCC–long known for its work on the Paseo Boricua along North Avenue–to open a satellite office a bit north and west of West Humboldt Park in Belmont-Cragin. She helped the agency play a key role serving the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that unlike some other groups, PRCC’s doors remained open throughout the crisis. “We kept the kids fed, kept the landlords paid, and helped people get vaccinated,” Gutierrez says. She faults incumbent Ald. Ariel Reboyras for failing to be present for all constituents in the 30th Ward in the past four years. Gutierrez is the daughter of former Congressman Luis Gutierrez, whose pivotal role and leadership in Chicago politics goes back to the days of Harold Washington and Council Wars and who continues to serve as a leader in the community on immigration reform among other issues. Jessica Gutierrez graduated from St. Benedict High School and has a BA in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She’s running for alderman as a lifelong progressive Democrat, educator and community organizer. 

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State senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey has released the two-page cover sheets for five years worth of income tax returns, saying that he wants to take the “issue off the table” as the general election draws closer.

Bailey’s farm in downstate Xenia spans more than 12,000 acres, and he owns a trucking and excavation business with his sons.

Some estimates have pegged the senator’s net income at more than $5 million.

In an interview with NBC 5, Bailey was asked about his millionaire status, in light of his criticism of former Gov. Bruce Rauner and current Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s wealth, and he says that his financial situation is markedly different.

“Everything I have is tied up in this farm, tied up in the land,” he said. “Everything I have, you’re looking at it. It’s tied up right here.”  

A third generation-farmer, Bailey has been asked for months to release his taxes, including during the Republican primary, and he had declined to do so until now.  

“I don’t think that someone’s taxes make them a qualifier for a political office, but here’s the deal, I’m moving on, because we’re going to win this thing and we’re going to win it big, so I’m wiling to get one of these issues off the table,” he said when asked about his change of heart.

Bailey provided NBC 5 with a copy of the two-page income tax cover sheets for his last five years worth of returns.

According to those documents, his Adjusted Gross Income in 2017 was $1,776. The following year, it increased to $211,000. In 2019, it declined slightly to $189,000.

Amid the COVID pandemic, Bailey reported a loss of $164,000, while in 2021 he reported a loss of $99,000.

Bailey cited the purchase of new equipment for businesses for reported losses of income.

During those two years, ProPublica reported that Bailey received more than $570,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, and the Chicago Tribune reported that he received $280,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“The people will know when they see these that I am truly one of them,” Bailey said. “I’m not living in this billionaire bubble like J.B. Pritzker.

Pritzker is worth an estimated $3.6 billion. His 2020 AGI was $5.1 million, with $2.2 million worth of income qualifying as taxable income. Pritzker paid $760,000 in income taxes that year, and donated another $2.8 million to charity.

NBC 5 has only obtained two-page cover sheets for both candidates, not full tax returns.

Pritzker’s net worth has been a common front of attack for Bailey and other Republicans, and he says with the release of tax information, he is hoping to solidify his image as a downstate farmer looking to take on more monied interests.

“I am proud to be an American farmer,” he said. “To the question ‘are you a millionaire farmer,’ it has to do each and every day with land prices, equipment prices and those fluctuate drastically.”

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey won the primary against five opponents, receiving the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the process, but as he looks to win over independents he’s adjusting some of his message, except when it comes to crime.

In Bailey’s first television interview, conducted at his downstate farm, he says he has confidence no matter what the polls show.

Bailey’s roots are in Xenia, where his a third-generation farmer. He and his sons also run an excavation and trucking business. 

While he has been a vocal critic of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID emergency orders, going so far as to file a lawsuit against his stay-at-home order, Bailey did receive federal COVID relief.

ProPublica first reported that Bailey received nearly $570,000 in PPP loans. The Chicago Tribune also notes there was another $280,000 from the USDA for farmers, and since 1995 his farming operation has received $2.1 million in federal subsidies.    

“It is the federal government that’s pretty well in charge of export and import, demand, embargos. They control these prices,” he said.

A farmer and longtime school board member, Bailey also opened his own Christian school in town and ultimately ran for state representative five years ago.  

He says he arrived in Springfield “in 2019, the same year as JB Pritzker, there is nothing, there is nothing that is better under JB Pritzker’s watch.  It’s a mess.”

Pritzker, a billionaire who spent $171 million in his first election in 2018, describes Bailey as an extremist. 

There’s a new television campaign ad that features a woman who had an abortion and is concerned about what a Governor Bailey might do.

 “I would let her know first and foremost, women are well protected in the state of Illinois, and this is not going to change,” he said. “Nothing’s going to change anytime soon. Those aren’t issues that divide us. JB Pritzker is fear mongering over just that.”

Previously, Bailey had called for a total ban on abortion, but in recent months he has sought to soften his stance.

Bailey sought out Trump’s endorsement prior to the June Republican primary, but  when asked if he wants the former president to come back to Illinois before Nov. 8, the state senator didn’t explicitly ask for a visit.  

“President Trump is not on the ballot, I am focused on Illinois,” he said.

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