Gov. JB Pritzker signs SAFE-T Act amendments into law ahead of cash bail ending Jan. 1

Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed the most debated legislation of the Illinois General Assembly veto session — amendments to the criminal justice reform bill known as the SAFE-T Act.

Holding no public event for his signing of House Bill 1095, Pritzker thanked the Legislature in a statement for its work on the bill, which ends cash bail in Illinois effective Jan. 1, 2023, among other policies.

“I’m pleased that the General Assembly has passed clarifications that uphold the principle we fought to protect: to bring an end to a system where wealthy violent offenders can buy their way out of jail, while less fortunate nonviolent offenders wait in jail for trial,” said Pritzker.

More veto session:Beyond the SAFE-T Act: These bills passed during the Illinois General Assembly veto session

The governor had suggested support for reform to the Pretrial Fairness Act provision of the bill throughout his eventual successful campaign for a second term. He and other Democrats had also rallied against what they described as misinformation from conservatives often painted with racist undertones.

HB 1095 was advocated in both chambers by Chicago Democrats state Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Justin Slaughter and passed along party lines. Specific amendments included updates to the willful flight and dangerousness standards, where those charged with forcible felonies or non-probational offenses could be jailed pretrial by a judge if they meet those terms.

“To say that I’m proud of all the work and advocacy that went into the passage of this act would be an understatement,” said Peters in a statement. “My colleagues and I, with input from the Coalition to End Money Bond, the States Attorneys Association, the Sheriff’s Association and survivor advocates, were able to create something that will change lives and reform the criminal justice system for the better. This is our generation carrying the torch for civil and human rights, and Illinois will only become safer and more equitable because of it.”

SAFE-T Act:Vote on SAFE-T Act amendments hits needed majorities, wins General Assembly passage

No Republican in either the Senate or the House voted in favor of the amendments, but some admitted that progress had been made in this latest trailer bill.

Most claimed that it still fell short of what was needed, however, including state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis. He felt judicial discretion was too limited — an issue he thinks will be a focus of upcoming legislative sessions.

“We've created a detention net – that detention net still has holes,” he said during House debate on the final day of session Dec. 1. “And what that means is we'll see those holes in the detention net and we'll be back in a year to try to patch the hole, and then we'll find another hole.”

Despite the governor's signature of HB 1095, a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act will go forward later this month in Kankakee County. The lawsuit comes from a group of 62 state's attorneys including Sangamon County's Dan Wright and will be heard on Dec. 20.

Contact Patrick Keck: pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs amendments clarifying SAFE-T Act into law