The omnibus criminal justice reform bill became highly politicized in the November elections, mixing fact and fiction. There are problems with the bill, but state lawmakers can fix them before the SAFE-T Act takes effect in January.
Three years after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on a pledge to reduce fines and fees, the city issued over 1 million parking tickets in the first half of 2022 – a 25% bump from the same period a year earlier.
“I hope the property taxes don’t push me out into that level where I’m going to have to move because moving a business is also expensive. I’m hopeful it will work out, but I might have to be creative.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster declaration because over 500 immigrants were bused to Chicago by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. This disaster is atop the pandemic disaster he is expected to renew for the 34th time.
Chicago aldermen lacked the votes to repeal Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s lower speed camera ticketing threshold responsible for nearly $80 million in fines.
Chicago’s speed cameras issued 3.8 million tickets since Mayor Lori Lightfoot lowered the threshold before a citation is written. That is like everyone in Chicago getting 1.4 tickets in 16 months.
“The city needs to just find another way to raise money besides nickel-and-diming safe drivers.”
Chicago reported more traffic deaths in the first six months of 2022 than in any year since 2017, despite speed cameras issuing over 1 million tickets – as many tickets as Chicago has households. Two-thirds of the fines were for speeding 6-10 mph.
The Chicago City Council blocked a vote to repeal the lower speed camera ticket threshold, responsible for $59 million in tickets last year. Mayor Lori Lightfoot now has until July 20 to save a policy that issued more tickets than Chicago has residents.
Chicago aldermen were ready to repeal the lower speed camera tolerance that generated $59 million in fines last year, but the finance committee chairman called off the meeting. Mayor Lori Lightfoot will use the delay to ‘twist peoples’ arms’ and keep the threshold low and lucrative.
Two bills on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk would spend $20 million to add license plate monitoring cameras to 6,600 miles of highways in 22 counties. Civil rights groups fret about abuse. Illinois State Police can’t say they increase safety.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced relief for low-income residents just weeks after an Illinois Policy Institute investigation found her lower threshold for speed camera tickets created more fines in 2021 than Chicago has residents.
The Illinois House approved a law calling for the installation of license plate reading cameras. Big Brother just wants to solve crime.
The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill to eliminate the nation’s strictest standard for how old children must be to be left home alone, now set at age 14. The bill lets parents decide when children are responsible enough to briefly be on their own.