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State Journal-Register: 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.
The Center Square: RTA eyes 11 tax, fee hikes to prevent transit 'collapse'
The Regional Transportation Authority’s five-year strategic plan calls for consideration of 11 tax and fee hikes at a time when fewer people are using public transportation.
The transit agency said in the draft of the plan the tax increases are necessary to prevent the collapse of public transit in the Chicago area.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Ald. Leslie Hairston says she turned down Mayor Lightfoot’s request to serve as ethics chair: ‘I am not a product of the machine’
Retiring Chicago Ald. Leslie Hairston revealed Tuesday night that she rejected Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s request to serve as chair of the still rudderless ethics committee, in another sign that a streak of independence is brewing within City Council.
Speaking at an event centered on the “Punch 9 For Harold Washington” documentary and the notorious Council Wars underscoring that era, the alderman of the 5th Ward disclosed the offer when asked why she has never chaired a committee despite serving on the council since 1999.