Kane County Reporter

Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) recently took to Facebook to urge the repeal of the criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act.

“It is our duty as lawmakers to enact sound public policies and work in the best interest of our residents,” Ugaste wrote on Facebook. “Democrats failed the people of Illinois when they passed the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, a reckless law that puts every community across the state at risk. The SAFE-T Act needs to be repealed today to ensure the safety of Illinois residents.”

The majority of Illinois' 102 state's attorneys have filed lawsuits over the legislation, WQAD-8 reported.

Ugaste wrote in his latest e-newsletter that the lawsuits have now been consolidated into one."Because of overall constitutional questions concerning the policies contained in the Act, the wording of the Act, and the way the Act was drafted and passed by the General Assembly, many Illinois state’s attorneys believe the Act raises constitutional questions that block its validity and enforcement," Ugaste said.

Ugaste said the lawsuit will be heard in Kankakee County, which is where the first suit was filed. "Making this into one lawsuit will reduce the possibility of different courts issuing cross-cutting opinions on the points of law raised by the state’s attorneys, and by law enforcement." The court could issue a stay on the SAFE-T Act, meaning it could not be implemented before the concerns listed in the suits have been heard.

Illinois House Republicans introduced legislation to repeal the SAFE-T Act and have circulated a petition through which residents can show they support repealing the bill. As of Oct. 31, the petition had more than 10,000 signatures. 

The SAFE-T Act, a 700-page criminal justice reform bill, has been the subject of controversy over a provision that eliminates cash bail effective Jan. 1.

Dan Kirk, a former high-ranking member of the Cook County State's Attorney Office, told Fox 32 that he was concerned that the SAFE-T Act "severely limits a judge's discretion in who a judge can hold, even when that person is clearly a danger to the community. And that's the scary proposition about this. Unless the state asks that the person be detained, and the state can prove that the person has a specific intention to flee the jurisdiction, that individual cannot be detained in jail prior to trial." Kirk called the bill a "get out of jail free card." 

The SAFE-T Act will likely be the topic of debate during the upcoming legislative session this month.