Speak Up! Legislation to Support

Speak up for legislation that the Illinois General Assembly (ILGA) is likely to take up during either the Veto or Lame Duck sessions—before newly elected legislators take office in January. 

VETO Session 2022: Election policy and Criminal justice 

Veto Session is when ILGA reconvenes for up to two weeks in the fall. This session is used to address any bills the governor has vetoed, and/or to pass other legislation.

Because the governor did not veto any legislation this year, ILGA will use this veto session to take up legislation which did not get passed during the regular session.

Veto Session is scheduled for November 15–17 and November 29–December 1, 2022.

LAME DUCK Session 2023: Reproductive Health and Gun Violence Prevention

Lame Duck Session can be convened after elections at the end of ILGAs two-year term. It is one last time for current legislators to pass bills.

This term, Lame Duck session would be before the 103rd General Assembly takes office on January 11, 2023. 

Veto Session

Election Policy:

Make Vote Centers permanent

During the recent election, Illinois law required each election authority to establish at least one Vote Center, where any voter within the jurisdiction could vote, regardless of their assigned polling location. This law expires in January 2023.

Making Vote Centers permanent would improve voter access by eliminating confusion for voters in areas where polling locations are different from election to election.

Speak up!

Tell your legislators you want to make the Vote Center requirement a permanent part of Illinois election law. 

Criminal Justice:

Modifications to the Pretrial Fairness Act

The Pretrial Fairness Act is part of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity, or SAFE-T Act that was signed into law in February 2021. The Pretrial Fairness Act upholds one of the fundamental principles of our justice system, “innocent until proven guilty” and will be fully implemented in January 2023. 

One element of the Pretrial Fairness Act is the elimination of cash bail. Elimination of cash bail is based on the idea that people who are accused of crimes should be treated equally. Access to wealth should not affect your ability to remain free before your trial.

In addition, research shows:

• Cash bail does not increase the likelihood of people showing up for their court hearings

• Pretrial detention undermines family and community structure

What’s happening now?

It is not unusual for lengthy laws like the 700-page SAFE-T Act to be clarified with the passage of additional “trailer bills.” Such is the case now—a trailer bill will likely be presented during Veto Session as a way to clarify and maintain the key accomplishments of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Speak up! 

Tell your legislators to pass a trailer bill that will:

• Retain presumption of release unless the accused can be shown to be a flight risk or a danger to the community;

• Ensures that people currently jailed for the inability to post cash bond could request a hearing to evaluate their eligibility for release;

• Maintain the essential features of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Tell your legislators to oppose trailer bill SB4228 because it has provisions that will undermine the essential features of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Get the facts about the Pretrial Fairness Act using the resources on the LWV of Illinois website. Combat misinformation by sharing the facts with your community.

Lame Duck Session

Reproductive Health:

Protections for patients and health care providers, expanded capacity, and support for patients

Illinois has some of the most robust protections for abortion care in the country. However, the anticipated influx of care-seekers from neighboring states will push Illinois providers beyond their capacity.

Illinois lawmakers are looking for ways to expand licensing provisions as a way to increase service capacity (allowing physicians assistants and other providers to be licensed). They are also expected to propose legislation to strengthen licensing protections against claims from other states and strengthen extradition and privacy protections for care-seekers.

Legislation will likely be proposed during the Lame Duck Session so that an immediate effective date can be written into the legislation and passed by a simple majority.  

Speak up!  

• Tell your legislators that you want reproductive healthcare protections in place for Illinois providers and patients.

• Follow organizations who lead the the work in this area: ACLU Illinois, Planned Parenthood Illinois, Illinois Now, Midwest Access Coalition, Chicago Abortion Fund.

Gun Violence Prevention:

Ban Assault Weapons and High Capacity Magazines

Immediate action to ban assault weapons is the number one priority of the gun violence prevention movement right now. 

In Illinois, gun violence prevention organizations have come together in a coordinated campaign, Halt the Assault, to advocate for a statewide assault weapons ban. More than 200 Illinois organizations have signed on, with primary support coming from Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee, One Aim Illinois, Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords, and Moms Demand Action. 

The work begins now, with an expectation that legislation will be brought to the floor during the Lame Duck Session, when a simple majority is needed to pass legislation.

Speak up! 

• Tell your legislators you want assault weapons banned in Illinois.

• Sign up for alerts from Halt the Assault, which is holding a digital day of advocacy November 28.

Follow gun violence prevention organizations such as Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords Law Center, and March For Our Lives (the organization started by the student survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida).  

Some gun violence prevention organizations are deeply involved in eradicating the root causes of violence. They advocate for things like community investment, violence intervention, and youth mentor programs. Follow the work of organizations like Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, Chicago CRED, and Communities Partnering 4 Peace.

Take Your Voice Beyond the Ballot Box

Our elected officials are bound by their constitutional oath to represent the will of the people. In order to do that, they need to hear from the people they represent. It really is that simple. 

Tell your elected representatives what you want. Use their online contact portals, call their offices. Find your current legislators.