Aurora Democrat Votes Against Sweeping Police Reform Bill

AURORA, IL — State Sen. Linda Holmes, of Aurora, was one of five Democratic senators who joined with Republicans to vote against a sweeping police reform package championed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.

The package passed the Senate by a 32-23 vote and the House by a 60-50 vote early Wednesday morning as the lame-duck session came to an end.

The bill — which would eliminate cash bail within two years, require all police departments to use body cameras by 2025 and change use-of-force guidelines — now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature. He has said he will sign the bill despite objections from law enforcement groups throughout the state.

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The legislation would also make it easier to decertify officers who engaged in misconduct and strip police unions of collective bargaining right related to discipline. It has faced widespread opposition from Republican lawmakers and law enforcement groups throughout Illinois.

Thousands of people protested last summer in Aurora for police reform and an end to police brutality after George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.

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Holmes did not immediately respond Thursday to multiple attempts to contact her for comment. Holmes was the only Aurora-area state lawmaker who crossed party lines with their vote.

Republican Reps. Dan Ugaste and Keith Wheeler voted against the bill, as did Republican State Sens. Jim Oberweis and Don DeWitte. Democratic Reps. Karina Villa, Barbara Hernandez and Stephanie Kifowit supported the bill, along with Democratic Sen. Cristina Castro.

Villa voted to pass the police reform package with one of her final acts before making the step up to the Illinois State Senate, where she replaced Oberweis.

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State Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) introduced a 764-page amendment around 4 a.m. Tuesday that creates five new acts and amends many more. The bill was approved by the Senate and then the House with just about an hour left in the legislative session, which ended at noon Wednesday.

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain told Patch on Thursday he thought the bill had "some merits and some negatives" based on his first reading. He said he plans to provide a more detailed statement next week "once I can fully digest and research its contents."

"While I am not a fan of the haste and lack of communication by legislators with law enforcement leadership, the bill has some merits and some negatives (based) on my first few scans," Hain said.

Ugaste, of Geneva, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon the bill was passed by an “unconscionable” and “disturbing” process, and said members of the Black Caucus “complete(ly) disrespected the legislative process.”

“The reality is that this 764-page bill — that the Republican caucus received in final form at 4:30 a.m. — will only pose a great threat to public safety,” Ugaste said.

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“With minimal collaboration and zero efforts put forth for bipartisanship, a rushed bill was pushed through in the literal last minutes of our General Assembly,” Ugaste said in the statement. “The process matters.”

State Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago), who helped craft the bill, said “the time is now” to make significant reforms to Illinois police departments after widespread protests throughout the state last summer.

“The time is now to go from protests to progress,” Slaughter said.

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Sims called the police reform package “bold” and “transformational” during debates on the Senate floor after he introduced the 764-page amendment, Capitol News Illinois reports.

“The people of Illinois sent us here; they sent us here to do better by them, not by ourselves,” Sims said. “This bill is not about who we are; it’s about the Illinois we strive to be.”

— Jonah Meadows, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.

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