Bill Text: IL HR0876 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges counties to cease relying to such a great extent on fines and fees imposed on those who have committed a criminal offense to offset other costs within the county.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HR0876 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HR0876-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, A primary and critical function of counties in the | ||||||
| 3 | State of Illinois is
enforcing laws and administering justice; | ||||||
| 4 | and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The costs of enforcing laws and administering | ||||||
| 6 | justice are paid by the
citizens of those counties through | ||||||
| 7 | property, income, and sales taxes; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Counties have become increasingly reliant on | ||||||
| 9 | fines and fees, including
bond fees, to offset these costs; | ||||||
| 10 | these fines and fees have become unreasonable and
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| 11 | disproportionate; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, These unreasonable and disproportionate fines and | ||||||
| 13 | fees become
excessive obligations placed upon criminal | ||||||
| 14 | defendants because taxpayers believe
that criminal defendants | ||||||
| 15 | should bear the cost of the criminal justice system, when
in | ||||||
| 16 | fact all people, including taxpayers, benefit from the | ||||||
| 17 | enforcement of laws and the
administration of justice in the | ||||||
| 18 | county; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Excessive criminal justice financial obligations | ||||||
| 20 | contribute to
unnecessary incarceration in county jails due to | ||||||
| 21 | failures to pay a fine or fee, and
unnecessary incarceration | ||||||
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| 1 | results in more unemployment and adds to the burden on
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| 2 | taxpayers; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Excessive reliance on overly punitive fines and | ||||||
| 4 | fees encourages law
enforcement and corrections decisions to be | ||||||
| 5 | made on grounds other than public
safety while undermining | ||||||
| 6 | public confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice
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| 7 | system; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Excessive reliance on excessive criminal justice | ||||||
| 9 | obligations has a
disproportionate and staggering impact on the | ||||||
| 10 | poor; therefore, be it
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| 11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 12 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 13 | urge counties to impose fines and fees, including bond fees, | ||||||
| 14 | only upon
individuals convicted of a criminal offense; and be | ||||||
| 15 | it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That we urge that fines and fees collected from | ||||||
| 17 | offenders will only be used to fund
programs and services and | ||||||
| 18 | not to fund offices and salaries; and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That we urge counties to find ways to fund court | ||||||
| 20 | costs, law enforcement, and
pay for the administration of | ||||||
| 21 | criminal justice without any reliance on fines and fees,
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| 1 | including bond fees; and be it further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That when imposing fines and fees, the offender's | ||||||
| 3 | ability to pay should be
taken into account as one factor and | ||||||
| 4 | arrangements such as discharging financial
obligations through | ||||||
| 5 | payment plans and community service should be offered; and be | ||||||
| 6 | it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That all counties are urged to be fully | ||||||
| 8 | transparent with regards to the types and amounts of fines and | ||||||
| 9 | fees they impose, the mechanisms used and the costs involved in | ||||||
| 10 | collections, and how the money collected is spent.
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