Southern Illinois News

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) is ready to see change in the statehouse. That is why he supports the Reimagine Illinois campaign, a House Republican effort to focus on anti-corruption laws, fiscal responsibility, job creation and community safety. 

Earlier this month he joined colleague Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Rock Falls) in an IL House GOP video to answer questions on what Reimagine Illinois stands for and what he hopes the campaign accomplishes. 

"For too long, Illinois as a state has been stuck in a rut," Windhorst said. "It's easy for our citizens to think, 'this is the way it has to be because this is the way it always has been.' Reimagine Illinois is telling us that we can have a different state if we change the direction of the state."

Along with taxes and ethics, Windhorst hopes to see progress in bail reform. The lawmaker is disappointed in Gov. J.B. Pritzker's SAFE-T Act passed earlier this year, which Windhorst said has a loophole that will allow violent criminals to walk free before their trial almost immediately after being booked, with no requirement to post bail. 

"In that law, there were certain loopholes or things that were left out of the bill that are going to allow for people who commit certain serious or violent offenses to be released from jail almost immediately before trial," Windhorst said. "What we believe is that we should look at those offenses and make sure ... robbery or burglary or aggravated DUI (suspects) aren’t automatically released after being arrested, so bail is an important topic because it’s important to our public safety."

Windhorst isn't the only one upset about the SAFE-T Act. In a statement from IL Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, the chairman said that “the governor is willfully undermining public safety, endangering citizens, emboldening criminals, and making Illinois less safe for families."

"It is current law (even before this bill) that a person could be released on his or her recognizance, in fact that’s a common practice for nonviolent or lower level offenses," Windhorst said. 

The SAFE-T Act amends the Unified Code of Corrections and also requires that the criminals released early on no bail be provided with information on how to register to vote. 

"The bill legalizes resistance to arrest in many cases and allows anonymous complaints to end a police officer's career," Tracy's statement read.