As you recall, HB 1958 bans shackling pregnant female prisoners. The bill as amended affects ONLY Cook County jail - not state prisons, downstate jails, or arrests by local police. Senator Hutchinson, the lead sponsor in the senate, committed to work with state corrections and the IL Sheriff Association on their bill, and we need to pass this Cook County version now. It addresses the safety of the mother and fetus and addresses correctional concerns by allowing exceptions when there is risk of harm or escape. It imposes best practice and government transparency through a reporting provision. Cook County has been using this framework since February 14 with no incidents.
HB 3207: Please take action today on HB 3027, the newest version of the Comprehensive Health Education Act.
This bill was amended to include comprehensive sex education and is on concurrence in the House. The opposition is putting out alerts full of misinformation on this bill, so we need you to call in NOW to counter their false statements.
You can also click here for a fact sheet: http://il.aclu.org/site/
Please go to www.ilga.gov to find contact info for your state representative or call the Capitol switchboard at 217/782-2000 and ask to be connected to your state representative. All you have to do is leave a message to urge your legislator to VOTE YES ON HB 1958 & VOTE YES ON HB 3207. Our downstate senators especially need to hear from us.
