South Central Reporter

Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) is firm on her stand against the police reform bill that has already passed the Senate and House.

She said she was “infuriated” with how the process was used for passing House Bill 3653, that she says will not do any good to make communities safer, but will bring further damage instead. 

“It’s a bad bill that’s bad for law enforcement,” Bourne said in her statement. “Yet they cut off debate and pushed it through. For people who are discouraged with Illinois government, this only added fuel to the fire. We have to be better than this, policy-wise and process-wise. I’m really infuriated with how they misused our process and abused the public trust today.”

Bourne said that “every law enforcement group opposed this criminal justice bill.” She further stated that “some members within their own Democratic caucus” have also disagreed on the bill.

Bourne said her constituents have expressed concerns over the bill, and it’s unfortunate their voices have been ignored.

“My office has received thousands of contacts from constituents who are opposed to this bill, but in the end, their voices were silenced because Democrats shut down debate and denied dozens of House Republicans the opportunity to voice their constituents’ views. It’s one of the most embarrassing spectacles I’ve witnessed as a legislator, and it’s really too bad that it was our newest members’ first glimpse into how we conduct business,” Bourne concluded.