Lightford announces plan to allow older adults to petition for parole

CHICAGO – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) announced legislation on Wednesday that would establish parole opportunities for older adults.

“Older adults who have served 20 to 30-year sentences deserve an opportunity to have their case heard before a parole board,” Lightford said. “If they no longer pose a risk to public safety, they should be granted parole and have the opportunity to live out the rest of their lives.”

Senate Bill 2114 would allow those who have reached age 60 and have been incarcerated 20 consecutive years or greater, or people who have served 30 consecutive years or greater, to petition the Prisoner Review Board seeking parole. The legislation also provides that victims and/or their families are notified in a timely manner and given the opportunity to participate in the hearing.

The PRB hearings would be conducted by a panel of at least eight members of the board requiring a majority vote of the panel to grant the petition and release the petitioner on parole. If the petition is denied, the board would be required to submit a statement including when the petitioner is eligible to reapply for parole, which could not be more than 3 years after the denial.

Since 1978, Illinois law prohibits discretionary parole, and remains one of sixteen states that doesn’t offer incarcerated people a means to earn parole.

According to Citizens for Parole, the lack of parole in Illinois has played a role in quadrupling the prison population from 10,000 to approximately 40,000. There are 7,000 men and women with sentences that will result in a stay until their death, which costs the Department of Corrections approximately $490,000 annually.

Lightford urges Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act

SPRINGFIELD - Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) passed a resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to reauthorize the Older Americans Act and adjust funding levels for inflation.

“The programs funded under the Older Americans Act are vital to the wellbeing of one of our most vulnerable populations,” Lightford said. “Our federal government needs to make sure they can continue to serve all those in need.”

The Older Americans Act provides essential services that help older adults live independently including meal plans, home assistance, support for family caregivers, transportation and protection from abuse.

The Act was reauthorized in 2016 through 2019. However, funding for services has not increased since 2010, leaving many without much-needed services.

According to 2015 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 24% of low-income older adults were food insecure, and of that number 83% of them did not receive home-delivered or congregate meal services.

Senate Resolution 974 was approved by the Illinois Senate last week.

Lightford, United Way launch report on Illinois ALICE families

• ALICE
• United Way

SPRINGFIELD – Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) joined the United Way in releasing their report on Illinois ALICE households – asset-limited, income-constrained and employed.

The report focuses on families living above the federal poverty level, but below the threshold of a basic survival budget of $57,144 for a family of four and $19,212 for a single adult.

“People all over Illinois are struggling to get ahead. We know this intuitively, and we see it in our communities. I see it every day in my west side and west suburban district,” Lightford said. “ALICE allows us to put some real data behind that intuition.”

In Lightford’s district, only 18% of households fall below the poverty line, but many more people than that are unable to afford an unexpected car repair or be able to put anything aside for the future. Those households are much more represented in the more than 47% of households in the 4th Senate District that are ALICE households.

Lawmakers will use the data to help better understand the needs of Illinoisans as they make public policy decisions to help struggling families.

Learn more about ALICE and view the report here: http://unitedwayillinois.org/alice/

Black Caucus: Governor’s vision sets state on path to help black communities

• Black Caucus
• Budget
• Education

SPRINGFIELD—The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) responded to Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget address on Wednesday.

Black Caucus leaders discussed areas within the governor’s budget proposal that specifically affect black communities, including early childhood education, economic development and public safety.

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