Hinsdale-Area Lawmaker Doesn't Vote On Controversial Bill

HINSDALE, IL — A bill that ends cash bail and mandates body cameras was among the most significant and controversial over the last couple of years in Springfield. It passed both houses this week.

But it was unclear where state Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, stands on the measure. She was among three senators who did not cast a vote. Her district includes all or parts of Hinsdale and Elmhurst, among other towns.

Find out what's in the bill and the clashing opinions about it: Police Reform Bill Ends Cash Bail, Mandates Bodycams

The bill, which passed the Senate a couple of hours before dawn on Tuesday, faced opposition from law enforcement groups. It was proposed by the Legislative Black Caucus.

Patch had left messages with Glowiak Hilton about the bill since Thursday morning. Early Friday afternoon, an aide told Patch, "She is not doing interviews at this time."

Asked whether the senator was sick or had some other reason for not voting, the aide declined to answer, saying she would see whether the senator would release a statement.

By mid-afternoon Friday, Glowiak Hilton released a statement: "Regarding the criminal justice and policing reform legislation, I decided not to vote in favor or against. While I believe in reform and support aspects in the proposal, I considered the misgivings from law enforcement, community officials and the many residents I am privileged to represent. This complex issue deserved more time for discussion, negotiation and collaboration to ensure their concerns were addressed.”

Glowiak Hilton's District 24 seat was long held by Republicans until she defeated incumbent Chris Nybo with a little more than 50 percent of the vote in 2018.

Two other Democratic senators also did not vote on the legislation — Steve Stadelman of Rockford and Patrick Joyce of Essex, which is near Kankakee.

In an interview with the Kankakee Daily Journal this week, Joyce said he did not like the process to pass the bill. He said lawmakers had less than an hour to read a more than 700-page bill.

Joyce told the newspaper that he chose not to vote because he wasn't against the bill but that he couldn't vote yes while still having questions.

“I didn’t want to send the wrong message to my constituents,” he said.

Among other things, the bill would make Illinois the first state to end cash bail, starting in 2023. It also would require all officers to wear body cameras by 2025 and expand powers to revoke the certification of officers determined to have engaged in misconduct.

Gov. J.B. Prtizker, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill.