In response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of House Bill 1468, in which he called for a reinstatement of the death penalty, State Senator Jacqueline Collins issued the following statement today:

“Just as darkness cannot drive out darkness, death cannot deter death. The day Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois was a day humanity prevailed over brutality,” Collins said. “The state is tasked with dispensing justice, but it should not be in the business of taking away the gift of life. This move by Governor Rauner is shortsighted and shocking in its cynicism. I oppose his recommendation and I urge all my colleagues and all those who value life to voice their opposition as well.”

State Senator Jacqueline Collins joined State Senator Patricia Van Pelt, State Senator Mattie Hunter and State Representative LaShawn K. Ford today to speak about the need to reform the Chicago Police Department’s gang member database in light of recent reports by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune highlighting major concerns in how the data set is built, maintained and used. Senator Van Pelt is sponsoring Senate Bill 275 to address these issues. Senator Collins is chief co-sponsor. The following were her remarks to members of the press in Springfield earlier today.

I am Senator Jacqueline Collins, and I stand in support of Senator Van Pelt’s bill today because it addresses the failings of what should be an important tool for keeping our neighborhoods safe. The data set we’re discussing today should be used to help police investigate gang activity and to inform them of possible associations and affiliations. It could be a powerful tool to study gang-related violence. Yet, its use has raised major concerns over how it is built and how it is being used.

We have investigative reporters to thank for recent revelations that have found the data available to be out of date and raised troubling questions about the methods police use to add an individual to the list. Their reports reveal that there are alleged gang members in this database who have celebrated their one hundred and eighteenth birthday, or who are guilty of nothing more than being of a certain race and living in a certain neighborhood. Charges against someone with a name in the database are more severe, and there is currently no process to petition for the removal of one’s name.

We need only look to California – another state with significant gang activity – to see a system which is audited more closely and which informs individuals when their names have been added and allows them the chance to appeal. That is how a system crafted under our Constitution should look. We want to ensure police have the tools they need to fight crime. But a poorly-kept database with little oversight is a blunt and ineffective tool that opens the door for civil rights abuses. We must pass this legislation and make this process worthy of our justice system.

SPRINGFIELD – Secretary of State Jesse White has announced more than $15 million in funding to libraries statewide through Illinois Public Library Per Capita, including libraries in the 16th Senate District.

“Libraries are a public investment in enrichment and opportunity for all,” said State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). “Grants like these help our libraries continue to provide everything from reading programs for young people to assistance for job seekers in our communities.”

Per Capita grants like the ones awarded in the 16th District help fund library expenses such as materials, personnel, equipment, electronic access, telecommunications and technology.

Read more: Library grants to benefit Burbank, Hodgkins, Hometown

SPRINGFIELD – To continue pushing for equality and break down the social and economic barriers that continue to hold back women, State Senator Jacqueline Collins advanced a new measure that would focus state resources on researching and implementing policies to help women and girls in Illinois.

Senate Bill 3402 would create the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, a group that would advise the governor and the General Assembly on policy issues with a female focus. The council would be required to issue twice-yearly reports on its policy recommendations by June 30 and Dec. 31 of each year. The Senate State Government Committee approved the measure Wednesday.

“The Illinois Council on Women and Girls would focus on finding those areas of systemic disadvantage or bias in our policies and seek realistic ways of reforming them,” Collins said. “I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take this step toward knocking down the barriers that stand in the way of our sisters and daughters.”