(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill allowing non-US citizens to become police officers in the state. Illinois House Bill 3751 inserted the text allowing individuals who aren’t American citizens but are “legally authorized to work” in the country to apply as police officers. Pritzker argued that the bill was restrictive enough by limiting it to those legally allowed to work in the US.
Earlier this year, the Chicago Police Department became the lowest staffed in recent history, which led to the department waiving the 60-college credit requirement for some candidates. With police shortages due to unwelcoming environments, dropping requirements such as citizenship would otherwise increase the police force, but critics believe that the costs outweigh the benefits.
HB 3751 was signed into law and will take effect on January 1, 2024. Critics slammed empowering foreigners to arrest American citizens as a “fundamentally bad idea.” Additionally, Illinois could face challenges since federal law prohibits non-US citizens from serving as police officers.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) took to Twitter against the bill, claiming “No sane state” would permit foreigners to arrest their citizens, calling the idea “madness.”
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) also condemned the bill, “This is a potential crisis of confidence in law enforcement.”
Illinois, a Democratic-controlled state government, continued its left-wing legislative spree by enacting Senate Bill 1909. The law prohibits “deceptive practices related to…pregnancy centers,” which would target “crisis pregnancy centers” that do not provide or refer for an abortion or emergency contraception. This bill would target pregnancy assistance in Illinois which has a pro-life mentality with up to $50,000 in fines and injunctions.
The Thomas More Society filed a lawsuit against Illinois, with Head of Litigation Peter Breen saying the law attempts to “chill and silence pro-life speech” while disguising itself as “consumer protection.”
As state house and senate elections approach, the legislative work by state governments is likely to gravitate to partisan issues that politicians believe can benefit their campaigns.
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