Following yesterday’s signing of the EDGE Tax Credit legislation, Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed a measure into law aimed at reforming civil asset forfeiture, sponsored by Sen. Dan Harmon (D-Oak Park). The move counters a federal-level rollback of reform efforts in July by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The move means probable cause is no longer sufficient reason to seize a suspect’s possessions in Illinois, small sums of cash are exempt from seizure, and property owners no longer have to pay to have their possessions returned.
Participants in the State Universities Retirement System are now allowed to rollover pension distributions into a simple IRA, after a recent decision by the SURS board. Details on the ruling can be found in the most recent Flinn Report.
The state’s criminal DNA testing backlog totals 11,855 and is still increasing, according to the 2017 DNA Testing Accountability report. The cause for the backlog provided in the report: “forensic scientists are well-qualified and highly-trained, but… it takes more than two years from when a (forensic scientist) vacancy occurs until it is filled by a fully-trained new scientist.” Despite the backlog, the continued testing landed 1,513 hits for potential criminal matches, compared to 1,300 in FY2016.
The Illinois Liquor Commission will meet today at 1:00 p.m. in room 2-025 of the Thompson Center in Chicago. Updated agenda.