Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation announces 2025 scholarship

The 2025 Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship cycle is open! All eligible high school seniors and undergraduate students in Illinois who plan to further their education at a two- or four-year college this fall are encouraged to apply online by May 31 at ILBCF.org/scholarships.

Police dashboard camera recordings to be retained longer under Sims legislation

SPRINGFIELD –  State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. is expanding upon his work to make the criminal justice system more fair, transparent and equitable by requiring police dashboard camera recordings to be retained for a longer period of time.

"Dashboard camera footage is an objective witness that protects both officers and citizens,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “When we limit how long these records are kept, we risk losing crucial evidence that could either exonerate the innocent or hold the guilty accountable.”

Sims’ law will require recordings from cameras in law enforcement patrol vehicles to be retained for 90 days – putting the retention period in line with the time body-camera footage must be kept.

Additionally, if an officer’s body-worn camera is turned off at the request of a victim or witness, the officer must continue in-car video recording and inform the person of that.

Senate Bill 2655 was signed into law Friday. 

Sims: Fiscal responsibility is tackling what’s in front of us

SPRINGFIELD – Majority Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. released the following statement after the governor outlined his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026:

“Through our unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility, Illinois has engineered a remarkable financial turnaround that marks a defining moment in our state's economic history. Just 10 years ago, Illinois was in the midst of a two-year budget impasse as we faced an unsustainable cycle of unpaid bills and neared junk bond status. However, thanks to the last six years of balanced budgets, we have bounced back and are on the path toward long-term stability and prosperity.

“We’re facing an unprecedented year – in part due to unpredictability from the federal government. However, just like the uncertainty faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, our spending will be a direct result of the crisis we face. At the forefront of fiscal responsibility, we will meet and challenge what’s in front of us. We’ve done that before – and we’ll do it again.

“The governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is a good first step toward investing and preparing for our future, but our work is far from done. I look forward to joining my colleagues in the General Assembly in having a robust discussion about this year’s budget and passing a budget that is balanced, extremely bright, and addresses the very real needs of the people of this great state.”

Sims enhances child pornography laws

SPRINGFIELD –  An Illinois father was caught disseminating sexually-explicit selfies found on his son’s phone but couldn’t be charged with child pornography due to a loophole in Illinois law. State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. passed a measure to tighten current law – ensuring those who commit such wrongdoings can face appropriate consequences.

“When adults intentionally obtain and distribute self-taken images of minors, that constitutes exploitation and demands criminal accountability,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “The measure recognizes that while we shouldn't criminalize minors for self-taken images, we must maintain strong protections against adult predators who would misuse such content.”

Sims’ measure closes a loophole as it relates to child pornography by clarifying “who” cannot be charged with a selfie rather than exempting all selfies from the definition of child pornography.

The measure comes after a heinous case where a father, in the course of looking through his high school son’s cell phone, discovered nude ‘selfies’ of his son’s underage classmate. The pictures were taken by and solely depicted the classmate and were intentionally sent to the son. Appallingly enough, the father sent the images to himself and disseminated them on the internet. Under current law, that father would not be able to be criminally charged with the material’s dissemination because selfies were categorically removed from the definition of child pornography.

Under Senate Bill 2655, the father could be charged because the law will clearly state “who” cannot be charged with a selfie rather than exempting all selfies from the definition of child pornography.

“We are taking a necessary step to close a critical gap in child protection laws by ensuring adults cannot escape culpability by exploiting a technicality around image origin,” said Sims.

Senate Bill 2655 passed the Senate Monday and heads to the governor for final approval.