CHICAGO- Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) released the following statement after Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison:

“No sentence would bring Mr. George Floyd back to his family, but today’s sentence does not go far enough toward holding Derek Chauvin responsible for the trust he’s broken. This tragedy has not only affected the Floyd family, but has affected all of us. And, that’s why we should not be distracted from the fact that there is still more work to do to ensure our system of justice is fair and equitable for everyone.

“In today’s closing statements, Mr. Floyd’s brother said ‘Our family has been given a life sentence. We will never get George back.’ I want to send my warmest regards to the Floyd family, as we know today’s sentence will never fill the void they all must be feeling.

“After a year of devastation and pain, we were brought to a guilty verdict. I think today’s sentence should have reflected that, but instead it fell short.

“Today’s sentencing does not reflect the severity of this issue that has effected many families in communities of color.

“We need systemic changes to our public safety systems, and we need our criminal justice system to say ’We hear you,’ but the only way we will get to true equity and justice is if we go there together.

“We must continue to say his name: George Floyd!”

 CHICAGO—Fitch Ratings released a revised outlook of Illinois’ General Obligation bonds from negative to positive. State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. released the following statement:

“Fitch Ratings Agency’s change of Illinois’ financial outlook from negative to positive reflects the state’s commitment to putting our fiscal house in order, which includes prioritizing paying the state’s backlog of bills - down from over $16 billion, at the height of the Rauner budget impasse, down to a normal payment cycle and nearly $3 billion today.

“As the Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman, I am committed to taking a fiscally responsible approach to our state’s finances and putting Illinois on a path toward a brighter future.

“The new outlook from Fitch highlights several key points where the General Assembly in partnership with the Governor have worked together to tackle the challenging finances of our state.

“While I am proud of the positive reports released by the bond rating agency, because they show Illinois is on the right path, I know more must be done to provide for our most vulnerable, educate our young people, keep our communities safe, create good jobs and grow our economy, this is how we will keep our fiscal house in order and I remain committed to doing the work necessary to ensure that Illinois continues to enact responsible budgets and remains on an improved path toward fiscal stability.”

CHICAGO— Today, the Illinois Senate approved a budget plan that puts Illinois back on the path toward fiscal stability. State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

"We have approved a budget plan that I believe is balanced, responsible and puts us on a path toward a brighter future. Not only is this budget balanced, it provides stability by making our full required pension payment, paying down the borrowing we needed last year and funding many of our priorities to put our state on the right path.

"I am especially proud of our investments in education, small businesses and local governments. We will meet our Evidence Based Funding obligations to our local school districts, which will advance our students and teachers, and we’re keeping funding for public universities and community colleges whole.

"As a member of the Illinois legislative Black Caucus and sponsor of its criminal justice pillar, I am also proud that this budget funds the enhanced training and other associated improvements passed earlier this year to enact the SAFE-T Act.

"This budget plan sets Illinois up for success, not just this year, but for years into the future."

CHICAGO—Today, members of the Illinois Senate voted to clarify language in SAFE-T Act, a law passed early this year, championed by State Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) that works to address police reform and sentencing reform, eliminate the cash bail system and establish violence reduction initiatives. After its passage State Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“Public safety has always been the number one priority of the SAFE-T Act and our goal remains the same— to create safer communities. That's why, when negotiating these changes, we again included input from advocates, law enforcement officials and various stakeholders. This legislation seeks to clarify and address issues identified by stakeholders as well as providing more time to make the changes necessary to ensure the SAFE-T Act is effective for our communities.

"I remain committed to transforming the criminal justice system in Illinois in such a way that will uplift our communities while supporting our law enforcement.

"House Bill 3443 moves us another step forward in our efforts to reimagine public safety and I look forward to continuing my work on this issue."