Evans Pushes for Criminal Justice Reform and Progressive Revenue Solutions During Legislative Session

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –During the recently adjourned legislative session state Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, fought for progressive revenue reforms, criminal justice and gun control reforms, and a balanced budget that protects critical services.

“Each and every day my constituents are facing rising taxes and a criminal justice system that is broken and disproportionately targets the black community. These issues coupled with cuts to vital state programs and a tax system that is rigged against the poor and middle class has made it difficult for many residents of my district to provide for their families,” Evans said. “While we did not solve every issue facing our community, we have passed important reforms that move the state in the right direction and will make it easier for families in our neighborhoods to thrive.”

In order to combat the gun violence that has plagued our neighborhoods, Evans supported Senate Bill 337, which would hold gun dealers accountable to help ensure dangerous criminals cannot obtain guns.

Evans also supported a number of criminal justice reforms that work to stem recidivism and help ensure that released inmates have opportunities to thrive and avoid returning to prison. Evans supported House Bill 698, the Prisoner Entrepreneur Education Program which provide select inmates with practical business skills for use after release from prison. As well as Senate Bill 1607, which contains allows court services-approved treatment to count toward community service hours and requires individualized case planning for the IDOC’s reentry programming, with a focus on the final year before release.

“We need to get illegal guns off our streets and hold gun dealers accountable if they are selling guns to dangerous individuals,” Evans said. “However that is only part of the problem, violence and crime is a product of poverty and lack of opportunity, especially for individuals that have made mistakes in the past. That’s why these criminal justice reforms are so important in breaking the cycle of crime and providing rehabilitation and opportunity for those that have served their debt to society.”

Fighting to provide tax fairness for working families, Evans supported legislation that would offer relief to working families that would see their tax-burden raise drastically due to Donald Trump’s tax plan that amounts to a handout for the ultra-wealthy. Trump’s plan created a cap on the popular deduction known as the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT).  The Evans-backed House Bill 4237 would have created an educational tax credit for taxpayers to help deduct their SALT while donating to public education. Additionally, Evans cosponsored and supported House Resolution 1025 which urges for the adoption of a “FAIR tax” or graduated income tax, requiring the ultra-wealthy to pay at a higher rate than middle-class families.

“Billionaires like Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump should not be paying taxes at the same rate as working families in my district,” Evans said. “By adopting progressive reforms we will have more revenue available for critical services, education, and will be able to provide tax relief to the working families that need it the most.”

Fighting to protect vital services that working families rely upon and to put the state on stronger fiscal ground, Evans voted to pass a bipartisan, balanced budget that funds critical services and continues to pay down the state’s backlog of bills, while not spending more money than the state takes in.

“We need to ensure that we are properly funding essential services like affordable child care, grants for low income college students, breast cancer screenings, and properly funding our school, while continuing to pay down the backlog of bills that more than tripled during Governor Rauner’s budget impasse,” Evans said. “I urge Governor Rauner to sign this bipartisan and balanced budget that continues to repair the damage caused during his impasse.”