Weekly News from Leader McCombie

PUBLIC SAFETY

House Republicans Demand Accountability Following Tragic Murder of Police Officer

According to the Chicago Police Department, Alphanso Talley has now been charged in the heinous murder of a Chicago police officer and the attempted murder of another officer, along with a long list of additional felony charges.

At the time of this horrific attack, Talley was wanted on three warrants, was on parole in two separate cases, and had a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2017.

Yet earlier this year, Governor JB Pritzker and Speaker Chris Welch praised the SAFE-T Act as sound and effective policy. Now Illinois families are left asking how a repeat violent offender with this record was free to take a police officer's life and leave another in critical condition.

Talley's reported criminal history includes:

• Charges dating back to 2017 include carjacking, kidnapping, and armed robbery
• A 2021 arrest for being a felon on parole in possession of a weapon
• 2023 charges for several crimes including unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing
• A 2024 charge for battering correctional officers while in custody at Cook County Jail
• A 2025 arrest connected to a violent carjacking in Bronzeville

Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, and House Democrats owe the people of Illinois answers and accountability for how a repeat offender like this was free to be on our streets and allegedly commit such a heinous and tragic crime.

House Republicans have introduced more than 40 bills to fix flaws in the SAFE-T Act, strengthen accountability, and restore balance to Illinois' criminal justice system. Those reforms have been repeatedly ignored.

How can Democrats continue to stand by a policy that keeps failing after tragedies like this? A Chicago police officer is dead, and another remains in critical condition. What more will it take for Democrats to get serious about fixing the SAFE-T Act?

House Republicans continue to mourn the fallen officer, pray for the recovery of the wounded officer, and stand with their families and the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. Our brave law enforcement officers deserve policies that protect them.

Republican Leaders Introduce Legislation to Fix Deadly SAFE-T Act

Last week, I joined Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran to file legislation to keep violent criminals from continuing to commit violent offenses while on pre-trial release and ankle monitoring.

We held a press conference to discuss the issue, where I said:

"Let's be clear: this law is not working the way it was promised. No law should prioritize process over protection. If loopholes exist, they must be closed. If policies fall short, they must be fixed. Preventable harm is unacceptable and that is why we are bringing this serious legislative solution forward."

In response to the recent murder and critical injury of two Chicago Police Officers, our bills Senate Bill 4195 and House Bill 5757, make a commonsense amendment to the Pre Trial Fairness Act that requires that anyone arrested for a felony while on pretrial release and ankle monitoring to be detained until the charges are resolved.

Current law is permissive and allows for pretrial release to be revoked but does not require it, potentially leading to violent offenders being let out again and again.

"Any society where killing law enforcement is not taken seriously is not a functioning, safe, democratic society," said Senate Republican Leader John Curran. "This simple change will not only help prevent future victims, it will also help prevent offenders from committing more crimes while on release and will instead give them a chance to deal with their current charges and, hopefully, get the rehabilitation they need."

I pointed to several cases where offenders committed new violent crimes while on pre-trial release including Lawrence Reed who allegedly set a woman on fire on a Chicago train, Tommie Carter, who attempted to kill a man by pushing him onto CTA tracks as a train approached, and most recently Alphanso Talley who has been charged with murdering Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and gravely injuring another officer.

We have filed legislation in their respective chambers and will be pushing their colleagues to join them in pursuing this vital legislative fix.

Government leaders statewide call for cashless bail reform after CPD officer killed

Critics on both sides of the aisle in Illinois government are calling for changes to the SAFE-T Act after a man was charged with killing a Chicago Police Officer and critically wounding his partner Saturday.

High-ranking state officials, Statehouse Republicans and multiple Chicago Aldermen have all called for immediate changes to the SAFE-T Act.

A portion of the law gives judges the discretion over granting people charged with crimes supervised release through electronic monitoring. Critics of the law have said it grants release to people with histories of violent actions and felony crime convictions.

Critics said the SAFE-T Act is what allowed 26-year-old Chicago resident Alphanso Talley - a seven-time convicted felon - to escape electronic monitoring and shoot two Chicago police officers inside Swedish Hospital, killing officer John Bartholomew and critically injuring his partner.

Talley now faces 20 felony charges in connection to the shooting, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery, according to CPD.

In a press conference last Wednesday, I joined Senate Minority Leader John Curran to call on our colleagues to act.

The question is no longer if reform is needed. It's how many more tragedies need to happen before action is taken place. With just four weeks left in session, the time for conversation is over. The time for action is now.

Curran said recent incidents have happened because of the SAFE-T Act, though the nature of the act was meant to allow offenders to be released under supervision instead of being left in jail because they can't afford to pay bail.

"Any society where killing law enforcement is not taken seriously is not a functioning, safe, democratic society," Curran said.

Curran introduced Senate Bill 4195 Wednesday on the floor. If passed into law, the bill would revoke the pre-trial release of a person if they are found to have committed a felony while on release.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza told The Center Square the provision allowing people charged with violent crimes to be released before trial should never have been included in the SAFE-T Act.

"There's no shame in admitting that you made a mistake. There is in not correcting the mistake. And in this case, these mistakes have proven to be very deadly," Mendoza said.

Mendoza also said she thinks lawmakers can and should pass a fix to the law soon, if not by the end of the spring legislative session, then in the fall veto session.

Read more from The Center Square.

SAFE-T Act Failures Reveal Electronic Monitoring "Does Not Work"

In the wake of the murder of Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and the wounding of his partner by a repeat violent offender, Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke offered sharp criticism of electronic monitoring, which is often used in cases that allow cash-free pre-trial release for violent offenders. State's Attorney Burke said what we've known all along: the electronic monitoring system does not work.

REDISTRICTING

U.S. Supreme Court Halts Drive for Even More Partisan Gerrymandering in Illinois

Last week, House Democrats' proposal to further rig Illinois' maps came to a halt in the Senate. Their plan would have enshrined partisan power in our state's Constitution and allowed rigged mapmaking to continue. House Republicans will continue fighting for fair maps.

In April, Illinois House Democrats drove to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot regarding Illinois legislative maps. The language of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 would have explicitly prioritized race over contiguousness and compactness in legislative redistricting.

However, a national decision handed down this week by the U.S. Supreme Court set forth U.S. constitutional law that reaffirms the relevance of "equal protection of the laws" to legislative redistricting. This nationwide constitutional law made the language and wording of HJRCA 28 extremely questionable. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Illinois Senate's leadership announced the Senate would not move forward with HJRCA 28.

The state Senate decision means that the partisan language of HJCRA 28 will not appear on the November 2026 ballot. The proposed amendment had come under strong attack for its violation of the principle that legislative districts ought to be contiguous and compact. Ideally, a legislative district should not be shaped like a snake with a safely entrenched incumbent living at one end of it.

After a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting did not advance this week, timing out the potential for any redistricting question to appear on the ballot this fall, I released the following statement:

"Today the Democrats' latest attempt to infringe on voter rights failed. The Democrat majority will stop at nothing to enshrine their power and erode fair elections-which is why we will continue our work fighting against the worst gerrymandered maps in the nation. Illinois residents responded loud and clear: they will not be silenced. Our fight for fair, independent maps and a process that puts people over politics will not stop."

With the Illinois Senate adjourning today and the decision made to not move forward with a constitutional amendment that would further rig Illinois' already gerrymandered legislative maps, State Representative Dan Ugaste issued the following statement:

"I am pleased that the last-minute efforts initiated by Speaker Welch and House Democrats to further gerrymander our legislative maps have been halted, for now. While there will be no constitutional amendment proposal for voters to consider this year, we must remain vigilant. These attempts by Democrats to cement absolute power and silence the voices of millions of Illinois voters could continue as early as next year. Voters must remain vigilant and, in fact, should be proactive. They should contact their legislators to let them know what they thought of this attempt and that they want an independent and fair mapmaking process in place to give voice to all Illinoisans at the ballot box."

AFFORDABILITY/TAXES

Taxes Go Up 57 Times, Spending Explodes During Pritzker Administration

A new study shows taxes have gone up at least 57 times under JB Pritzker's reign as Illinois Governor, with an estimated taxpayer cost of more than $77 billion since 2019.

Illinois does not have a revenue problem. Illinois Democrats have a spending problem. It's time to stop raising taxes and provide real tax relief to hard-working, overtaxed families and small businesses.

Gov. JB Pritzker wants more tax and fee hikes even after presiding over at least 57 of them since 2019 and with Illinois' budget still in dysfunction.

New tax and fee burdens under Pritzker have cost taxpayers more than $77 billion. Last year alone, Illinoisans paid $16.5 billion more in state taxes than they would have if taxes stayed consistent with 2018 levels.

The median Illinois household now pays nearly $1,400 more per year in state taxes than it would have under prior levels.

Examples of recent tax policy moves in Illinois:

• The gas tax was doubled in 2019 from $0.19 to $0.38 per gallon and indexed to annual increases to inflation. It now stands at 48.3 cents per gallon.
• The net-operating-loss deduction was capped in 2021, effectively double-taxing Illinois companies.
• Late last year Pritzker signed a bill decoupling Illinois from federal business tax cuts.

Property taxes have risen 27% under Pritzker's watch. While driven by local decisions, state policy, particularly around pension and school funding, has pressured local governments and contributed to those hikes.

Read more from the Illinois Policy Institute, including the full list of 57 tax & fee hikes.

With the House reconvening tomorrow, I responded with this statement:

"As we enter the final four weeks of session and begin the most important responsibility of any legislature, passing a balanced budget, my focus remains on one thing: affordability for Illinois families, seniors, farmers, and small businesses. For too long, Illinoisans have been asked to pay more while getting less. After 57 tax and fee increases and billions in new spending under this administration, it's clear Illinois doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending and priority problem. Families are tightening their budgets every day, and the state government should be doing the same. Over the next several weeks, I'll continue fighting for real solutions: responsible budgeting, meaningful tax relief, economic growth, and policies that make it easier, not harder to live, work, raise a family, and build a future here in Illinois."

ESSAY CONTEST: AMERICA 250

To kick off the celebrations leading up to America's 250th Anniversary I am launching the "America 250 Essay Contest" for students from grades 6-12!

The contest asks students to choose from several prompts about America's history, including the questions: "Imagine the next 250 years?" and "What does it mean to you to be a part of America's story?"

All entries must be original work, be between 200 and 500 words, and included a completed release form signed by a parent or guardian. The essays are due by May 31, 2026, and can be sent via email to [email protected]. A parent or guardian release form can be found on HERE. The winner will be announced in June and receive special recognition from the Illinois House of Representatives.

I am excited to see what students across northwest Illinois have to say about the upcoming celebration of America's great history. America's 250th Anniversary is a once in a lifetime opportunity; it is a time for not only celebration but reflection on just how far our country has come.

IN THE DISTRICT

The House was not in session last week, which meant I had the opportunity to spend time in and around the 89th District! From visiting with students and hosting events to meeting with local elected officials and showing support for Lena - it was a great week at home. Check out some of the highlights:

UPCOMING EVENTS

There are a number of great events I am hosting…don't miss out on the Spring Photo Contest! My team will also be hosting an additional round of traveling office hours, stop by the events on May 11th if you need help with state agencies or have a policy question!