State Rep. Jack Franks issued the following news release on Monday.
SPRINGFIELD – Advancing his efforts to streamline government and improve statewide violence prevention programming, state Representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) passed a pair of measures in the final days of the 97th General Assembly focused on both issues.
“Our efforts today address two critical challenges facing state government – violence prevention and governmental waste,” said Franks. “Taking action not only improves our statewide response to community and school violence, but saves hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars at the same time.”
An initiative of the Illinois Attorney General’s office, House Bill 3816 eliminates government waste and redundancy by consolidating the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA) into the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). The ICJIA is a state agency dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice -- bringing together key leaders from the justice system and the public to identify critical issues facing the criminal justice system in Illinois, and to propose and evaluate policies, programs, and legislation that address those issues.
“As legislators, we have a duty to be fierce stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Franks continued. “With that mindset, we must continue to develop cost-efficient, proactive ways to protect Illinois residents and advocate for victims of violence.”
The reorganization is projected to save more than $250,000 per year by streamlining current responsibilities. The action also creates a new ‘Violence Protection Section’ within the ICJIA, a group charged with coordinating violence prevention efforts and developing a statewide plan that includes public health and public safety approaches to preventing violence in families, communities and schools.
Franks also passed House Bill 3804, a wide-ranging reform aimed at cleaning up and updating the Illinois criminal code.
