Today, the House Transportation-Vehicles and Safety Committee passed Senate Bill 1786, the License to Work Act. SB 1786 will now await a full vote in the Illinois House during the veto session.
The following statement can be attributed to Ben Ruddell, Criminal Justice Policy Director, ACLU of Illinois:
“We can’t keep forcing Illinoisans into a cycle of debt that often ends in unemployment, bankruptcy, or jail. We know that low-income and minority communities are disproportionately impacted - Black and Latinx drivers are already more likely than white drivers to be stopped by the police, to be fined or arrested for traffic offenses, and to suffer undue fines or incarceration.
It is crucial that we pass this legislation so that Illinoisans can continue to work and support their families. We look forward to working with advocates, organizations and elected officials – including Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago – to pass the License to Work Act as soon as we can during the fall veto session.”
