LWV Legislative Interview with Anne Stava-Murray, Illinois State Representative, District 81

LWV Chapter Participants:         Carol Davis, Mary Hobein and Adele Jamieson - Downers Grove, Woodridge, Lisle Chapter

                                                     Becky Simon – Naperville Chapter

Notes prepared by Adele Jamieson  -  The meeting was held on April 21, 2022, at Rep. Stava-Murray’s district office in Downers Grove.  She spent one hour answering questions and discussing matters of interest to LWV.

Environmental Justice

Rep. Stava-Murray stated her support for the right of Environmental Justice communities to hold public hearings and to refuse permits for businesses polluting their neighborhoods.  She noted that data indicates disparate outcomes of current environmental laws to protect all people regardless of race, color, ethnicity or income.  She is a co-sponsor of HB4093, which defines environmental justice and addresses these inequities.  The bill passed the House in March and was referred for assignment by the Senate, she said.

Rep. Stava-Murray also discussed her co-sponsorship of HB4358, which addresses removal of coal ash from communities along Lake Michigan.  She described challenges to these efforts, as well as challenges regarding closure of the remaining coal power plants in Illinois.  She committed to stay involved in these issues.

Criminal Justice  

Rep. Stava-Murray discussed her efforts to address misconceptions around and misinterpretations of the new SAFE-T Act, especially as related to provisions not yet in effect, including cash bail.  She described her strong support for criminal justice reform and noted the importance of all stakeholders to act together to combat efforts to undermine the effectiveness and implementation of the new law.  She noted that it was always intended for more work to be done to further clarify the law, including in the area of defining “holdable offenses’” among other things.

Rep. Stava-Murray went on to discuss her “smart on crime” and data driven approach to criminal justice reform, emphasizing the need to better understand the root cause of violence when creating solutions. She believes there is not enough discussion about how to integrate offenders back into society when appropriate (rehabilitation v. housing, she said) and noted that data shows longer sentences do not deter other offenders.  She is committed to continue her work on public safety going forward. 

Gun Violence Prevention

The participants thanked Rep. Stava-Murray for her efforts around the successful passage of the Ghost Gun legislation this session.  Rep. Stava-Murray went on to discuss her support of legislation that would require schools to inform parents about the need for safe and secure gun storage.  She also discussed her study of HB4839, which would change the age of home gun storage requirement from 14 to 18, noting a concern that it could unintentionally sweep otherwise lawful gun owners into the system.  She stated her support of changing the penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony for non-compliance of safe storage if an unsecured gun is used without permission and results in death or injury. 

Fiscal Policy/State Budget Proposal

Rep. Stava-Murray commented on the Governor’s proposed 2023 budget generally, and noted areas where she supported increased funding, including evidence-based funding for education, early childhood care and education, access to higher education and vocational programs, child welfare, behavioral health and public safety.  She described her work with the Women’s Caucus to ensure a $50 million increase to address domestic violence issues.  She noted efforts to ensure appropriate deposits into the state’s “rainy day fund” (the Budget Stabilization Fund) at levels that will support state services on a more consistent basis going forward.  She noted additional deposit of $500 million to the state’s pension stabilization fund.  She also commented on increases to the public safety budget (the “smart on crime” package, she said), which will provide increased funding for local police departments to better address areas of increased crime, such as carjacking, as well as other local public safety initiatives. Rep. Stava-Murray commented on how the budget links back to the earlier discussion on addressing the root causes of violence in the areas of education, wrap around services, after school programs and childcare for shift workers.

Rep. Stava-Murray then turned to education funding referendums in school districts 58 and 66, first noting the differences and challenges in each case.  She then briefly described the education funding formula, which does not take infrastructure into account, so that gaps in needs and funding in that area will likely continue.  She said that infrastructure is a tax issue, which individual school districts address differently (providing Downers Grove and Naperville as examples in this regard).  She agreed it was appropriate to ask about state level input for school district infrastructure in the future, although it doesn’t exist presently.  She concluded by describing her efforts to equitably distribute the education funds her district receives under the current formula.

Election Reform Legislation related to Election Judge Initials on Ballots

The LWV participants expressed their concern over voter disenfranchisement due to the failure of election judges to initial ballots, as currently required by law.  They pointed to a recount of the 2020 DuPage County auditor race, which had been requested by the losing candidate.  While the meticulous recount procedure ultimately confirmed the integrity of the election process, 832 ballots were invalidated for no other reason than they did not contain the election judges’ initials.  Rep. Stava-Murray stated she would look into the issue and efforts to reintroduce HB4775, which would remove the requirement for election judge initials on ballots.

During the final minutes, Rep. Stava-Murray briefly described her many areas of interest in representing her constituents, including education, wrap around services, protecting the environment and public safety for all.  She noted her efforts around immigration and human rights and discussed in particular a potential fellowship for the study of homeless youth housing, with an aim to improve the trajectory of outcomes.  The participants thanked Rep. Stava-Murray for her open discussion during the course of the hour and thereafter, the meeting ended.