SPRINGFIELD, Ill.- Senate Republicans are angry with the way Gov. JB Pritzker has handled appointments of four members to the Illinois Prison Review Board (IPRB).
Republicans want transparency from Pritzker as they believe he is violating a constitutional requirement for appointments. The governor appointed four members of the IPRB shortly after he took office in early 2019.
Those board members make decisions on whether prisoners receive parole, releasing them from prison. However, the Illinois Senate did not approve the appointees which is required in the constitution.
Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) explained under the Illinois constitution, Senate members have 60 session days to approve the appointees. Yet, he said when the initial 60 days expired, Pritzker simply withdrew their appointments and then re-appointed them days later.
A former Elgin man convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting a 20-month-old girl in 1997 is being released from prison later this month after serving half of his 48-year sentence.