Our Issues
The CBF, in partnership with the CBA, centers its current legislative and policy advocacy efforts on the following key issues:
The CBF is part of a coalition of advocates working with legislators to reform Illinois’ byzantine system of court fees and fines in order to address barriers to access to justice associated with the fees and other court costs in civil, criminal, and traffic proceedings. One of the CBF’s legislative priorities this year is HB 2591, introduced by Representatives Steve Andersson and Elaine Nekritz, which implements some of the key recommendations of the Statutory Court Fee Task Force report that was released last year with broad bipartisan support from all levels of government.
Read the CBF’s fact sheet for more information.
The CBA and CBF are working with Representative Elgie Sims to spearhead legislation in Springfield (HB 3359) that simplifies the law governing evictions in Illinois by changing the confusing and archaic title of the “Forcible Entry and Detainer Act” and making other corresponding changes in the Act. By changing the name of the Act to the Eviction Act, and changing the similarly confusing name of the order used for evictions from “order of possession” to “eviction order,” the eviction process will more user-friendly and understandable for tenants and landlords alike.
Read the CBF’s fact sheet for more information.
Our broken immigration system creates a number of unique access to justice issues. The CBF advocates for legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system and restoring the rule of law.
Read the fact sheet on this important issue and a recent CBA Record article laying out the case for comprehensive reform.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), created by Congress in 2007, provides critical
support for our nation’s public sector by offering partial relief from often crushing educational debt for
public service employees who make long-term commitments to working in the sector. Under PSLF, those
who make ten years of payments on their student loans while employed full-time in public service jobs
are eligible to have their remaining balance forgiven.
There are active proposals to either eliminate or limit PSLF going forward. This important program
should be preserved for the longer-term, and should only be limited if other educational debt reforms
are put in place.
Read the fact sheet on this important issue.