Sangamon Sun

State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) is calling for special hearings in Springfield on criminal and social justice reform in the wake of demonstrations that have broken out in Illinois and out across the country following the death of George Floyd.

“With everything that’s happening, it would be totally appropriate,” McClure told the Sangamon Sun. “We need to be hearing from people across the state about what’s happening in their communities. We need to have people share their experiences and law enforcement share theirs so that we can arrive at solutions that bring us together and make life better for everyone.”

With protests across the country seemingly bubbling by the hour stemming after Floyd's death while in Minneapolis Police Department custody, Democratic Reps. Kam Buckner, Curtis Tarver and Lamont Robinson recently sent a letter to longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) calling for a special session.

McClure said his hope is that the conversation will go much deeper than just what’s happening with law enforcement.

“We need to be talking about racial inequality across the board and how that’s affecting minority business owners and impacting life in general for so many people," he said. "We need to be having these discussions so that we can get to a place and point where we’re crafting legislation that benefits us all.”

McClure said it all starts with getting the General Assembly back to Springfield.  

“It’s the first step to making reforms and changes that are clearly needed,” he said. “The time is now for us to come together with commonsense solutions that make our communities stronger and more together in who we need to be.”