Batinick has ‘deep concerns’ over bill aiming to lessen penalties for drug possession

State Rep. Mark Batinick spoke out against the passage of legislation aiming to lessen penalties for possessing and selling small amounts of drugs, including heroin and cocaine.

The Illinois House of Representatives narrowly passed the measure, House Bill 3447, last week. If it were to become law, the bill would reclassify small amounts of drug possession from a low-level felony to a misdemeanor.

Batinick, R-Plainfield, voted against the bill and cited his concerns over its potential impact in a statement.

“When Colorado implemented similar legislation in 2019, Denver saw more than double the overdoses involving fentanyl in the following year,” Batinick said in the statement. “I voted ‘nay’ on H.B. 3447 because of my deep concerns about its consequences in Illinois.

“I urge the Senate not to pass this detrimental legislation,” he said. “An amount of fentanyl that is enough to kill thousands of people should not be a misdemeanor.”

Batinick also said he wants to hear constituents’ feedback on the measure.

They can call his district office at 815-254-000 or by emailing batinick@ilhousegop.org.

While most other Republicans voted against the bill, state Rep. David Allen Welter, R-Morris, voted “present.” He said he aimed to “start a conversation on the tragically unaddressed issues concerning Illinois’ policies on drug addiction that we need to tackle head-on.”

Democrats representing the Will County area, including Reps. Dagmara Avelar, Natalie Manley and Larry Walsh Jr., voted to pass the legislation.