Kankakee Times

Illinois State House District 79 candidate, Jackie Haas, criticized the passage of Senate Bill 2412, which introduced changes to election practices. She described it as an example of Democrats' "sneaky and deceptive practices." Haas, who is set to compete against Democrat William Morgan in the general election, expressed her disappointment in the majority party "for upending our current legal processes in a way that lacks transparency, reeks of self-serving political motivation, and completely disregards the desire of the electorate."

"Today, Senate Bill 2412 was officially signed into law," said Haas, Candidate for State Representative, according to Facebook. "This bill is a last-ditch effort to affect the results of the 2024 election through sneaky and deceptive tactics. I am deeply disappointed in the majority party for upending our current legal processes in a way that lacks transparency, reeks of self-serving political motivation, and completely disregards the desire of the electorate."

In a Facebook post by Rep. Haas herself, she shared a link to a May 1 post from the Illinois House Republicans. The post detailed how Senate Bill 2412 was altered by an amendment. It stated: "This morning, Democrats dropped an 'Elections Omnibus' bill with no transparency or opportunity for residents to weigh in. The Amendment was filed this morning, it was assigned to a House committee for a hearing shortly thereafter, and just a few hours after that it was brought forward for a vote on the House Floor. House Republicans stood united in a protest vote of 'present' on this bill to draw attention to Democrats' blatant disregard for the legislative process. The process is in place for a reason - to allow lawmakers, stakeholders, and the people of Illinois time to weigh in on legislation before it becomes law."

Screenshot of Rep. Jackie Haas' May 2 Facebook post | Rep. Jackie Haas' Facebook post

Senate Bill 2412 initially aimed at amending the Children and Family Services Act. Its purpose was to clarify "one of the purposes of the Department of Children and Family Services is to place children in suitable permanent family arrangements." However, an amendment from the House floor replaced everything after the enacting clause with changes related to election codes.

The amendment "Changes the filing dates of petitions for nomination for various offices ranging from state positions to ward committeepersons. In provisions concerning General Assembly members' nominations, it provides that if a candidate dies before the general election, declines the nomination, or withdraws their name from the ballot prior to the general election, the legislative or representative committee of the party for such district shall nominate a candidate of the party to fill the vacancy." The bill will be effective immediately upon signing and has provisions for new acts on Jan. 1, 2025.

Jackie Haas currently serves as State Representative for Illinois’ State House District 79. She is also a social worker and was appointed as CEO of the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health in 2000. Additionally, she served on the Kankakee County Board between 2018 and 2020.