Chambana Sun

In a May 11 news release, Sen. Chain Rose shared the progress of one of his bills.

“Bad guys don’t care what department a cop works for, and when an officer gets hurt, it shouldn’t matter either,” Rose wrote. “They should get the same benefits whether they work for university police or city police. Our brave men and women in blue need to know that we support them, and this is one small way that we can do that."

World Population Review noted Illinois is home to approximately 480 police officers.

While Sen. John Curran officially filed Senate Bill 1115 on Feb. 2, 2023, Sen. Chapin Rose was named chief sponsor on March 15. The bill gives university police officers who become disabled a disability benefit that is "the greater of (1) 65% of the basic compensation that would have been paid had the participant continued in employment for the entire period during which disability benefits are payable, excluding wage or salary increases subsequent to the date of disability; or (2) 65% of the participant's average earnings during the 24 months immediately preceding the month in which disability occurs." It also gives "a disability retirement annuity for a participant who is employed as a police officer and who incurs a line of duty disability equal to 65% of the basic compensation which was payable to the participant at the time that disability began."

24/7 Wall Street wrote the U.S. Census Bureau reported state and local spending on police protection totaled approximately $5.7 billion in 2020.

The bill passed the State Senate on March 30, and passed the House of Representatives on May 8. It now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker's signature.

The Guardian reported GOP members in Congress voted against President Joe Biden’s $350 billion American Rescue Plan that gave funding to hire police.

Rose has been a member of the Illinois Senate since 2013 and has represented the people of Senate District 51 since then. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 until 2013.