Illinois Republicans raise concern with some Prisoner Review Board nominations

Senate Republicans are pushing back at some nominations to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

Last week, the Illinois Senate approved four appointments to the Prisoner Review Board in LeAnn Miller, Matthew Coates, Jeffery Grubbs, and Julie Glockobar. Gov. J.B Pritzker nominated all four to serve on the board that handles conditions of release for offenders leaving Illinois' prison system. According to state data, board members make $92,305 per year.

Senators voted on four appointments during session Thursday. State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, spoke about the importance of their votes.

"We have seen the effects of the SAFE-T Act, and we have seen that crime is extremely important to the constituents that we serve all across this state," McClure said. "It is important as ever that the people that are serving on the prisoner review board are the most qualified."

State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, spoke out against Miller and argued that she should not be appointed due to past decisions made while serving on the board.

"This person has cast some extraordinarily troubling votes while serving on the prisoner review board," Plummer said. "This person voted to release a lady who murdered her two children."

McClure used a similar argument when speaking against the appointment of Coates.

"Now Coates seems like a very nice man and we had a good discussion in committee," McClure said. "The problem I had was that he voted to release a man, a person who raped his five-year-old cousin."

State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, defended Coates and argued he is an acceptable nominee.

"This is the kind of person you want in public service, and I just want to make sure that people understand that," Koehler said. "Sure, he may have been a little nervous coming to Springfield and being before a committee, but this is an outstanding young man."

The Senate approved Grubbs and Glockobar with no pushback from any of the members. Plummer praised Glockobar for her qualifications.

"We obviously rejected some members to this prisoner review board the last couple of years and this is an example of a highly qualified person the governor has appointed," Plummer said.