Following his first year in office, I posted an article about Governor Bruce Rauner’s record of granting clemency. Since then, little has changed. Governor Rauner granted the same percentage of petitions in 2016 as he did in 2015: a mere 3.6%. In 2016, Governor Rauner granted 42 petitions, while denying 1,110. The governor’s clemency approval rate is a far cry from what it used to be. Under Governor Pat Quinn, one-quarter to one-third of petitions were granted annually.
Read MoreIn 2013, when Illinois became the last state to issue concealed carry permits, there was an increase in the number of people interested in applying for a F.O.I.D. card, a prerequisite to qualifying for a concealed carry permit. Some people soon discovered that they didn’t qualify for a F.O.I.D. card because of their past criminal history.
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