Springfield. I: (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Three IL House Republicans held a news conference on Wednesday morning in the Blue Room of the Capitol to express their concerns about public safety as being legislated by super-majority democrats.

They took particular aim at the controversial Safe-T Act which they claim severely hampers law enforcement efforts.

Rep. Patrick Windhorst was a state’s attorney for 14 years. Windhorst wants to expand the “detention net” to ALL FELONIES, not just the few named in the Safe-T Act.

IL Representative Dennis Tipsword is also the Chief Deputy for the Woodford County Sheriffs Office. He’s been in law enforcement for 30 years.

He says that experience makes him qualified to introduce legislation about the care and treatment of mentally ill people who come to jail.

Tipsword says the current wait time is 87 days for an inmate in need to get a bed for treatment. He is sponsoring legislation to reduce that time to 20 days.

Rep. John Cabello is one of only 3 law enforcement officers who also serve in the IL House. Cabello addressed one proposed law that he says endangers officers. The bill would allow criminal defendants to claim mental illness as a justification for attacking police.

He also spoke out against unfunded mandates being put on law enforcement such as a house bill which would force police to operate ‘gun storage programs’ which makes pediatricians ask about the presence of guns in homes and distribute gun storage information to folks with guns in a home with a child.

The legislators dont have much time to persuade the other side. Their House bills would have to make it to the Senate by Friday.