SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — New legislation proposed in Illinois would let prison inmates earn a day of credit for each day served, leading to an early release.

HB5219, filed by Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-50th Dist.) on February 9th, would eliminate mandatory prison sentences carried by criminal charges.

If the bill is signed into law, it would give every inmate a day of credit for each day spent in custody, reducing “the incarcerated person’s period of incarceration set by the court.”

If it goes into effect, the law would require the Department of Corrections to recalculate each prisoner’s sentence by applying the accrued daily credits.

A prisoner sentenced to natural life would be able to accumulate enough credits to reduce their sentence to less than natural life, according to the bill.

If passed, the law would go into effect on January 1st, 2025.

Currently, it has been referred to the Rules Committee for consideration.