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The senator says these new laws are vital to improving public safety
because they focus on education and awareness -- two elements that
are central to preventing many of the crimes being committed today.
Currently, sex offenders are required to provide local police
with their name, address, date of birth and the offense for which
they were convicted.
Senate Bill 3016 will require them to also provide the county of
conviction, their age at the time of the offense, license plate
numbers of any cars registered in their name and any distinguishing
marks on their body. Offenders would also be required to register
every 180 days, as opposed to annually.
Senate Bill 3016 also requires school officials to notify parents
during school registration or during parent-teacher conferences that
this additional information is available on the Sex Offender
Registry.
In an attempt to educate the public and slow down the number of
identity theft crimes being committed each year,
Senate Bill 2456 requires that those who apply at a driver
services facility for renewal of their driver's license or their
Illinois Identification Card be provided, at no charge, with a
brochure warning of the dangers of financial identity theft. The
brochures would identify warning signs, instruct individuals on how
to proceed if they believe they are a victim, and offer the names
and telephone numbers of law enforcement and other government
agencies that provide assistance to such victims.
Bomke noted that according to FBI statistics, identity theft is
the nation's fastest growing crime, and unlike fingerprints,
personal data that falls into the wrong hands can help criminals
profit at the victim's expense. It can have devastating consequences
for the victim, who may face long hours of closing bad accounts,
opening new ones and repairing wrecked credit records. Additionally,
it may take significant out-of-pocket expenses to completely rectify
the effects of identity theft.
Other legislation signed into law this week:
Economic development -- House Bill 4147 creates the Central
Illinois Economic Development Authority to promote economic
development within certain counties.
Election boards -- Senate Bill 1445 abolishes election canvassing
boards and replaces these boards with the local election authority
in terms of canvassing of elections; requires that votes not cast in
the precinct voting booth be counted at a central location, such as
the county clerk's office.
Identity theft -- Senate Bill 2554 expands the definition of
"personal identifying information" to include passwords; adds two
more circumstances when identity theft is committed, concerning the
portrayal of another person to obtain information; and allows for
recovery of civil damages of $2,000, even when there is an absence
of proof of actual damages.
Predator accountability act -- House Bill 1299 allows prostitutes
to sue their abusive "pimps" and "johns"; allows victims of child
pornography and child prostitution to sue their victimizers.
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 Racial profiling -- Senate Bill 2368 removes the sunset date for
the racial profiling record-keeping statute.
Seized property -- Senate Bill 2869 requires that any vehicle,
boat or aircraft that is forfeited under the Controlled Substances
Act may be used for any law enforcement purpose; also requires that
proceeds from any sale of seized property must be used strictly for
drug enforcement purposes or for the purchase of cameras.
Sex offenders -- House Bill 4222 provides that a person convicted
of or placed on parole, mandatory supervised release, or extended
mandatory supervised release for an offense under the Sex Offender
Registration Act must wear an approved electronic monitoring device
for the duration of the person's parole, mandatory supervised
release or extended mandatory supervised release term. House Bill
4298 creates the Interstate Sex Offender Task Force Act to examine
the systems of communication between states in regard to the
interstate movement of registered sex offenders. House Bill 4606
extends the time in which the victim of criminal sexual assault,
aggravated criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual
abuse must report the offense to law enforcement authorities from
two years to three years after the commission of the offense in
order for the 10-year statute of limitations to apply. Senate Bill
2873 requires the Department of Corrections to notify the state's
attorney in the county in which a sex offender was convicted or
adjudicated delinquent that the offender is being released and is
eligible for commitment under the Sexually Dangerous Persons Act.
Senate Bill 2962 makes any person who drives without a license or
permit guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, if at the time of the
violation the person's driver's license or permit was canceled
because the person failed to register as a sex offender. Mandates
that a driver's license issued to a person convicted of a sex
offense shall expire 12 months from the date of issuance.
Teacher certification -- Senate Bill 859 provides that failure to
disclose on an employment application a previous conviction for a
sex offense or any other state or federal sex offense is grounds for
suspension of a teacher's certificate.
Water utilities -- Senate Bill 3046 provides that, in the event
of a sale, purchase or any other transfer of ownership operated by a
privately held public water utility, the water utility's contract
with the acquiring entity must require that the acquiring entity
hire a sufficient number of nonsupervisory employees to operate and
maintain the water system.
Work at home -- House Bill 4719 deems it is an unlawful practice
for a person to advertise, represent or imply that any person can
earn money working at home by stuffing envelopes, addressing
envelopes, mailing circulars, clipping newspaper and magazine
articles, assembling products, bill processing, or performing
similar work, unless the person making the advertisement or
representation meets all of the listed conditions.
[News release from
Illinois
Senate Republicans] |
