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State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, led efforts to pass Jessica's
Law in Illinois.
Senate Bill 1397 was signed into law Oct. 5.
Jessica was born Oct. 6, 1995, in North Carolina. She died Feb.
27, 2005, after being abducted in Florida.
"Jessica Lunsford was just 9 years old when she was taken from
her home, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender. Florida
lawmakers passed Jessica's Law in 2005, and more than 30 other
states have since passed tougher laws targeting sexual criminals who
prey on children," Brady said. "Illinois now has a similar law,
allowing law enforcement to do more to protect our most vulnerable
citizens from sexual predators."
Senate Bill 1397 will make criminal sexual assault a Class X felony
if the rapist has previously been convicted of any sex offense;
currently, it is a Class X felony only if the offender had been
previously convicted of criminal sexual assault. The new law will
also change the conditions for the release of sex offenders by
requiring them to take an annual polygraph exam, maintain a log of
their travel and obtain prior approval of their parole officers
before driving alone in a motor vehicle. It also requires convicted
sexual predators who are subject to GPS monitoring to pay for the
cost of monitoring.
The new law will take effect June 1, 2008.
[Text from file sent on behalf of
Sen.
Bill Brady by Illinois
Senate Republican staff]
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