Press Releases...

December 2006

Jacksonville, IL

...Sex offender registration legislation, dextromethorphan bans, and legislation dealing with medical expenses for arrestees are all included in the new batch of laws that will take effect with the New Year.  State Representative Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) reminds residents of the 97th District that January 1st will usher in a number new laws and changes in current statutes.

“The General Assembly worked hard this year to approve legislation dealing with eminent domain, false personation, railroad crossing violations, and much more” said Watson.     Among the public acts that become law on the 1st include pieces of legislation that were either sponsored or co-sponsored by the Jacksonville Republican.  They include:

HB4222 requires sexual predators to be on GPS monitoring during their parole term.  Under the bill the Department of Corrections would use a GPS tracking system that actively monitors and identifies the offender’s location. It also provides timely reports on that location and alerts the Department if the offender is discovered to be within a prohibited area or if they have left their specified geographic limitation.

SB2873 simplifies the process for committing a sexually violent person to a secure psychiatric facility.  It strengthens the state’s Sexually Violent Persons (SVP) Act to ensure that the most dangerous sexual predators – those whom authorities believe will attack again – are confined indefinitely. Illinois is one of 16 states that has an SVP program, which can result in the civil commitment of an offender if he is deemed sexually violent upon his parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections

SB3086 is a bi-partisan bill protecting the rights of property owners when government forces them to sell to make way for private developments.  It ensures a proper balance between communities’ need for economic development, the power of government and the rights of property owners.

HB4986 requires school districts that offer a secondary agricultural education program to provide instructional courses approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and requires a state and nationally affiliated FFA chapter to be a part of the curriculum.  The legislation also requires hands on instruction through formal, supervised agricultural experience activities/programs

Other legislation that becomes law on January 1 includes:

SB3016 requires sex offenders to provide more information about them under the registration process, including identifying marks such as tattoos, birth marks, license plate numbers and more.  The bill also provides that the Department of State Police must make the information contained in the Statewide Sex Offender Database searchable via a mapping system which identifies registered sex offenders living with 5 miles of an identified address.  

HB4300 provides that a drug product containing dextromethorphan may not be sold, delivered, distributed or possessed in the state except in accordance with the prescription requirements of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.  Dextromethorphan, often called DXM, in a pure form when taken in high doses, can have hallucinogenic and psychoactive effects similar to LSD.  The purpose of this legislation is to control distribution of this potentially dangerous narcotic.

HB5348 permits that an immediate oral report and later a written report be filed of every burn injury that meets certain specifications. The bill creates a procedure for hospital staff to attempt to inform law enforcement professionals of fires that may be caused by a meth lab.   

SB2967 amends the County Jail act by providing that “medical expenses relating to the arrestee” do not include those expenses incurred for medical care or treatment provided to the arrestee because of a self-inflicted injury.  The legislation addresses a situation where an individual self-inflicts a wound during an arrest and survives the wound.  Under current law, the arresting authority would be required to pay for medical care. 

HB5284 requires that every dwelling unit be equipped with at least one approved carbon monoxide alarm within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping purposes.

HB4121 relates to false personation.  People who pretend to have earned some of the nation’s most prestigious military medals, including the Purple Heart, the Medal of Honor and others, will pay a fine up to $200 under the new law.

HB2497.  This bill permits counties or cities to post signs that prohibit the use of an engine brake that makes “excessive noise.  It would allow truckers to use an engine brake if it is properly muffled so that it does not exceed noise limits, and both would allow use of an engine brake in an emergency situation, which the bills define as brake use to “avoid a collision with a person or another vehicle.”

SB2865 establishes a system for automated enforcement of railroad crossing violations.  It is a response to increased traffic and subsequent train/vehicle collisions.  It encourages drivers to not drive over rail road crossings, and to obey rail road gates.  Most recently, the northeastern part of the state has seen several accidents where citizens have been seriously injured because vehicles were standing on a rail road track.

SB2650 prohibits the Illinois State Police from issuing photo-radar speeding tickets in areas outside of construction zones. Outside work areas, officers will be required to witness a speeding violation.  It also requires that work-zone speeding tickets only be issued when workers were present. Authorities will have to prove at least one road worker was on duty before they could issue a ticket.

HB2946 prohibits convicted felons from owning dogs that have been determined to be vicious under the Animal Control Act, for 10 years after completing their sentences, unless the dogs have been spayed or neutered. The rationale is that neutered dogs are less likely to be dangerous.

HB4711 makes changes to criminal penalties for attending a dog fight from a Class C to a Class A misdemeanor.

SB2968 provides immunity from civil damages for emergency medical technicians and first responders who provide emergency care in good faith without fee or compensation.

HB4999 requires hospitals to post a specified sign giving patients notice that they may be eligible for financial assistance and the contact information for the hospital financial assistance representative.

HB4179 prohibits identity theft offenders from changing their names.

SB585 amends the Open Meetings Act by redefining a “meeting” to include gatherings, whether in person or by telephone call, video or audio conference, electronic means, of a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for the purpose of discussing public business.

HB1589 provides that a State Agency that uses automated telephone answering equipment to answer incoming telephone calls must, during normal business hours, provide the caller with the option of speaking to a live operator.

HB4315 makes changes in the definitions of “professional fund raiser” and “professional solicitor” to include certain persons who receive and collect contributions, in addition to soliciting contributions.

HB4715 The Safe Homes Act makes it illegal to evict a victim of domestic abuse due to the actions of an abusive spouse/partner and allows a victim of domestic abuse the right to terminate joint-tenancy leases without penalty if their safety is at risk.

 

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