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“Administration’s Actions “Discouraging”

Watson frustrated with lack of funding for sex offender monitoring

Jacksonville, IL…. After hearing Governor Rod Blagojevich’s surprise announcement this week of another $1 million to help construct a minor league baseball stadium, State Representative Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) described it as ‘discouraging.’ He was referring to the fact that the administration can suddenly find an additional million dollars to go along with the previous $3 million given to the project, but can’t find the money to track Illinois’ worst sex offenders.

Watson authored HB4222, approved in the recent session of the General Assembly that requires sexual predators to be on GPS monitoring during their parole term. “When the bill was approved unanimously in the House and sent to the Senate, the upper chamber made it subject to appropriation” said Watson. “Even though it was approved and recently signed into law by the Governor, no funds were attached and the administration has not put any funds towards it.”

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.  But the program remains unfunded while the Governor provides an additional million dollars for the stadium project that is the brainchild of a lawyer, who along with his law firm, has donated more than $1 million to mostly Democratic causes in recent years.

“What I’m seeing now is there is plenty of money for other things out there, such as ball parks, music festivals, and parades, but there is not money to provide all communities in the State of Illinois with an extremely effective tool for improving the safety and security of our families” Watson said.  “For the administration to say they don’t have the money for the monitoring program is inexcusable.  And then for them to say they care about tracking sex offenders just doesn’t add up.   It’s frustrating to say the least.”