SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW: NEW LAWS FOR 2006
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Cracking down on the illegal manufacture of the dangerous
street drug methamphetamine, better protecting consumers from the devastating
financial effects of identity theft, and strengthening registration laws for
convicted sex offenders are among the hundreds of new laws that take effect in
January, according to State Senator Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton).
Senate Bill 273 limits the purchase of cold medicines containing the powder
form of pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient used to make methamphetamine, and
requires individuals to show identification and sign a log when purchasing these
medicines. Senate Bill 273 further prohibits anyone younger than 18 from buying
medicines that contain pseudoephedrine.
The new Illinois law is based on a similar law in Oklahoma. Senator Roskam
says only two months after pseudoephedrine controls were enacted in Oklahoma,
the number of meth laboratories in that state dropped by 50 percent, and by 80
percent eight months later. Other states – including Missouri, Indiana,
Wisconsin, Iowa and Kentucky – have had similar results. The new law takes
effect Jan. 15.
Other meth-related laws take effect Jan. 1. House Bill 3507 provides that
meth restitution be made to cover costs incurred by local law enforcement
agencies and public agencies in securing a meth site. House Bill 3504 provides
for an additional $100 fine if a person is found guilty of a meth-related
offense.
Several new laws taking effect Jan. 1 seek to protect consumers from identity
theft and make it easier to prosecute those who steal personal information.
Senate Bill 445 prohibits state universities and community colleges from
printing an individual’s Social Security number on any document that is required
to access services. House Bill 1565 makes it illegal to use hardware or software
that can decipher encrypted information from bar codes on driver’s licenses or
identification cards. House Bill 457 eliminates the statute of limitations for
prosecuting identity theft. House Bill 2700 allows people on trial for identity
theft to be tried in any county where the offense occurred or the victim
resides. House Bill 1058 allows a victim of identity theft to place a security
freeze on his/her credit report.
Making sure more sex offenders register with local police is the purpose of a
new law that tightens the regulations of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry and
increases penalties for those offenders who do not comply with registration
requirements. Senate Bill 1234 also requires the registering local law
enforcement agency to provide a copy of the completed sex offender registration
form to the principal of the school in which the juvenile sex offender is
enrolled. Under the previous law, juvenile sex offenders were registered with
local police, but their information was not disclosed on the Sex Offender
Registry and the law had not provided for any direct notification to schools.
Other bills that become law Jan. 1 include:
- Abandoned infants (HB 175/P.A. 94-0207) – Makes permanent the law that
allows parents to give their newborns to designated organizations without fear
of prosecution.
- Alzheimer’s Awareness (HB 20/P.A. 94-0443) – Designates the month of
November of each year as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
- Amber Alert (HB 181/P.A. 94-0481) – Allows State Police to retain the
fingerprints of a child fingerprinted at a data collection location and use
them if the child is later missing or abducted.
- Assault (HB 1432/P.A. 94-0482) – Sets felony penalties for player or fan
violence at sporting events at indoor facilities.
- Child safety (SB 526/P.A. 94-0011) – Sets higher safety standards and
imposes a fine for companies that knowingly sell unsafe products designed for
children younger than nine.
- Contractors (HB 2594/P.A. 94-0490) – Requires home repair companies to
advise consumers if a contract requires consumers to submit contract disputes
to binding arbitration.
- Contract fraud (HB 3874/P.A. 94-0338) – Creates the Class 3 felony offense
of public contractor misconduct, punishable by two to five years in prison. (HB
381/P.A. 94-0126) – Increases penalties for minority business owners who
obtain state contracts under false pretenses.
- Disabled parking spaces (HB 1316/P.A. 94-0619) – Increases the fine for
the unauthorized use of parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities.
Increases the fine and allows for the suspension of driving privileges for
misusing vehicles with disabled plates or placards.
- Drivers (HB 960/P.A. 94-0185) – Mandates that a vehicle equipped with
visual media technology cannot be operated if the technology is on and the
screen is visible from the driver’s seat.
- Drug-induced homicide (HB 1109/P.A. 94-0560) – Provides that a person who
unlawfully delivers a controlled substance and causes another person’s death
as a result of the use of the drug commits the offense of drug-induced
homicide.
- DUI (SB 1495/P.A. 94-0609 and HB 1081/P.A. 94-0113) – Imposes prison
sentences on DUI offenders if the DUI violation was the cause of the death of
one or more persons; unless the court determines that extraordinary
circumstances exist and require probation. (HB 1471/P.A. 94-0329) – Provides
that a person who drives while under the influence is guilty of aggravated DUI
if they have no valid driver’s license or were not covered by liability
insurance. (HB 657/P.A. 94-0110) – Increases the penalties for DUI while
transporting a child. (HB 3816/P.A. 94-0116) – Increases penalties for people
found guilty of DUI three or more times. (HB 1351/P.A. 94-0115) – Subjects to
chemical testing any person arrested for leaving the scene of an accident
involving death or personal injury.
- Elections (HB 715/P.A. 94-0492) – Requires public colleges and
universities to provide voter registration forms to students.
- Electric vehicle (SB 25/P.A. 94-0298) – Prohibits a person from operating
an electric vehicle upon a street, and states they must have a driver’s
license.
- Emergency officials (SB 190/P.A. 94-0243) – Enhances penalties for harming
emergency management officials engaged in their official duties.
- False representation (HB 596/P.A. 94-0323) – Makes it a Class 4 felony to
knowingly and falsely represent oneself as an emergency management worker or
American Red Cross employee.
- Fire Fighters (HB 577/P.A. 94-0322) – Protects the funds in the Fire
Fighters Memorial Fund from being used for other budgetary purposes.
- Human rights (HB 917/P.A. 94-0078) – Provides that it is a civil rights
violation to coerce or threaten any person seeking to negotiate a real estate
transaction.
- Hunting (SB 123/P.A. 94-0040) – Provides that an individual’s Social
Security number will not appear on his/her hunting license.
- Immunity (HB 1318/P.A. 94-0290) – Provides limited immunity for businesses
that provided infrastructure repairs to homes damaged by natural disasters.
- Income tax checkoff (HB 2470/P.A. 94-0141) – Authorizes an income tax
checkoff for donations into the Sarcoidosis Research Fund.
- Juvenile court (SB 292/P.A. 94-0271) – Allows the parents of a crime
victim to be present and give impact statements at juvenile proceedings.
- Kidney disease (SB 1461/P.A. 94-0081) – Provides that the Department of
Public Health conducts a program to promote awareness of chronic kidney
disease.
- Lending database (HB 4050/ P.A. 94- 280) – Requires the Department of
Financial and Professional Regulation to create a database with information on
predatory lenders.
- Official symbols (HB 847/P.A. 94-0257) – Designates the Eastern Tiger
Salamander as the official State amphibian, and the Painted Turtle as the
official State reptile.
- Organ donor registry (HB 1077/P.A. 94-0075) – Authorizes the Secretary of
State to establish a First Person Consent organ and tissue donor registry,
essentially removing the power of a family member to veto another family
member’s decision to be an organ donor.
- Ovarian cancer (SB 521/P.A. 94-0112) – Requires insurers to cover
surveillance tests for ovarian cancer for female customers who are at risk for
ovarian cancer.
- Paid leave (HB 324/P.A. 94-0033) – Extends paid leave benefits to
employees for blood donation with the employer’s approval.
- Radar jamming devices (SB 1221/P.A. 94-0594) – Prohibits the use of radar
jamming devices.
- Scholarships/Loans (HB 1343/P.A. 94-0497) – Establishes a program to
provide loan assistance for students studying social work or human services.
- Seat belts (SB 229/P.A. 94-0241) – Requires every person 18 and younger to
wear a seat belt while riding as a passenger in a vehicle operated by a driver
younger than 18.
- Senior citizens (HB 2241/P.A. 94-0145) – Requires the Law Enforcement
Agencies Data System to include information on missing endangered seniors. (HB
1106/P.A. 94-0327) – Designates aggravated battery if the individual harmed
was 60 or older.
- Sex offenders (HB 712/P.A. 94-0643) – Requires a parent, who knowingly
marries or resides with a sex offender to notify the other parent.
- Shaken Babies (SB 506/P.A. 94-0228) – Requires Illinois Department of
Public Health to establish a statewide Shaken Baby Prevention Program to
educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of shaking a baby.
- Smoking (HB 672/P.A. 94-0517) – Authorizes home-rule units of local
government or municipalities to regulate smoking in public places.
- Statute of limitations (HB 885/P.A. 94-0487) – Removes the current statute
of limitations for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that resulted
in personal injury or death.
- Steel industry (SB 1699/P.A. 94-0279) – Creates the Illinois Steel
Development Board to market and promote the Illinois steel industry.
- State facility closure (HB 2528/P.A. 94-0688) – Requires the Governor’s
Office to make a public announcement and submit a written recommendation of
its intention to close a state facility, such as a prison or mental health
center. Requires the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability
to hold at least one public hearing on the recommendation.
- Steroid abuse education (SB 64/P.A. 94-0014) – Requires a school district
to provide steroid abuse prevention education to athletes.
- Tasers (SB 1962/P.A. 94-0006) – Requires that any person wishing to
acquire a stun gun or taser must have a FOID card and receive one hour of
training approved by the State Police.
- Unions (HB 1480/P.A. 94-0321) – Declares the right of unions to picket in
municipal rights of way.
- Vehicle lights (HB 1550/ P.A. 94-0331) – Prohibits blue oscillating,
rotating, or flashing lights whether lighted or unlighted except on specified
vehicles.
- Veterans fraud (SB 1491/P.A. 94-0486) – Increases penalties for people who
knowingly misrepresent themselves as a veteran or dependent of a veteran to
obtain benefits.
- Veterans license plates (HB 544/P.A. 94-0311) – Exempts Gold Star
recipients from paying the fee to apply for the Gold Star plate, aside from
the registration fee. (SB 1666/P.A. 94-0343) – Allows the surviving spouse of
a Purple Heart recipient to be issued Purple Heart license plates.
- Vince Demuzio Memorial Fund (SB 133/P.A. 94-0142) – Creates an income tax
checkoff for the Vince Demuzio Memorial Colon Cancer Fund.
- Volunteer EMT (HB 594/P.A. 94-0599) – Provides volunteer emergency workers
with job protections if they are late to or absent from work while responding
to an emergency.
- Voting (HB 1125/P.A. 94-0288) – Allows minors to enter the voting booth
with their parents.
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