Public Act 0893 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2657 Enrolled LRB095 05408 RCE 25498 b

Public Act 095-0893

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee Act is amended by changing Section 2 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3929/2)

Sec. 2. Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee.

(a) There is created the Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, consisting of 15 members appointed as follows:

(1) Three members appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(4) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(5) One member appointed by the Attorney General;

(6) One member appointed by the Governor;

(7) One member appointed by the Cook County State's Attorney;

(8) One member appointed by the Office of the Cook County Public Defender;

(9) One member appointed by the Office of the State Appellate Defender; and

(10) One member appointed by the office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor.

(b) The Committee shall study the impact of the various reforms to the capital punishment system enacted by the 93rd General Assembly and annually report to the General Assembly on the effects of these reforms. Each report shall include:

(1) The impact of the reforms on the issue of uniformity and proportionality in the application of the death penalty including, but not limited to, the tracking of data related to whether the reforms have eliminated the statistically significant differences in sentencing related to the geographic location of the homicide and the race of the victim found by the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment in its report issued on April 15, 2002.

(2) The implementation of training for police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges as recommended by the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment.

(3) The impact of the various reforms on the quality of evidence used during capital prosecutions.

(4) The quality of representation provided by defense counsel to defendants in capital prosecutions.

(5) The impact of the various reforms on the costs associated with the administration of the Illinois capital punishment system.

(c) The Committee shall hold hearings on a periodic basis to receive testimony from the public regarding the manner in which reforms have impacted the capital punishment system.

(d) The Committee shall submit its final report to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2009 5 years after the effective date of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-605, eff. 11-19-03.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.