HB4298enr 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4298 Enrolled LRB094 15751 RLC 50964 b

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Interstate Sex Offender Task Force Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds as follows:

(1) That the protection of women and children from sexual assault is critically important.

(2) That every state in the nation has a sex offender registration law.

(3) That Illinois, as well as other states in the nation, including Iowa and Missouri, have laws restricting where convicted or registered sex offenders may reside.

(4) That the residency restrictions are not consistent between states.

(5) That the disparity in residency restrictions and registration requirements is of concern to communities and law enforcement in Illinois.

(6) That it would benefit Illinois, its citizens, and its border states, including Iowa and Missouri, for a task force to be created to analyze the impact of the disparity between states regarding registration requirements and residency restrictions on convicted or registered sex offenders, or both.

Section 10. Interstate Sex Offender Task Force.

(a) The Interstate Sex Offender Task Force is created.

(b) The Interstate Sex Offender Task Force shall convene and initially meet not later than 30 days after the effective date of this Act and shall meet thereafter as frequently as necessary to carry out its duties as required by this Act.

(c) The Task Force shall consist of members representing the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Illinois State Police, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, statewide sexual assault victim service providers, and such other criminal justice and law enforcement entities and organizations as deemed appropriate by the Illinois State Police.

(d) The Task Force shall coordinate its meetings and studies with such representatives of similar organizations in the other states as may be appropriate, including but not limited to those in Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri.

(e) The Task Force shall examine the following:

(1) The systems of communication between states regarding the interstate movement of registered sex offenders.

(2) The laws of Illinois and its border states that restrict and affect where convicted or registered sex offenders may reside.

(3) The extent to which law enforcement resources are affected by residency restrictions.

(4) The impact of residency restrictions on the parole, mandatory supervised release, and probation systems in Illinois.

(f) The Illinois Department of Corrections shall provide staff and administrative support services to the Task Force.

(g) The Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2007.

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