Full Text of SJR0030 101st General Assembly
SJ0030 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The United States Congress passed the Brady | 3 | | Handgun Violence Prevention Act in 1993 that created the | 4 | | National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) among | 5 | | other things; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The National Instant Criminal Background Check | 7 | | System is the national system that enables federal firearms | 8 | | licensees to initiate a background check through the Federal | 9 | | Bureau of Investigation or a state point of contact to check | 10 | | all available records to identify persons who may be prohibited | 11 | | from receiving or possessing firearms; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Background checks are meant to ensure that people | 13 | | who are legally prohibited from owning, acquiring, or | 14 | | possessing firearms, such as criminals, mentally unstable | 15 | | individuals, or other persons enumerated in Section 8 of the | 16 | | Firearm Owners Identification Card Act are unable to do so; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Firearm Owners Identification Card background | 18 | | check information and the National Instant Criminal Background | 19 | | Check System are only as good as the information submitted by | 20 | | the courts and law enforcement; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, The Firearm Owners Identification Card Act |
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| 1 | | requires the courts and the Department of State Police to fully | 2 | | comply with the requirements for reporting data submitted to | 3 | | the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, It is the duty of the Department of State Police | 5 | | to revoke and seize a Firearm Owners Identification Card from a | 6 | | person prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, as | 7 | | well as to ensure that such persons no longer possess any | 8 | | firearms or ammunition; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Serious gaps in adequately and timely reporting | 10 | | information have led to individuals possessing firearms and | 11 | | ammunition who were otherwise prohibited from doing so, | 12 | | resulting in significant harm to the public safety and welfare; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates | 15 | | that, on average, about 3,000 people pass a NICS background | 16 | | check annually despite being prohibited under federal or state | 17 | | law from purchasing a firearm; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, It is essential that the State improve the | 19 | | reporting of information to NICS to maximize the effectiveness | 20 | | of background check laws and otherwise ensure that felons and | 21 | | mentally unstable individuals do not have access to firearms; | 22 | | therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 3 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the National Instant | 4 | | Criminal Background Check System Compliance Task Force, which | 5 | | is charged with the following duties: (1) identify gaps in | 6 | | reporting structures and procedures, (2) develop strategies | 7 | | and recommendations for addressing those gaps, (3) conduct | 8 | | audits of records currently held by the Department of State | 9 | | Police, clerks of the circuit court, mental health agencies, | 10 | | and other relevant agencies or governmental bodies, (4) | 11 | | identify and recommend technological advancements to enhance | 12 | | the exchange of information and provide more accountability, | 13 | | and (5) identify potential grants and other methods of funding | 14 | | to ensure better coordination with the State of Illinois and | 15 | | the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; and be | 16 | | it further | 17 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | 18 | | following members, who shall serve without compensation: | 19 | | (1) Two members appointed by the President of the | 20 | | Senate, one of whom shall serve as Chair; | 21 | | (2) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House | 22 | | of Representatives; | 23 | | (3) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 24 | | Senate, one of whom is to be the Minority Spokesman; |
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| 1 | | (4) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 2 | | House of Representatives; | 3 | | (5) The Attorney General or his or her designee; | 4 | | (6) The Director of State Police or his or her | 5 | | designee; | 6 | | (7) One member representing a statewide association | 7 | | that advocates on behalf of firearm owners, appointed by | 8 | | the President of the Senate; | 9 | | (8) One member representing a statewide association | 10 | | that advocates on behalf of firearm safety or violence | 11 | | prevention, appointed by the Speaker of the House of | 12 | | Representatives; | 13 | | (9) One member representing a statewide association | 14 | | that advocates on behalf of court clerks, appointed by the | 15 | | Minority Leader of the Senate; and | 16 | | (10) One member representing a statewide association | 17 | | that advocates on behalf of sheriffs, appointed by the | 18 | | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; and be it | 19 | | further | 20 | | RESOLVED, That the Attorney General's office shall provide | 21 | | staff and administrative support to the Task Force; and be it | 22 | | further | 23 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet at least four | 24 | | times; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall provide a final report | 2 | | to the General Assembly by July 1, 2020, and upon the filing of | 3 | | its report, is dissolved.
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