DRUNK DEFENSE BILL PASSES HOUSE

Quad-City Area Incident Prompted Jacobs Legislation

Legislation responding to a Quad-City area incident in which a man was
acquitted of sexually molesting his daughter's friend because he got drunk
passed the Illinois House on Thursday.

The measure, sponsored by Se. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline, and Rep. Jay C
Hoffman, D-Collinsville, would make it more difficult to use the defense of
being drunk or on drugs in a criminal trial. The legislation, which was
amended in the House, also would make it a felony punishable by 4 to 15
years in prison for an adult to allow a child to witness them selling drugs.

The House voted 113-0 to approve the legislation and it now moves to the
Senate.

Other bills considered in Springfield Thursday include:

Child Safety Seats: Legislation sent to Gov. George Ryan Thursday would
expand the requirement for safety restraints on children in the back seats
of vehicles.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jay C. Hoffman, D-Collinsville and Sen. John
J. Cullerton, D-Chicago, would require children 4 to 15 to wear seat belts
or sit in car seats. Current law requires this of children from ages 4 to
6. The House approved the measure 113-0.

Ecstasy: Use of the illegal drug ecstasy is on the rise, so Illinois
senators voted Thursday to get tough on the drug's dealers.

The Illinois Senate voted 51-1 to impose a six-to-30-year prison sentence
on anyone convicted of possessing ecstasy with the intent to deliver. If
enacted, the law would treat ecstasy possession the same as heroin or
cocaine, said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale.

Industrial Hemp: The Illinois Senate voted 38-16 to authorize a study of
the viability of industrial hemp as an Illinois cash crop, sending the bill
to Gov. George Ryan for his signature.

The study would be performed at the University of Illinois at a secure
facility, but only after the federal government granted permits, since the
plant is illegal.

State Sen. Evelyn Bowles, D-Edwardsville, said the legislation passed
Thursday satisfied the concerns of Gov. George H. Ryan, and police, who
have said everyone suspected of having marijuana would claim it was
industrial hemp.

A study at Western Illinois University would look at law enforcement
consequences if industrial hemp were cultivated in Illinois.

State Sens. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline, and Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, voted
for the studies. State Sen. Carl E. Hawkinson, R-Galesburg, voted "no."

Home Inspectors: The Senate approved legislation requiring home inspectors
to be licensed, much like real estate agents and brokers.

State Sen. Dick Klemm, R-Crystal Lake, sponsored the bill requiring
licenses for those who inspect homes prior to sales.

The Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate would license home inspectors.
Licensing would begin Jan. 1, 2003. A license would cost $250 a year and
would be good for two years.

Senators voted 47-7 to approve the plan.

State Sens. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline, and Carl E. Hawkinson,
R-Galesburg, voted "no." State Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, voted "yes."