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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact
3Study Commission was created in October of 2008 by Public Act
495-995, in response to evidence of disproportionately high
5rates of drug-related arrests, sentences, and incarceration
6among minority communities in Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact
8Study Commission was charged to study the nature and extent of
9the harm caused to minority communities through the practical
10application of State drug laws; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact
12Study Commission was directed to offer recommendations to
13address the disproportionate impact that even seemingly
14neutral laws can have on minority communities; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact
16Study Commission conducted original research with data
17provided by the Illinois State Police and the Office of the
18Clerk of Cook County, reviewed Illinois' drug laws, and
19reviewed academic and professional literature on the
20consequences of high rates of incarceration; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact

 

 

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1Study Commission held public hearings in Chicago, Joliet and
2East St. Louis, Illinois, in 2010, receiving the opinions and
3recommendations of citizens from all walks of life, including
4elected officials, researchers, service providers, policy
5experts, and formerly incarcerated persons; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Based on the research it conducted and the
7information it received, the Illinois Disproportionate Justice
8Impact Study Commission issued its Final Report to the General
9Assembly in December, 2010, containing the Commission's
10recommendations intended to increase fairness and equality in
11the dispensation of justice relative to drug-related offenses
12and to mitigate the impact of disproportionate involvement in
13the criminal justice system among minority communities; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact
15Study Commission made, as its Recommendation 3, the
16recommendation that Illinois should review its "drug-free zone
17laws", including the accomplishment of their intended purpose
18together with their potential unintended consequences;
19therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
21ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is created a
22Drug-Free Zone Laws Task Force; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall have 8 voting members
2who shall serve without compensation and shall be appointed as
3follows:
4        (1) 2 members of the Senate, appointed by the President
5    of the Senate, one of whom shall be chosen by the President
6    of the Senate to serve as the Chairperson;
7        (2) 2 members of the public, appointed by the President
8    of the Senate;
9        (3) 2 members of the Senate, appointed by the Senate
10    Minority Leader; and
11        (4) 2 members of the public, appointed by the Senate
12    Minority Leader; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That all actions of the Task Force require the
14affirmative vote of at least 5 voting members; and be it
15further
 
16    RESOLVED, That the following persons shall serve without
17compensation as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Task
18Force:
19        (1) the Director of the Illinois Department of
20    Corrections, or his or her designee;
21        (2) the Director of the Illinois Department of State
22    Police, or his or her designee; and
23        (3) the Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal
24    Justice Information Authority, or his or her designee; and

 

 

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1    be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That the Center for Excellence in Criminal
3Justice at the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center
4at Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of
5Illinois at Chicago shall provide staff and administrative
6support services to the Task Force; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold one or more public
8hearings, at which public testimony shall be heard, regarding
9the practical impact of Illinois' "drug-free zone laws",
10specifically Section 407 of the Illinois Controlled Substances
11Act; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall review existing and new
13research evaluating:
14        (1) the actual effectiveness of Section 407 of the
15    Illinois Controlled Substances Act with its stated intent
16    of shielding children from drug sales; and
17        (2) the actual and potential unintended consequences
18    of Section 407 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act
19    beyond its stated intent; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That based on the testimony received and the
21research reviewed, the Task Force shall recommend specific
22amendments to Section 407 of the Illinois Controlled Substances

 

 

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1Act to preserve its protective intent while mitigating its
2disproportionate impact on minority communities; and be it
3further
 
4    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings and
5recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly in a
6final report which shall be filed on or before January 1, 2013.