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Senate advances child‑abuse registry bill amid concerns about lifetime registration
Summary
The Senate debated House Bill 149 on creating a registry for people convicted of felony child abuse and related crimes; senators voiced concerns about lifetime registration and lack of review processes, but the measure advanced to the House 15–12 with two absences.
The Senate took up first substitute House Bill 149 to require registration for people convicted of felony child abuse, child endangerment and human trafficking, placing those records within the Department of Corrections.
Sponsor remarks emphasized that the bill applies only to those convicted of serious offenses and that its purpose is to protect children by tracking convicted offenders. Senators asked whether businesses would be required to check the registry during hiring and how the proposed list interacted with existing DCFS databases and processes.
Several senators warned the lifetime registration provision and a statutory bar on future reduction of a conviction (lines 403–405) may foreclose legal remedies if exculpatory evidence appears later. Senator Bramble and others pressed the sponsor to clarify whether the statute would prevent later reduction of a conviction. Supporters argued the bill targets convicted offenders and said corrections and child‑protective systems already flag dangerous individuals.
After extended questioning and floor debate the Senate voted to send the bill back to the House for further consideration; the tally recorded 15 yeas, 12 nays and 2 absences.
