Illinois Wants Tougher Sex Offender Rules

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CN) - The Illinois Senate passed a bill that would toughen the state's sex-offender registry requirements.

The bill would bring the state into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which calls for sex offenders to be divided into three tiers. The most dangerous offenders would be required to update their information every 3 months for life, and would make it a felony to fail to register.

The state Senate approved the bill 37-11 and sent it to the House.

Opponents argued that Illinois' sex offender registry rules are adequate and that the changes could lead to people having to register for the rest of their lives for relatively minor crimes committed while they were minors.

They claim that the underlying goal of the bill is to qualify the state for federal anti-crime funds, but the costs of defending lawsuits arising from the registry changes could cost the cash-strapped state more than it will get from Uncle Sam.

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