This week, an Illinois Senate Committee will be considering SB2912, a bill that negatively impacts registered sex offenders (RSOs). We need you to take the following action on this bill:
Follow the link below to complete a witness slip OPPOSING this bill
Call or write the sponsors and committee members and tell them you OPPOSE this bill
Please do this RIGHT NOW! Don’t put it off. Your voice is critical in helping to STOP these bills before it goes to the full Senate for a vote! Please see the Illinois Voices website for full details on all important bills, including reasons why you should OPPOSE them.
SB2912 – A bill that would require registered sex offenders to report, in person, if they lose their job. Although many people probably think this is already a requirement, a recent court decision found that “losing” a job does not constitute a “change in employment location” and therefore does not require the registrant to report the loss of employment. This bill would fix this “loophole” (as they are calling it).
Illinois Voices is joining with the ACLU of Illinois in opposing this bill because it adds another layer of burden to RSOs who are already struggling to keep up with so many requirements. Especially difficult is the requirement to report “in person.” Some people have to travel a distance to register, and those in Chicago all have to travel to one location and stand in line for hours (literally) to update their registration.
Help us oppose this bill by completing a witness slip. Please do it NOW while you are thinking about it. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WITNESS SLIP.
More information about SB2912 and all of the bills we are watching is available on our website
thttp://www.ilvoices.com/session.html.
Instructions for completing a witness slip:
Please note that you should NOT put “Illinois Voices” on your witness slip. We will file a witness slip with our official position, but you should represent yourself as an individual.
Click the link provided in the email or on the Illinois Voices website
Under “IDENTIFICATION”, fill in your name, address and phone number.
For Firm/Business or Agency, enter “None”. DO NOT PUT IN “ILLINOIS VOICES”.
For Title, enter “None” or “Self”
Under “Representation”, enter “None” or “Self”. DO NOT PUT IN “ILLINOIS VOICES”.
For “POSITION” you will enter “Opponent” in most cases. Occasionally, Illinois Voices may ask you to submit a witness slip in favor of a bill, but most of the time, we will be asking you to oppose the bill.
Under “TESTIMONY”, enter “Record of Appearance Only”.
Enter the text in the verification box, click the box to agree to the terms, and then click “Creat(Slip)”
We no longer need you to send us a copy of your Witness Slip Confirmation email, as we can see these online after each hearing.
After you submit a witness slip, you will be asked if you want to submit another. Click on the link each time until all the bills are covered.
You do not need to create an account in order to submit witness slips. However, if you DO create an account on this website, and you are an RSO, be sure to register that information in the jurisdiction where you normally register.
Why complete a witness slip?
Witness slips are submitted for bills that will be heard at committee hearings. They are the only “official” way to either oppose or support bills. During the hearing, witness slips are read aloud and logged. We had been to a hearing in the past for a previous version of the AWA bill where we had submitted well over 60 slips in opposition. They were not read individually but rather noted that there were “too many to read.” During Floor debates, the sponsor will be asked if there is any known opposition to their bill and the sponsor will sometimes say, “None that I know of.” That usually means that no witness slips were filed for the day of the committee hearing.
So while writing and contacting your Legislators about opposing bills is worthwhile – and it CAN make a difference – the real impact is through filing witness slips.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Women Against Registry – Facebook
Is this how it is done in California? If so, let’s do it.