Wait’s Anti-Gang Legislation Passes House

March 30, 2007

Springfield, IL….State Representative Ron Wait announced the passage of legislation that would help protect Illinois communities and neighborhoods from gang violence.  Wait’s bill, HB270, helps judges and law enforcement isolate known gang members after release from prison.

“Ensuring that released or paroled gang members refrain from having contact with other gang members will help prevent the spread of gangs,” Wait said.  “My bill also serves as a tool to make sure released gang members stay on the straight and narrow after serving their time.”

Wait’s legislation, part of the Statewide House Republican Anti-Gang Initiative, enables judges to order, as a condition of a gang member’s release or parole from prison, that they have no direct or indirect contact with members of street gangs.  A released gang member who violates a judicial order and has contact with other gang members faces a Class A misdemeanor.

“Gangs continue to spread into our cities, towns, and schools and we need to do everything we can to protect our families and children from gang influence and gang violence.  My legislation gives our judges and police officers one more tool in their arsenal to help keep our communities safe from the threat of street gangs,” Wait said.

Wait’s bill, which passed the House of Representatives unanimously, will now advance to the Senate for consideration in the upcoming months.