Laws to Protect Tenants, Help Fight Drunk Driving and Sex Crimes

SPRINGFIELD - August 21, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today continued his push to increase public safety in Illinois by signing 12 new laws that will strengthen drunken driving enforcement, protect renters from theft, and help prosecutors get justice for victims of sex crimes.

"Protecting the people of Illinois is a top priority," Governor Quinn said. "These new laws crack down on crime and make our state a safer place, and my Administration will continue to implement policies that improve public safety for all people."

House Bill 1241, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) and Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), will help prosecutors more aggressively pursue driving under the influence charges by requiring law enforcement officers to request a chemical test of an alleged intoxicated driver when the officer has probable cause to believe that alcohol was a factor in an accident that caused personal injury or death. Currently police procedure accepts, but does not require, chemical tests that reliably measure blood and urine samples for intoxication levels.

Governor Quinn also approved House Bill 147, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Dugan (D-Bradley) and Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), which cracks down on bus drivers who are driving under the influence of alcohol and better protects students. Passed unanimously by the legislature, the new law imposes a three-year suspension of a bus driver's license if the driver tests positive for alcohol or drugs or refuses a blood-alcohol test.

Senate Bill 1035, sponsored by Sen. Hutchinson and Rep. Emily McAsey (D-Romeoville), was also signed to help ensure child-predators are more quickly brought to justice. SB 1035 expands the Illinois Attorney General and States' Attorneys authority to issue subpoenas to electronic communication companies such as internet service providers for records pertaining to criminal investigations of child sexual exploitation. This law will help ensure vital electronic records of criminal behavior are not lost due to court system delays. Governor Quinn also signed House Bill 277, a related measure sponsored by Rep. Bill Cunningham (D-Beverly) and Sen. John Mulroe (D-Chicago). HB 277 law protects victims of sex-based crimes and their families by making those who are required to be or are registered as sex offenders guilty of aggravated stalking when the offender violates orders of protection or otherwise terrorizes their previous victims or their families.

To protect local peace officers from unfounded complaints, Governor Quinn signed House Bill 1985, sponsored by Rep. John D'Amico (D-Chicago) and Rep. Bill Haine (D-Alton). The new law will require that any sworn complaint against a peace officer that is found to contain knowingly false information to be forwarded to the State's Attorney for a determination of  prosecution. This measure extends existing protections for state police officers to local authorities and helps them clear their records of false complaints, which are frequently made by gang members.

"This bill adds a layer of protection for the officers who serve and protect us every day," Rep. D'Amico said.

Governor Quinn also approved House Bill 1233 to protect renters from theft due to key mismanagement. Sponsored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago), the new law requires landlords in Cook County to change the locks of each unit before a new tenant moves in and provide a signed disclosure form to the renter that confirms the change. If the lock change is not made,  landlords will be civilly liable for theft and other damages incurred by tenants that are found to be caused by not changing the lock.

In addition, Governor Quinn signed the following bills to improve public safety, including:

• • House Bill 143, sponsored by former Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) and Sen. Bill Hanie (D-Alton), allows an active member of a nationally recognized military re-enactment group to possess a vintage rifle or modern reproduction if they meet certain requirements.
  • House Bill 233 (Rebecca's Law), sponsored by Minority Leader Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego) and Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Chicago), increases the penalty for aggravated battery that causes great bodily harm, where the battery was intentional and involved torture. The new law will reclassify the crime as a Class 1 felony up from a Class 3 felony.
  • House Bill 1195, sponsored by Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) and Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) ensures all police animals are trained through programs certified by the Illinois State Police and requires records to be kept of all sniffs performed by police dogs during traffic stops.
  • House Bill 1398, sponsored by Rep. Don Moffitt (R-Galesburg) and Sen. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria), ensures that all hotels in Illinois install smoke detectors within 15 feet of each room used for sleeping.
  • Senate Bill 1321, sponsored by Sen. Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) and Rep. Will Davis (D-Chicago) ensures that firefighters and other personnel remain safe when responding to an emergency by requiring suppliers to add information about the presence of potentially dangerous medical oxygen tanks in residences to the Illinois Premise Alert Program.
  • Senate Bill 1914, sponsored by Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville) and former Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville), allows property owners outside the City of Chicago to guard against potential trespassers, unauthorized hunters and poachers by using purple paint or purple tags on trees and fence posts to indicate that property access is forbidden.
  • Senate Bill 2293, sponsored by Sen. Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) and Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Urbana), creates an income tax form checkoff to benefit the Crimestoppers program, which is administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority to offer rewards for crime tips. The law also creates a second checkoff to support the After-School Rescue program, which is administered by the State Board of Education to promote extracurricular activities that prevent youth crime.

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Will visit area businesses, hold roundtable discussions with Iowans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced several events in Iowa next week.  A full list of his public events follows.  Media is welcome to attend.

Monday, August 22nd
9:00 A.M. Tour Jeld-Wen Window Plant with Congressman Braley
Location: 820 Industrial Ave.
Grinnell

11:30 A.M.  Rebuilding America's Middle Class: Stories from Around Iowa Tour with Congressman Braley
Location: The Arc of East Central Iowa
680 2nd Street, SE.  Suite 200
Cedar Rapids

Tuesday, August 23rd
11:00 A.M. Rebuilding America's Middle Class: Stories from Around Iowa Tour with Congressman Boswell
Location: Iowa Western Community College, Looft Hall
Council Bluffs

1:15 P.M.  Roundtable with Iowa farmers and producers impacted by local flooding with Congressman Boswell
Location: Glenwood State Bank
32 North Walnut Street
Glenwood

3:30 P.M.  Discussion of Flood Protections Efforts in Carter Lake with Congressman Boswell
Location: Carter Lake City Hall
950 Locust Street
Carter Lake

Wednesday, August 24th
10:00 A.M. Speak at American Coalition for Ethanol Conference
Location: Downtown Des Moines Marriott
700 Grand Avenue
Des Moines

1:30 P.M.  Rebuilding America's Middle Class: Stories from Around Iowa Tour
Location: Newton City Council Chambers
101 West 4th Street
Newton

Thursday, August 25th
12:00 P.M. Live Interview with Iowa Public Radio's "The Exchange"

3:30 P.M. IRIS Award Presentation
Location: AIB
2500 Fleur Drive
Des Moines

Friday, August 26th
8:30 A.M. Address Innovate Iowa Panel
Location: DMACC: FFA Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
Ankeny

11:30 A.M. Main Street Grant Announcement
Location:  Des Moines Botanical Center, Willow Room
909 Robert D. Ray Drive
Des Moines

3:00 P.M.  Rebuilding America's Middle Class: Stories from Around Iowa Tour
Location: North Iowa Area Community College
500 College Drive
Mason City

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Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on a New York Times report that the Justice Department "is investigating whether the nation's largest credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor's, improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities in the years leading up to the financial crisis."  Grassley was a co-sponsor of an amendment during the financial reform legislative debate last year to try to fix a conflict of interest problem at the credit agencies.  He made the following comment on today's news report. 

"The Senate tried to do something about a conflict of interest problem at the credit ratings agencies. Unfortunately, the House-Senate conference committee downgraded the Senate provision to a study.   It was a missed opportunity.   Maybe a Justice Department investigation will force action on the conflicts of interest problem and accomplish what should have been done a long time ago."

Following are a statement and press release from the 2010 financial reform debate.

Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Conference Report on Financial Regulation Bill

I'll vote against the conference report because of concerns about changes made to the Senate bill, which I supported.

First, there's new spending with a new offset that's a huge problem.  The new offset uses TARP dollars.  TARP dollars should be returned to the taxpayers and used for deficit reduction, as was promised from the start.  I voted for the Senate version of the banking bill to protect taxpayers from another government bailout of Wall Street, not to put taxpayers on the hook by spending more money through TARP.

The new offset also uses FDIC fees for a budget gimmick by crediting those fees to the FDIC and using them as an offset.

The conference report also waters down important reforms that were in the Senate bill.

I wanted to make the derivatives market transparent.  The conference report weakened the Senate derivatives title, which required that banks receiving federal assistance push out all derivatives trading to separate affiliate operations.  Instead, the conference report allows certain types of derivatives trading by the bank which puts them in a more risky position.

I also wanted to target conflicts of interest with credit rating agencies.  The Senate bill contained an amendment that I cosponsored to break up the conflict of interest where security issuers get to pick the credit rating agencies.  A lack of independent assessment in this area was a major factor in what led up to the meltdown in 2008.  The conference report guts this reform by replacing it with a mere study.

I also wanted to make the Fed open to scrutiny and accountability.  The Senate bill took a step in that direction, albeit way too small of a step.  A lot more should have been done in this area.  For instance, the House version included a full audit of the Fed, and members of the conference could have taken that stronger language.

It's a bill that most of Wall Street wants passed.  And that's the last thing Iowans expect in any real reform bill.

For Immediate Release: 
May 13, 2010 

Contact:
Jess McIntosh 202.224.1868 (Franken)
Brian Fallon 202.224.6542 (Schumer)
Courtney Sanders 202.224.6253 (Wicker)
Jill Kozeny 202.224.1308 (Grassley)

Amendment Ending Credit Rating Conflicts Of Interest Passes Senate
Bipartisan Amendment To Wall Street Reform Passes 64 - 35

WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/13/10] - Today, the Restore Integrity To Credit Ratings amendment (S.Amdt. 3991) authored by U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Bill Nelson (D-Fl.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) passed the Senate by 64 to 35 votes, becoming part of the Wall Street Reform bill currently being debated. 

"Today is a major victory for Main Streets all over America," said Sen. Franken. "We're cleaning up Wall Street's dishonest system and replacing it with one that rewards accuracy instead of fraud. My proposal wasn't conservative, or liberal, or even moderate. It was just plain common sense. That's why I had the support of colleagues on both sides of the aisle and why we were able to win today."

"Credit rating agencies were one of the main culprits in the financial crisis," said Sen. Schumer. "They adopted questionable practices intended to win over clients, neglected their own internal controls and developed a coziness with clients. Under this measure, issuers will no longer be able to choose a rating agency and directly influence what kind of ratings they can get." 

"Today, the Senate sent a strong, bipartisan message that conflicts of interest must be removed from the current credit-rating system," said Sen. Wicker.  "The current system is broken and is detrimental to a well-functioning marketplace.  I hope this legislation will help facilitate a trustworthy credit-rating system so investors can confidently assess the creditworthiness of certain investments." 

"The credit-rating agencies are supposed to be independent evaluators of financial companies, but overly cozy relationships with those who they're supposed to scrutinize have interfered.  This conflict-of-interest amendment is an important reform to help bring about the independent assessment investors deserve.  It's a matter of market integrity," Sen. Grassley said.

The proposal ends the conflicts of interest inherent in Wall Street's current pay-to-play credit rating system. Right now, banks choose which credit rating agencies will rate the quality of their bonds and other financial products, resulting in the agencies giving away undeserved top ratings to countless sub-par financial products in order to attract business.

Sen. Franken's Restore Integrity To Credit Ratings amendment is also co-sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Bernard Sanders (I.-Vt.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). 

It cleans up the system by making sure a bank or financial institution can't shop around among credit rating agencies to get a product's initial rating.  The bipartisan proposal creates a board, overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will assign credit rating agencies to provide initial ratings in order to eliminate inherent conflicts of interest.

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DES MOINES, IA (08/17/2011)(readMedia)-- Norita Solt of Bettendorf took home the blue ribbon in Bruce Piper's Apricot Pie contest judged Saturday at the 2011 Iowa State Fair.

Shelby McCreedy of Atlantic placed second, and Cynthia Murphy of Des Moines took third. Joyce Larson of New Market earned an honorable mention.

For the contest, entrants baked a two crust apricot pie with no other fruit or nuts. The pies were judged on flavor, general appearance, consistency of filling, crust and creativity.

The Iowa State Fair Food Department is the largest of any state fair in the country. Food Department judging is held in the Elwell Family Food Center sponsored by Blue Bunny.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2011 Iowa State Fair, celebrating 100 years of the Butter Cow August 11-21. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines, and are open 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. each day of the Fair. Exhibit hours may vary. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.