Articles
Illinois DUI
Illinois DUI News
July 6, 2005
Illinois Governor signs eight DUI-related bills
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said in a written release that "we will not tolerate drunk driving" after signing eight DUI-related bills into law on July 4.
The new Illinois DUI laws are in efforts to crack down on drunken drivers and to "send a strong message to criminals who disregard the laws of this state - that you will be punished," according to Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, who introduced three of the eight measures.
Just one of the measures the governor signed into law was Black's HB 887, which will require felony DUI charges to be prosecuted by state's attorney's offices instead of allowing municipal attorneys to handle the cases. The measure is intended to provide more consistency in sentencing.
HB 888, also sponsored by Black, will increase the penalties for DUI offenders caught driving after their license was suspended or revoked. As the law currently stands, the punishment for a driver caught driving on a suspended or revoked license after getting a fifth DUI or a 15 th DUI is the same. Soon, the driver will face one to three years in prison for the fifth through ninth DUI offenses, two to five years in prison for the 10 th through 14 th DUI offenses and three to seven years for each additional DUI offense.
Under HB 1132, the sixth or subsequent DUI offense will become a Class X felony, with mandatory prison time of six to 30 years. Fourth or subsequent DUI convictions were previously classified as Class 2 felonies.
HB 3816 will make a third or fourth DUI conviction a Class 2 felony, and a fifth offense a Class 1 felony. The measure also mandates prison time for DUI offenders who receive four or more DUI convictions by eliminating the options of probation or conditional discharge in such cases.
HB 1081 requires a prison sentence of three to 14 years in aggravated DUI cases where one or more people died as a result of the crime. Sponsored by Rep. Will Davis, D-Hazel Crest, in a written release he said, "it is my sincere hope that HB 1081 will help stem the tragic occurrences that happen when individuals make the choice to drive while intoxicated."
HB 1351 will require anyone arrested for leaving the scene of a crash involving death or injury to submit to chemical testing within 12 hours of the accident or risk losing his/her driver's license.
HB 657 will result in tougher penalties if a driver over the age of 21 is caught driving under the influence with passengers under the age of 16.
SB 72 requires police to record interrogations and confessions of aggravated DUI suspects, and is effective immediately.
Besides SB 72, all other new DUI laws will become effective on January 1, according to the governor's office.
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