SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Jan. 18, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Illinois House would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction. The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the feds. Rep. Al…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Jan. 18, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Illinois House would set the foundation to end state enforcement of federal gun control, an important first step to nullify it in practice within the state. Rep. David Reis (R-Olney) introduced House Bill 413 (HB413) on Jan. 12. Titled the Second Amendment Preservation Act, the…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Jan. 1, 2017) – Today, an Illinois law went into effect banning the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. The new law will not only protect privacy in Illinois, but will also hinder one aspect of the federal surveillance…
LINCOLN, Ill. (Oct. 4, 2016) – Last month, the Lincoln City Council voted to decriminalize marijuana within the city limits, a step toward effectively nullifying federal prohibition in practice. Under the old law, possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana was a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and $2,500…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Aug 3, 2016) – Last week, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law decriminalizing marijuana for adults and changing criminal penalties into civil infractions. The proposal not only decriminalizes marijuana in the Prairie State, it also takes a step toward nullifying federal cannabis prohibition in practice in Illinois. Sen. Heather Steans…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (July 25, 2016) – Last week, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill banning the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. The new law will not only protect privacy in Illinois, but will also hinder one aspect of the federal…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (May 19, 2016) – Yesterday, the Illinois House unanimously passed a bill that would ban the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. It now goes to the governor’s desk.The proposed legislation would not only protect privacy in Illinois, but…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (May 11, 2016) – In a victory for privacy advocates, an Illinois bill that would have expanded drone surveillance in the state failed in the Senate. Sen. Antonio Munoz introduced Senate Bill 2588, (SB2588) in February. The legislation would have created another broad exception allowing warantless drone surveillance for “training purposes.” SB2588 passed…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (May 5, 2016) – On Tuesday, an Illinois House committee passed a bill that would ban the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. The proposed legislation would not only protect privacy in the Illinois, but would also hinder one…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (April 19, 2016) – The Illinois Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. The proposed legislation would not only protect privacy in the Illinois, but would also hinder one aspect of…