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91_HJ0072
LRB9114385KBkb
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Firearm Owners' Protection Act was enacted
3 in 1986 by the federal government to protect the rights of
4 law abiding owners and to cut down on gun crime by increasing
5 the punishment scales for federal crimes committed with
6 firearms; and
7 WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Justice built upon this
8 federal law in 1997 with its creation of Project Exile, a
9 test program to prosecute armed criminals in an American
10 city, Richmond, Virginia, as federal felons, with
11 implementation beginning in 1998; and
12 WHEREAS, In 1998, gun murders in Richmond were down 55
13 percent and burglaries declined over 33 percent compared with
14 the rates for those offenses in Richmond in 1997; and
15 WHEREAS, Project Exile has continued to reduce violent
16 crime rates in Richmond, based upon the philosophy of
17 transferring persons accused of armed, violent crime from
18 state court to federal court, where these persons are
19 subject, if they are convicted, to longer sentences that are
20 served in out-of-state prisons among strangers; and
21 WHEREAS, Based upon these factors, it is reasonable to
22 believe that Project Exile may be an effective method of
23 deterring violent crime in Illinois; and
24 WHEREAS, Following the success of Project Exile in
25 Richmond, similar programs have been or are being started in
26 Birmingham, Alabama; Oakland, California; Baton Rouge,
27 Louisiana; Camden, New Jersey; Rochester, New York; and
28 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
29 WHEREAS, Project Exile is seen by public leaders and law
30 enforcement professionals as being a program that is capable
31 of being implemented in many different cities of the United
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1 States, located in different regions, with different and
2 diverse populations; therefore, be it
3 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
5 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we hereby commend the law
6 enforcement professionals of Richmond, Virginia, and the U.S.
7 Department of Justice, in their work to successfully
8 implement Project Exile in Richmond; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That there is created the Special Committee on
10 Project Exile in Illinois, to consist of nine members, all of
11 whom shall be professional peace officers, State's Attorneys,
12 Assistant State's Attorneys, or professional scholars in the
13 fields of penology and criminology; two members shall be
14 appointed by each of the four legislative leaders, and the
15 ninth member, who shall serve as Chairperson, shall be
16 appointed by the Attorney General of the State of Illinois;
17 and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the Special Committee on Project Exile
19 shall meet pursuant to the call of its appointed Chairperson,
20 shall elect a Vice Chairperson and Secretary from within its
21 ranks, and shall proceed to the task of studying the
22 desirability of implementing a Project Exile policy in all or
23 part of the State of Illinois; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That the Attorney General shall provide the
25 Special Committee on Project Exile with all of the staff
26 support required to complete its assignment; and be it
27 further
28 RESOLVED, That the members of the Special Committee on
29 Project Exile shall serve without compensation from the State
30 of Illinois, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
31 necessary expenses through the Office of the Attorney
32 General; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That the Special Committee on Project Exile
2 shall report to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the
3 Attorney General on the desirability of implementing a
4 Project Exile policy in all or part of the State of Illinois,
5 with the report to be submitted no later than April 1, 2001;
6 and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That upon the filing of its report the Special
8 Committee on Project Exile shall be dissolved; and be it
9 further
10 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to the Attorney General of the State of Illinois.