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91_HR0060ham001 LRB9104922RCksam02 1 AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 60 2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend House Resolution 60, on page 3 1, by replacing lines 2 through 30 and by replacing all of 4 pages 2 and 3 with the following: 5 "WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives takes 6 notice that judicial proceedings have established that at 7 least eleven innocent persons have been convicted of murder 8 and sentenced to death under Illinois' current death penalty 9 law; and 10 WHEREAS, Serious allegations of wrongdoing have led to 11 grand jury indictments charging local police and prosecutors 12 with official misconduct and perjury in connection with the 13 investigation and prosecution of one such capital case; and 14 WHEREAS, The federal racketeering conviction of one 15 Illinois State court judge, proven to have taken a bribe in 16 at least one capital case and possibly others, has led to a 17 new trial for the defendants in one such capital case and to 18 review by the United States Supreme Court in another; and 19 WHEREAS, It is imperative that the citizenry of the State 20 of Illinois have confidence in the fairness and truthful 21 application of law, especially in capital cases; and -2- LRB9104922RCksam02 1 WHEREAS, In order for the State to protect its moral and 2 ethical integrity, the State must ensure a justice system 3 which is impartial and uncorrupted; and 4 WHEREAS, The execution of an innocent person by the 5 People of the State of Illinois would be a grave and 6 irreversible injustice; therefore, be it 7 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 8 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 9 the House of Representatives does establish an independent, 10 non-partisan Task Force on the Death Penalty to study all 11 aspects of the death penalty as currently administered in 12 Illinois and not its abolition; and be it further 13 RESOLVED, That the Task Force on the Death Penalty, which 14 shall serve without compensation, shall be comprised of 12 15 members; 4 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 16 Representatives; 4 shall be appointed by the House Minority 17 Leader; 2 shall be appointed by the State Appellate Defender 18 or his designee; one shall be appointed by the Attorney 19 General of Illinois or his designee; and one shall be 20 appointed by the Director of the Office of the State's 21 Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor; and be it further 22 RESOLVED, That the Task Force on the Death Penalty shall 23 hold public hearings and call before it witnesses to testify 24 on issues relevant to the administration of the death penalty 25 in Illinois; and be it further 26 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings 27 and recommendations regarding the death penalty, including 28 remedies for any deficiencies, if any, found by the Task 29 Force, to the Governor, members of the House of 30 Representatives, and the Illinois Supreme Court, no later 31 than 6 months after the date of the adoption of this 32 Resolution; and be it further -3- LRB9104922RCksam02 1 RESOLVED, That the Illinois House of Representatives 2 urges the Governor to exercise his authority to grant 3 temporary reprieves under Article V, Section 12 of the 4 Illinois Constitution, and institute an immediate halt to 5 executions in the State of Illinois, and that such a 6 moratorium on executions remain in effect until the Task 7 Force has issued its findings and recommendations, but in any 8 event, no later than 6 months after the adoption of this 9 Resolution; and be it further 10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives calls upon 11 the Supreme Court of Illinois to exercise its judicial 12 discretion under Supreme Court Rule 613 and refrain from 13 setting any execution dates until the Task Force has issued 14 its findings and recommendations, but in any event, no later 15 than 6 months after the adoption of this Resolution; and be 16 it further 17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives calls upon 18 the Illinois Senate to consider and adopt a similar 19 resolution; and be it further 20 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this preamble and 21 resolution shall be presented to the Governor, the Chief 22 Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, the State Appellate 23 Defender, the Illinois Attorney General, the Director of the 24 Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, and the 25 President of the Illinois Senate.".