Illinois State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) | Facebook/State Representative Deanne Mazzochi
Illinois State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) | Facebook/State Representative Deanne Mazzochi
Representative Deanne Mazzochi co-sponsored Senate Bill 3019 that’ll prevent child sex offenders from operating businesses or working at places such as county fairgrounds.
“Legislation I sponsored was recently signed into law and it will soon be against the law in Illinois for a child sex offender to work with any carnival, amusement enterprise, or fair where people under the age of 18 are present,” she wrote on Facebook.
The Telegram reported a Roxana, Ill., ice cream shop was put under fire through protests for having an employee registered as a sex offender.
Last year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture had to fire Miller Spectacular Shows in the first year of its ten-year contract, because Miller had hired a convicted child sex offender to operate a children's ride at the Illinois State Fair. Although current Illinois law prohibits sex offenders from working at county fairgrounds, it does not extend to cover state fairgrounds, a release said.
Safehome reported that 33,019 Illinoisans were registered as child sex offenders.
“Parents and children should feel safe while enjoying themselves at the state fair,” Representative Tom Weber said on his website. “Unfortunately, our laws have not been sufficient enough to keep these kinds of people away from the children. This law will close the loophole that allowed a child sex offender to work a kiddie ride at the state fair last year.
Forty-one-year-old Jason Flynn was operating carnival equipment at the Illinois State Fair just six months after he was released from prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old child. WCIA reported that despite background check protocols and state laws designed to keep child sex offenders away from children at fairs Flynn was hired by Miller Spectacular Shows and worked at the State Fair for at least four days.
KHQA reported the fairground that sparked the political action is set to start in August while the bill goes into law in January 2023.
Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB3019 into law at the end of May, News Channel 20 reported.
“The safety of fairgoers, particularly children, should be tantamount,” Mazzochi said. “This law will close the loophole that allowed him to find work with children.”
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