Chicago City Wire

State Representative Justin Slaughter (D) has proposed a bill in the Illinois State House of Representatives that seeks to amend sections of the state vehicle code and eliminate several offenses as grounds for law enforcement to stop a driver. The proposal, known as House Bill 4603, was introduced on January 29.

According to the bill's provisions, law enforcement officers would be prohibited from stopping a motor vehicle for violations such as "failing to display registration plates or stickers; being operated with an expired registration sticker; violating general speed restrictions (unless that violation is a misdemeanor or felony offense); improper lane usage (unless that violation is a misdemeanor or felony offense); failing to comply with certain requirements concerning vehicle lamps; excessive tint; defective mirrors; an obstructed windshield or defective windshield wipers; defective bumpers; excessive exhaust; and failure of the vehicle operator to wear a safety belt."

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that any evidence obtained during a stop initiated due to one of these violations would not be admissible in court or usable in a trial, even if said evidence was discovered during a search consented by the driver.

Slaughter currently represents Illinois Legislative District 27. He will be contesting in the 2024 election, where he faces fellow Democrat Tawana Robinson in the primary scheduled for March. Slaughter first won his seat in the state house in 2017 and holds degrees from both University of Chicago and Northwestern University.