Proposal would bar more sex offenders from carnivals
A suburban state legislator wants stricter laws to keep sex offenders from working at carnivals and fairs.
The bill introduced by Rep. Marty Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat, would bar registered sex offenders from working at carnivals and fairs in any capacity. He said sex offenders are already banned from operating carnival rides.
State law already says carnivals can't "employ a carnival or amusement enterprise worker" who is a registered sex offender, but Moylan says the law needs to be more clear.
Carnival owners and operators would also face steeper fines if they fail to run background checks and sex offender registry checks on their employees and volunteers.
"We have to act to protect people who go to these events and make sure carnival owners do their job," Moylan said.
He says he will work with carnival operators if they have concerns about the bill.
In 2012, a funhouse operator was accused of molesting a 3-year-old girl at Schaumburg's Septemberfest. However, he did not have prior arrests, authorities said at the time.