Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) voted in favor of an amendment that raises the age for charging an adolescent using illegal identification to purchase tobacco products.

An amendment to HB4297, sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago), clarifies that adolescents who use illegal identification will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, upping the age from 18 to 21 years old. 

Raising the age brought a couple of questions from Breen.

Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard)

 HB4247 “makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person who is under 21 years of age (formerly 18) in the furtherance or facilitation of obtaining any tobacco product to display or use a false or forged identification card or to transfer, alter, or deface an identification card," according to the legislation synopsis.

“So the issue is that before the limit was 18, so now folks who are 18, 19, or 20 will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. So is this an enhancement to the current law?” Breen asked.

Lilly said the current law already carries the charge of a Class A misdemeanor and HB4247 is simply cleaning up language so that statutorily, the present misdemeanor charges can be filed for persons up to 21-years-old.

“Fair enough,” Breen said.

The amendment to HB2747 was adopted.